Website optimization and A/B testing platform Optimizely announced today that it has acquired Synference, a machine learning startup based in Dublin, Ireland.
With the addition of Synference, Optimizely will bulk up its machine learning capabilities, providing users with automated discovery of patterns and insights for their site optimization efforts. Essentially, the goal is to automate the site to intelligently tailor its appearance based on who is visiting it.
“The Synference team has found a way to marry testing, optimization and machine learning— which increases the clarity and volume of actionable data for businesses,” said Pete Koomen, president and co-founder of Optimizely in a statement. “Machine learning can shorten feedback loops and inform a more effective optimization strategy.”
Synference was founded in 2013 by Fergal Reid and Conrad Lee, two PhDs in machine learning from University College Dublin (UCD). The Synference team will join Optimizely full-time as members of the product and development groups.
The acquisition comes at a time when Optimizely is freshly flush with cash, having recently raised $57 million in its latest funding round from big name investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Benchmark Capital.
