Aquafadas

Aquafadas
Industry Computer software
Digital Publishing
Founded 2006
Founder Claudia Zimmer (CEO)
Matthieu Kopp (CTO)
Thomas Ribreau (CPO)
Headquarters Montpellier, France
Area served
 Worldwide
Owner Rakuten Inc.
Parent Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Website http://www.aquafadas.com/

Aquafadas[1] is a software company specialising in creation of tools to build mobile apps for smartphones, tablets and web designed for enterprises and digital publishers. Based in Montpellier, in the south of France, Aquafadas is a major subsidiary of the Rakuten Group.

Sector

Aquafadas creates mobile application tools for enterprise designed to support businesses in their digital transformation. With Aquafadas software companies can build smartphone, tablet and web apps for their sales reps, investors and communications teams. Aquafadas also specialises in solutions for digital newspapers, magazines and e-text books.

Company history

The founders

Claudia Zimmer (CEO), previously an architect, and Matthieu Kopp (CTO) with a degree of engineering (École Centrale Paris) and PHD in astrophysics. With 11 years of software development experience, they previously spent 5 years running the Application Networks startup in London and founded Aquafadas in 2006.

Meaning of the 'Aquafadas' name

Aquafadas' name was inspired by Aqua, the name of Apple's Mac OS X graphical user interface, and "fada", which means muse - inspirational tutelary goddess of the arts - in Occitan language (a gallo-romanic language, spoken in southern parts of France). Aquafadas could be translated as "inspired by the Mac."

Headquarters

Aquafadas first base was Cap Omega, a business incubator.[5] Today, the Aquafadas' headquarters is in MIBI (Montpellier International Business Incubator) in Montpellier.

Key dates

  • 2004: Creation of the first software, iDive
  • 2006: Aquafadas founded as a company by Claudia Zimmer and Matthieu Kopp. PulpMotion, the second software, launches.
  • 2007: BannerZest - software designed to create Flash banners - enters the market. The same year Ave!Comics, book store for digital comic books owned by Aquafadas, starts to gain attention in the comic books world.
  • 2008: VideoPier launch
  • December 2008, the latest Lucky Luke comic book on iPhone goes on sale thanks to the Ave!Comics3 tools
  • 2009: SnapFlow launch
  • May 2009, creation of Ave!Comics3 Production
  • 2010: BannerZest for Windows goes live. BannerZest Fun Pics Facebook app launches. Plug-in PulpFx created in partnership with Noise Industries goes live. Digital publications for La Fnac and Orange enter the market. Launch of mobile apps for: RMC Sport, La Tribune and Reader's Digest.
  • 2011: Partnership with Quark to make Aquafadas technology compatible with Quark 9 et Quark QPS. Adobe InDesign 4 Plugin designed for digital publishing goes live. New clients using Aquafadas tools for their digital publications: La Réunion des Musées Nationaux – Grand Palais, Reader's Digest, La Tribune, Bayard, and Carlsen.
  • 2012 : The Canadian e-reading company Kobo acquires Aquafadas.
  • 2015: Aquafadas acquired by the Rakuten Group, the internet services company.
  • 2017: Aquafadas becomes a major subsidiary of the Rakuten Group, appointing Yasufumi Hirai as Chairman and Koichiro Takahara as CEO.
  • 1 July 2017: Aquafadas becomes Rakuten Aquafadas as a part of corporate rebranding and integration with the Rakuten Group

Ave!Comics Production

The subsidiary company of Aquafadas, transforms and publishes comic books on smartphones, tablets and web readers.

International presences

Partner network

Aquafadas has an international presence with 25 partner companies across the world:

  • Latin America: Panama ; Mexico ; Brazil ; San Salvador ; Argentina ; Costa Rica.
  • North America: Canada ; USA.
  • EMEA : Emirates ; Kuwait ; Turkey ; France ; Spain ; Italy.
  • Asia : Japan (3 partners), China (3 partners), Thailand.

Kobo acquisition in 2012

The Canadian e-reading company, acquires Aquafadas in 2012. In 2015 becomes a part of the Rakuten group.

Rakuten Group acquisition in 2015

The internet services company Rakuten acquires Aquafadas by merging with Kobo.

Notes

  1. ↑ Guillaume, Denis, Didier, Ergo et. "Le français Aquafadas fête ses 10 ans ! Auto-interview de Claudia Zimmer et Matthieu Kopp". www.mac4ever.com. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
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