Centro buys Silicon Valley software startup

"Advertising software company Centro acquired a San Francisco-area startup that specializes in algorithms for bidding on search-engine keywords.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but QuanticMind will add about 30 employees to Centro’s staff of nearly 700.

More importantly, the acquisition rounds out Centro’s ad-buying software, called Basis, which launched three years ago. Basis already allowed customers to plan and purchase digital ads on websites, search and social media either through automated-buying platforms or directly from the sites themselves.

This deal is worth watching because Centro, which got its start 19 years ago buying online ads for clients, has been viewed as a potential IPO or acquisition candidate for some time. With a red-hot IPO market, the company could find the exit it’s been seeking."

Read more in Crain's Chicago Business.