Oxylabs Acquires Webshare
The company’s new acquisition will continue to function as a separate entity.
- Published: September 20, 2022
Oxylabs, the Lithuanian provider of web scraping infrastructure, has announced its acquisition of Webshare, a US based proxy provider.
Founded in 2019 by Utku Zihnioglu, Webshare quickly established itself in the market. Its growth was spurred by competitively priced datacenter proxies, delivered via a fully automated and highly customizable system. Currently, Webshare’s portfolio spans 10,000 active customers, including Fortune 500 clients.
The deal was made for an undisclosed amount using Oxylabs’ cash reserves. Following the acquisition, Webshare will continue to operate as a separate entity, with Oxylabs taking a supporting role.
To quote Julius Cerniauskas, CEO of Oxylabs:
Webshare is playing an essential role in the proxy market ecosystem by providing fast and affordable solutions, the quality of which is praised by their clients. Achieving rapid industry recognition is an impressive accomplishment made possible only by the immensely talented people of Webshare. With the addition of our technical expertise and industry experience, we will help them get established as one of the key players in the industry while maintaining their explosive growth.
Utku Zihnioglu, CEO of Webshare Software Company, gave the following comment:
Our goal has always been to become a technology leader in the proxy industry. We see Oxylabs as a brotherly company whose values match those upon which we built our business. Through our combined forces, we will be able to continue scaling quicker and more efficiently, enabling us to have a greater positive effect on the proxy market industry.
The acquisition took us by surprise, though it does make sense. Oxylabs serves the premium segment, while Webshare primarily targets entry and mid-level clients. We’ll be curious to see how this move will impact Webshare’s growth, and how the two companies will interact in the future.
Together with Bright Data’s recent acquisition, the announcement shows just how large the major players have become. Providers like Oxylabs and Bright Data now have the resources to simply buy successful smaller competitors – whether to enter new segments or strengthen their existing positions in the market.
