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The deal — which represents Noodlecake’s first injection of outside capital — was attractive because the company’s Saskatoon operation will remain unchanged, except that it will have access to China — where the availability of cheap, powerful phones has led it to eclipse the U.S. as its largest customer, he said.

“The operation doesn’t change at all,” Schidlowsky said, noting the acquisition only involves Noodlecake, which has about a dozen employees, and not the smaller software consulting business it recently spun out as a separate entity. “We’re in Saskatoon. We love Saskatoon. We’re staying in Saskatoon. It’s pretty safe to say that nothing is changing.”

Representatives of ZPlay, established in 2010 and headquartered in Beijing, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is the second major acquisition in Saskatoon’s burgeoning technology sector in recent months. SkipTheDishes Restaurant Services Inc., which connects customers with restaurants in 37 Canadian cities and six U.S. ones, was bought by the British food delivery giant Just Eat PLC for $110 million, plus up to an additional $90 million, late last year.

Schidlowsky said both transactions are a testament to the strength of the city’s technology sector, which includes other startups like 7Shifts Inc. and more established firms like Solido Design Automation Inc. The city, is increasingly recognized by tech hubs like Silicon Valley, he said.

“It’s good; it’s exciting. It’s great for the tech sector — another example of a small startup in Saskatoon being acquired by an international company.”

amacpherson@postmedia.com

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