Yahoo Buys Place Recommendation App Zofari to Bolster Local Search

Yahoo said Tuesday it was bolstering its local search capabilities by absorbing the team from the smartphone recommendation app Zofari.

"Zofari and Yahoo share a common goal to make the world an easier place to explore for as many people as possible," California-based Yahoo said in an email.

"We're thrilled to welcome the team to Yahoo, where they will join our growing search organization and continue to build amazing discovery experiences."

Yahoo is not acquiring the company but is integrating the team from Zofari to improve local search in the face of services from Google, Yelp and others.

A statement on the Zofari website said that "our team is joining Yahoo, where we will continue to build amazing discovery experiences at a scale we've only dreamed of" and that the Zofari app would still be available.

Zofari describes itself as a "Pandora for Places," in reference to the online radio group that creates customized music lists.

"Using your favourite restaurants, bars and neighbourhoods, we create customized stations that show you the most similar places around you," according to the Zofari site.

"Your stations will update whenever you change locations, revealing awesome hidden gems and making discovering new places as easy as exploring your hometown."

Yahoo in July announced it had bought RayV, an Israel-based startup specializing in streaming high-quality video to computers and mobile devices. Yahoo did not disclose financial terms of the deal to acquire RayV, which will become part of the California company's research and development team in Tel Aviv. "The (RayV) team lives and breathes video, and have become industry pioneers," Yahoo said in a Tumblr post.

Yahoo had in June made a grab for Android smartphone home screens with the launch of its Aviate launcher application tuned to where people are. Yahoo bought Aviate early this year in a deal reported to be valued at about $80 million dollars. The software was subsequently honed with a test group.

Written with agency inputs

Yahoo acquisitions under Marissa Mayer