Google buys personalized search start-up

The acquisition of start-up Kaltix gives Google access to the company's Web search personalization technology, which aims to tailor results to an individual's interests and needs.

Reuters

See full bio

Oct. 30, 2003 4:00 a.m. PT

Web search company Google on Tuesday said it bought Kaltix, a start-up that builds the personalized and context-sensitive search tools the industry sees as part of its next wave of product offerings.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Kaltix, of Palo Alto, Calif., was formed in June this year and its technology aims to make it easier and faster for people to find information on the Web, Google said in a statement.

A Google representative declined to make any additional comment.

In general, Web search personalization works to tailor search results to an individual's interests and needs. This allows Google and other search providers to deliver the targeted advertising they rely on for revenue.

As previously reported by CNET News.com, Kaltix was founded by three members of a Stanford University research group that focuses on Web search. The university recently granted Kaltix an exclusive license for personalized Web search technology, according to a Web site operated by Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing.

A representative for Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, launched in 1998 by former Stanford University graduate students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, operates the most popular Web search destination in the United States.

But Google faces increasing competition from Yahoo and Microsoft, which are both making significant investments in Web search.