Acquisitions: No. 1 Baltimore tech trend of 2015

Beyond individual stories, a tech community is defined by how its component parts work together. So, to look back at 2015, we’re unpacking 10 themes that kept popping up with big headlines all year long. See the full list of 2015 trends here.

When looking back at 2015 in Baltimore tech, the summer of acquisitions will clearly be a focal point.
Verizon acquired AOL for $4.4 billion in May, mainly for its adtech business, putting one of the city’s tech anchors under new ownership. Then, TechCrunch served warning that newly resource-rich AOL could be in line to acquire Millennial Media. But before that deal for $238 million could even be finalized, Groupon acquired buzzy food delivery startup OrderUp for $69 million in cash.
How these reworked companies ultimately play out remains to be seen, but you can already see the effects on Baltimore’s tech scene here at year’s end. In Canton, two of the city’s largest tech employers are under one brand and one of the city’s fastest-growing startups just made an exit in the increasingly hot food delivery sector.
Whether founders form new companies, invest or stick with growing their existing businesses in Baltimore, this summer’s acquisition spree will have serious ripple effects on the local scene.