Walmart buys predictive analytics platform Inkiru

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. STS Prasad, vice president of pricing and infrastructure for @WalmartLabs’, said the acquisition “will enable us to further accelerate the big data capabilities that @WalmartLabs has propelled forward at scale, including site personalisation, search, fraud prevention and marketing.

Prasad explained that Inkiru has developed “an active learning system that combines real-time predictive intelligence, big data analytics and a customisable decision engine to inform and streamline business decisions”.

As part of the acquisition, Inkiru’s tech expert Vijay Raghavendra, data scientist Jaya Kolhatkar and software architect Yitao Yao will join the @WalmartLabs team. Inkiru founder Alok Bhanot becomes a full-time advisor to the team.