Google Planning to Acquire Dublin Start-up Pointy

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Google plans to acquire Dublin retails tech start-up Pointy, which has created a device that automatically lists a bricks-and-mortar store’s inventory online so customers can find local products; however, the terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the deal is set to close in the coming weeks.

Headquartered near Connolly Station, Pointy has developed a solution to help local stores with a way to make all of their inventory visible online, to help them compete with e-commerce giants. The company has created a box device that connects to a store’s barcode scanner and automatically lists the products online.

Google said in a statement that Pointy has been a key partner for years, making it easier for local retailers to showcase their offerings on Google. Statement further implies that Pointy helped thousands of local retailers bring their product inventory online.

Pointy’s software tracks what a retailer is selling and can take a good guess as to when it’s out of stock on a certain item. That stock information is then displayed on their Google business profile, so anyone trying to find a local shop that sells, can check whether it’s available nearby.

Senior director of local SMB products at Google, Peter Chane said “We’re looking forward to working with Pointy to help even more local retailers bring their product inventory online.”

Pointy in a separate said, “The last six years have been an incredible adventure, and today marks the start of a new chapter. From small beginnings, we’re very proud to serve local retailers in almost every city and every town in the US and throughout Ireland.

The founders of Pointy, Charles Bibby and Mark Cummins, said “By joining forces, we will be able to help people discover local stores and products on a much larger scale. We think this is the right way to accomplish what we set out to do – to bring the world’s retailers online and give them the tools they need to thrive.

“Today is a big step forward for Pointy, but there is still a very long way to go. We’re as excited about the future as when we first started.”

Pointy has raised $19.2m since it was founded in 2014, from investors including Frontline Ventures, Polaris Partners, Vulcan Capital and Audrey Capital. Cummins’ previous business, mobile visual search start-up Plink, was acquired by Google in 2010.