Ulta Beauty acquired QM Scientific, Inc. (undisclosed individually; ~$13.6 million combined cash consideration with GlamST in fiscal 2018), a transaction completed in September 2018, structured as Acquisition of an artificial-intelligence technology startup. Ulta's Form 10-K reports it paid $13.6 million to acquire two technology companies in fiscal 2018 (QM Scientific and GlamST) and did not break out the individual purchase price; the acquisition was disclosed as not material to Ulta's consolidated financial statements..
QM Scientific, Inc. operates in Digital / personalization technology. On September 10, 2018, Ulta Beauty acquired QM Scientific, an artificial-intelligence technology company, to strengthen its personalization and product-discovery capabilities. Ulta grouped QM Scientific with its October 2018 GlamST purchase, disclosing a combined ~$13.6 million of cash paid for the two technology companies in fiscal 2018; neither deal was individually material. Ulta described the pair in its Q3 fiscal 2018 earnings release as technology startups in artificial intelligence and augmented reality that support the company's personalization initiatives and accelerate its digital innovation capabilities.
Adds AI/ML capability to power Ulta's digital innovation ecosystem and personalization initiatives (alongside partnerships with Iterate and Spruce), rather than adding revenue or store footprint.
Ulta Beauty digital / e-commerce and personalization technology
Advisory firms were not disclosed for this transaction.