Endurance International Group plans to integrate the Mojoness products into its platform to deliver new design, code and script options to customers of its hosting brands this year
Endurance International Group quietly announced last week its acquisition of Mojoness Inc., the Utah-based provider of WordPress theme and code marketplaces and WordPress and Magento tutorial websites.
The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Endurance says it plans to integrate the Mojoness products into its platform to deliver new design, code and script options to customers of its hosting brands, including HostGator and BlueHost. Endurance will release initial integration of the Mojoness platform later this year.
The hope is that the acquisition will provide small business owners with a complete toolset to improve the look and functionality of their websites, shopping carts and blogs, and help to make open source applications more accessible to less experienced users. The acquisition will complement its other brands that offer Magento and WordPress, and the products will help support small and medium-sized business customers that rely on a DIY approach when it comes to their web presence.
Founded in 2010, Mojoness operates Mojothemes, Mojocodes, as well as educational sites WP Roots and Mage Roots. Since 2010, demand for WordPress and Magento hosting has grown, and web hosts like Nexcess have expanded their WordPress and Magento hosting services to new locations to meet the needs of more customers. Acquired in 2011 by eBay, Magento will celebrate its fifth anniversary next week.
“This acquisition aligns with our focus on providing robust solutions that help small business owners optimize their online presence. By making popular open-source applications less intimidating for less-technical users, we hope to open up new opportunities to enhance their digital footprint,” Endurance CEO and founder Hari Ravichandran said in a statement.
According to the press release announcing the acquisition, Mojoness uses a proprietary network of 2,500 application developers to create themes, code and scripts to users of open source applications not limited to WordPress and Magento, but also Joomla and several shopping cart applications.
“This transaction enables Mojoness contributors to reach more customers through the Endurance brands, and we appreciate Endurance’s long-standing reputation as a supporter of open source,” Mojoness co-founder JR Farr said. “It also provides us with an opportunity to help support the small businesses that drive the US economy—because the folks we work with are creating some pretty amazing stuff that can help businesses capitalize on web traffic.”
This acquisition comes as the Wall Street Journal has reported via anonymous sources that Endurance International Group prepares for an initial public offering, which could fetch the hosting giant up to $2.5 billion.
Talk back: Do you think Endurance International Group’s acquisition of Mojoness will complement its other hosting brands including HostGator and BlueHost? What kinds of tools have you added for your SMB customers to get the most out of their websites and ecommerce shops? Let us know in a comment.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson is the Editor in Chief of the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
