Yahoo Buys Israeli Start-up ClarityRay

By JTA August 17, 2014

Yahoo has purchased a small Israeli start-up company, ClarityRay, for an estimated $15 million to 25 million.

The Tel Aviv-based company, founded in 2012, creates software to enable content publishers to dodge ad-blocking programs, and also focuses on ad security and fraud detection.

“This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity enables the mass scaling of our technology, impact and ideas to the absolute forefront of our field, while working with an amazing team who shares our passion. We’re proud to call Yahoo ‘home,’” the company said in a statement on its website.

ClarityRay was founded by CEO Ido Yablonka, Vadim Zak and Guy Pitelko, who all served in the Israeli military’s Intelligence Corps, the Israeli business daily Globes reported.

“We’ve been working on building up security capabilities and making Yahoo! a safer place for users and partners. Advertising is an essential part of our business here at Yahoo, and we’re committed to getting it right. ClarityRay is a company with deep expertise in ad-malware detection and prevention. The bottom line for Yahoo! is that search is going to get better and safer for users, and advertising will become more reliable and profitable for partners,” Yahoo said in a statement.

The company is expected to remain in Israel.

Last month Yahoo acquired an Israeli company, the video-streaming start-up RayV, for an undisclosed sum, according to Globes.

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