WalmartLabs Acquires Two Tech Start-ups

The technology arm of Walmart Global eCommerce known as WalmartLabs has acquired two tech start-ups that should enhance the retailer’s cloud computing infrastructure and software services portfolio.

The first was an acquisition of OneOps, which has developed a “Platform-as-a-Service” capability that will enable the retailer to significantly accelerate private cloud infrastructure strategies. Cloud infrastructure is key in mobile applications where data is stored in remote locations.

“OneOps has put an innovative twist on the way product releases are managed and will help us deliver on our plans to bring together best-in-class retail with best-in-class e-commerce to create amazing experiences for customers. We are proud to have them on-board and joining our talent-filled team,” the release notes.

The second acquisition announced was Tasty Labs, a software applications developer based in Mountain View, Calif. Tasty Labs has pioneered more effective ways to connect people via social software.

The financial terms of these deals have not been released. But the acquisitions do allow Wal-Mart to acquire top technology talent. OneOps co-founders Kire Filipovski, Vitaliy Zinchenko, and Mike Schwankl are technology veterans with proven experience developing software automation solutions who have re-imagined application management in the era of cloud computing, according to the release.

Co-founders of Tasty Labs, Nick Nguyen and Paul Rademacher, will also join WalmartLabs as full-time employees while co-founder Joshua Schachter is signing on as a consultant, according to WalmartLabs blog post on its website.

Jeremy King, chief technology officer at WalmartLabs notes in his blog, “We’ll be adding some of Silicon Valley’s brightest innovators to accelerate our delivery of new products, both within the products organization as well as our mobile team led by Gibu Thomas.”

Carol Spieckerman, of New Market Builders, has said Wal-Mart’s decision to allow WalmartLabs to remain in Silicon Valley has been key in its ability to attract top technology talent and keep its nimble start-up mind-set, in spite of the massive scale in which Wal-Mart operates.

“These additions show our commitment to delivering best-in-class technology by attracting some of the best people in Silicon Valley…because we offer the unique opportunity to innovate at a massive, global scale and solve interesting challenges that improve the lives of millions of people at a time,” King notes in his blog.