Software firm snapped up

11:57am Thursday 4th September 2008

AN OXFORDSHIRE software company has been snapped up by a US rival for about £2.5m.

InfoBasis, which employs 31 people at Abingdon Science Park, was set up seven years ago in Chalgrove by Ashley Wheaton and Nicholas Revell, executives at Microsoft.

InfoBasis investors Oxford Capital Partners will also benefit from the deal.

The founders had spent over ten years building IT systems that kept track of appraisals and training at Microsoft.

They left their jobs to set up InfoBasis, because they could see the need for 'talent management' software that identified the skills needed by a business and those held by its workforce.

The system can control everything from job descriptions and appraisals to training and leadership development.

Director Donald Taylor, who joined in 2003, said: "Skills are increasingly important for modern businesses. "The founders had a combination of business acumen and technical ability and they knew the market was there.

"They started from nothing and grew to have companies like BAE, the NHS and Microsoft as customers."

Salary.com, based in Waltham, Massachussets, said it bought InfoBasis because its learning and development software complemented Salary.com's own software and would allow it to expand into the UK.

InfoBasis will operate as a subsidiary of Salary.com and is expected to add up to £1m to the company's 2009 revenue.

Kent Plunkett, chief executive officer of Salary.com said: "InfoBasis adds a full range of competency-driven, learning and development products that complement Salary.com's compensation, performance and succession products.

"The most significant and expensive talent management issue facing executives today is ensuring that the right people with the right skills are in the right jobs.

"This acquisition supports our leadership position in driving towards competency-based talent management."