Browserstack, a mobile and web software testing platform backed by Accel, has acquired Bird Eats Bug, a bug-reporting startup based in Berlin, for $20 million. Browserstack, which was valued at $4 billion during its last fundraising in 2021, stands as one of India’s most highly valued software product startups.
“BrowserStack has acquired Bird Eats Bug and committed a total of $20 million to the deal…. The investment includes upfront cash, stock, and future investment for product development,” the company said in a statement.
Founded by IIT Bombay alumni Ritesh Arora and Nakul Aggarwal, Browserstack operates from San Francisco and Mumbai. The platform enables companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, and X to test their software on the cloud. This acquisition marks Browserstack’s fifth.
Profitable since its early days, the startup has emphasized that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have been central to its growth strategy. With $250 million in cash reserves, the company plans to pursue more deals in the upcoming quarters to support organic and inorganic investments.
“While focusing on the testing space, Browserstack is also exploring adjacent areas to expand its total addressable market (TAM). Browserstack aims to create an end-to-end testing platform that will not only drive growth but also consolidate its position in the software testing market,” the company said in a statement, adding that it invests about $30 million in product research and development (R&D) every year.
Bird Eats Bug offers a software-as-a-service (SaaS) tool that enables even non-technical users to create detailed bug reports. Browserstack highlights inefficiencies in the current bug-reporting processes within the software development industry and aims to address them.
In addition to acquiring Bird Eats Bug, Browserstack has launched a manual testing tool called Bug Capture. This tool reportedly helps users debug issues 30% faster on average.
“This acquisition marks a significant step towards our goal of providing developer and QA (quality assurance) teams with a unified, seamless testing experience,” said Ritesh Arora, cofounder and CEO of Browserstack.
“By integrating Bug Capture’s innovative approach to bug reporting into our platform, we’re not just streamlining workflows; we’re boosting the productivity of development teams so they can focus more on building great products and less on managing the intricacies of the testing process,” he added.
Since its founding in 2011, Browserstack operated as a bootstrapped company for its first seven years. It has since raised over $250 million, including a $200 million round in 2021 led by Mary Meeker’s Bond Capital, which valued the company at $4 billion.
