Snapchat could help you organize a night out with friends or get a digest of the day’s news thanks to its acquisition of mobile search startup Vurb. TechCrunch caught wind of the impending deal over the weekend and now The Information reports Snapchat is in the closing stages of talks to pay $110 million for Vurb (75 percent stock, 25 percent cash). Snapchat is also said to offer $75 million in retention bonuses to keep Vurb founder and CEO Bobby Lo around.
Unfortunately, rewiring people’s behavior patterns around search proved too difficult, even if Google wasn’t built for mobile. Vurb struggled for mass traction, and now it’s selling. Snapchat tells me it’s not commenting on the news. Lo said he was bound by legal restrictions, so he couldn’t talk about it — which points to a deal.