LinkedIn acquires Chicago-based PointDrive

PontDrive, a Chicago-based presentation-sharing software startup, has been acquired by LinkedIn, the companies announced Tuesday.

The company’s 15 employees will relocate to LinkedIn’s Chicago or San Francisco offices.

PointDrive, which CEO Bill Burnett launched widely in 2014, lets users create presentations and send them through its Web app or an email link. The goal is to present files in a more organized, visually appealing manner than email attachments, and to collect analytics on when, for how long, and where recipients look at presentations.

Burnett said many customers work in enterprise sales or real estate — the company partnered with @properties in 2014 to give its agents access to the startup’s services.

PointDrive’s technology will be integrated into LinkedIn’s Sales Solutions business unit. Two years ago, LinkedIn launched its Sales Navigator product, designed in part to help individuals or companies use their social networks to find promising sales leads. LinkedIn became a customer of PointDrive last year.

“What Bill and his team are bringing to the table is a way for us to streamline the communication between sales professionals and potential buyers and prospects and even existing customers,” said LinkedIn spokeswoman Fenot Tekle.

PointDrive will continue to support existing customers but is not taking new customers as it integrates into LinkedIn, Burnett said. 

Burnett said he was pleased with the sale.

“It’s something that isn’t just an end for me or for us — it’s something that we’re looking forward to continuing,” he said. 

The companies declined to disclose the terms of the deal.