Microsoft Acquires Collaboration Startup LiveLoop

By Timothy Hay 

Microsoft Corp. has acquired LiveLoop Inc., a San Francisco startup that developed a service to let people collaborate on PowerPoint documents.

A brief statement from Microsoft said the LiveLoop team will help Microsoft develop new collaboration tools across various Office applications. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

LiveLoop said on its website that the company will shut down on April 24. It asked users to retrieve any data before that date.

LiveLoop has said it can convert presentations, like those done in PowerPoint, into Web URLs that can be shared without the download of additional software.

The company was fairly quiet about its operations and about its fundraising. New Enterprise Associates and Webb Investment Network both list LiveLoop as a portfolio company. The firms couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Microsoft has been adding to its productivity-application suite of products.

Last month, in another deal with undisclosed terms, Microsoft acquired Sunrise Atelier Inc., which made a calendar application that could function as a stand-alone feature or be built into other Microsoft services. Sunrise Atelier was backed by 500 Startups, Balderton Capital, BoxGroup, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, NextView Ventures, Resolute Ventures, SV Angel and Terrapin Bale.

In December, Microsoft acquired Acompli Inc. in another deal whose terms weren't disclosed. Acompli identifies the highest-priority emails in a user's inbox, and it finds free blocks of time in the user's digital calendar to help schedule appointments easily. Acompli was backed by Redpoint Ventures, Harrison Metal and Felicis Ventures.

Write to Timothy Hay at [e-mail]

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires