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| SkySafari is a mobile app for astronomy enthusiasts. |
A Twin Cities developer of astronomy-education software will rocket
into the mobile market after acquiring SkySafari, an app for stargazers.
Minnetonka-based Simulation Curriculum, best known for its Starry
Night line of educational software, snapped up SkySafari in a bid to
quickly enter the mobile arena, said CEO and Co-founder Michael Goodman
in an interview. The company makes computer software, but has yet to
create apps for mobile devices. Goodman said he pursued SkySafari,
developed by San Francisco-based Southern Stars, after hearing good
things about it from customers.
Astronomy enthusiasts use SkySafari to peruse sky charts and control
telescopes with their mobile devices. Simulation Curriculum will
integrate features from its desktop software into the app, Goodman said.
The companies didn’t disclose financial terms of the deal, but said SkySafari’s developers, Tim DeBenedictis and Bill Tschumy, will join the Simulation Curriculum’s staff. (The duo mounted a fun crowdfunding campaign that raised $117,000 to launch a nano-satellite into space.)
Venture Bank helped finance the acquisition.
Goodman launched Simulation Curriculum in 2008 after buying the business from Imaginova Corp. The company raised about $1 million in capital to fund the launch of an earth sciences line of software.
Simulation Curriculum now has 12 employees, up from two when it started.
The company plans to expand into biology, chemistry and other
educational fields and also next year will launch a new version of its
flagship Starry Night software, Goodman said.
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