Confirmed: Google’s Motorola Mobility Acquires Image And Gesture Recognition Company Viewdle

Earlier this week, we heard rumors that Google was in the process of acquiring the augmented reality and image recognition firm Viewdle. Turns out those rumors were true. Google’s Motorola Mobility unit just announced that it has indeed acquired the company.

Here is the statement we just received from a Motorola spokesperson:

“Motorola Mobility today announced that it has acquired Viewdle, a leading imaging & gesture recognition company. Motorola and Viewdle have an existing commercial agreement and have been collaborating for some time. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.”

Previous to this acquisition, a source close to the company told us earlier this week, Viewdle had already been in acquisition talks with Google around 2008 and with Motorola in 2011, around the same time the company was acquired by Google. While Motorola isn’t disclosing the price of the acquisition, the rumor mill pegs it between $30 million and $45 million.

Viewdle was founded in Ukraine in 2006 and still keeps a considerable presence there, but the company is now headquartered in Silicon Valley. The company raised about $12.5 million in venture funding since launch, including a $10 million Series B round in 2010. Among the company’s investors are Best Buy Capital, BlackBerry Partners Fund, Qualcomm, KCP Capital and Anthem Venture Partners. The founders, our source tells us, were heavily diluted in the process.