WordPress parent company Automattic acquires web building tool Scroll Kit
Automattic, the maker of popular blogging platform WordPress, announced recently that it has acquired Scroll Kit, according to Tech Crunch and Scroll Kit's website.
Scroll Kit developed a platform to allow people without coding knowledge to create a web site. Scroll Kit's features are reportedly being integrated into WordPress in some way, though the exact details of the project were not revealed.
According to the company's web site, Scroll Kit is a visual tool for creating web sites that makes the process more like "drawing on a piece of paper." This functionality makes it easier for people to create web sites without having to take the time to learn how to code them. The site reports that Scroll Kit's site will be shut down in three months, allowing current users time to save their work.
WordPress is a popular free tool used for blogging and content management, and with this acquisition strategy, the company will be integrating the new features provided by Scroll Kit and bring them to a wider audience.
"We're drawn to WordPress because it's an opportunity to take the best features inside Scroll Kit and reach an audience that is many magnitudes larger," Scroll Kit co-founder Cody Brown told Tech Crunch.
Additionally, it was reported by Fortune earlier this month that WordPress parent company Automattic was possibly raising up to $150 million in funding, putting the company at a valuation of over $1 billion. Twenty-two percent of websites in the world are powered by WordPress, though the company currently faces competitors like Squarespace. With the acquisition of Scroll Kit, WordPress could be looking to gain an edge over the competition.
The details of the Scroll Kit acquisition were not disclosed.