Impermium, a cybersecurity startup that was backed by top funds like Accel and Greylock, is joining Google. They had raised $9 million in funding from Highland Capital Partners, the Social+Capital Partnership, AOL Ventures, Charles River Ventures, Freestyle, Greylock and angels like Matt Ocko.
We are trying to figure out whether this was an acquisition, an acqui-hire or whether Impermium’s employees are just joining Google. Google has not returned a request for comment, although vice president of Google+ Bradley Horowitz posted a status update earlier today that said, “Google’s spam and abuse teams are industry-leading and world-class. Impermium should fit right in.”
The company had been building a risk-evaluation platform that would improve account management by identifying fraudulent registrations, compromised logins, and risky transactions. Impermium sent out a message to its customers saying that it will shut down offering services to third-party websites. But we hear that the team will still be working on the same core problems and technology over at Google.
This is a statement that appeared on their website just minutes ago:
When we founded Impermium three years ago, our mission was to help rid the web of spam, fraud, and abuse. As sites gain in popularity, criminals and miscreants are never far behind, and Impermium has worked hard to defend some of the largest and fastest-growing sites.
By joining Google, our team will merge with some of the best abuse fighters in the world. With our combined talents we’ll be able to further our mission and help make the Internet a safer place. We’re excited about the possibilities.
We’d like to extend a special thank you to all of our customers and partners. Your support and feedback were invaluable, and we’re glad to have been a part of your growth. We’d also like to thank our invaluable investors, advisors, and supporters, including Accel Partners, AOL Ventures, Charles River Ventures, Data Collective, Freestyle Capital, Greylock Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Morado Ventures, and the Social+Capital Partnership.
