Well, to be fair, we’ll have to classify this as rumor-mongering because I haven’t had the chance to check numbers or sources, yet.
However, I woke up to an article in Venture Beat offering early glimpses into the possibility that Cafepress has paid between $15m-$20m for ImageKind – an art print-on-demand service.
Again, in keeping with purely the word on the street angle, is that Zazzle lost a possible desired bid in this as well – not surprising since they’ve been making many moves to increase their business lately (some positive, some less so).
If true and accurate it’s no surprise to me because of the focus of Cafepress as a leader in the POD industry and their growth… often to successfully expand beyond what made them successful years ago: the tshirt.
We’ll see what comes of these as the press releases, rumors, and day runs on.
If it’s the case I have to admit I’m anxious to hear the reactions from a few people I know who are highly invested in the IK service.
UPDATE: It’s confirmed.