Credit reporting company Credit Karma has acquired mobile notifications app company Snowball for an undisclosed amount in order to bolster functionalities of its mobile platform.
The Android-focused Snowball app, which allows its users to customize and interact with their cell phone notifications, reportedly has over 250,000 users. However, with the acquisition, the app is expected to be taken down from Google’s app store, TechCrunch reported.
The acquisition comes at a time when Credit Karma is switching gears to address its 45 million-wide user base — a good chunk of which accesses its platform through cell phones. Improvements to its Android-based mobile platform would essentially help it better serve its users, which have a credit score rating in the middle to lower range and prefer to use Android phones.
“We’re seeing a huge movement of consumers toward mobile, particularly in younger demographics. Android is a key platform for us,” said Credit Karma CTO Ryan Graciano in an interview with TechCrunch. “And these guys have really amazing experience on Android in particular.”
With its amped-up mobile platform, the company said, it aims to reach out to a wider user base, which is increasingly becoming more tech-savvy.
“We have tens of thousands of data points on a particular customer at any time, so there’s this constant inflow of things we could be telling you,” notes Graciano. “But sorting through all that … is a very tricky thing to do, especially in a way where you’re not overwhelming the user with spurious notifications.”
As the acquisition completes, five members of Snowball’s team of six will join Credit Karma, including CEO Anish Acharya, who will now work as the senior director of product management.
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