TweetDeck set for acquisition?

Popular Twitter service TweetDeck is close to being acquired by a Silicon Valley firm, according to reports.

UberMedia have courted the UK-based firm and the pair could clinch a $30 million (18.75 million) acquisition deal in the near future, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the negotiations.

More than 20 million people have downloaded TweetDeck to manage their Twitter accounts and a number of organisations have asked to work with the creators to implement the service for their employees.

In particular, large news organisations have approached TweetDeck to ensure they keep up with the latest developments as Twitter has become a valuable source of information.

UberMedia has already made a number of moves in the Twitter space, buying up a number of tools and services related to the micro-blogging service.

UberTwitter and EchoFon, designed for tweeting on smartphones, were two recent additions to the UberMedia team.

Indeed, UberMedia was once known as TweetUp. The Californian firm is also part of Idealab the brainchild of Bill Gross, who has had success with tech ventures in the past.

Gross sold his search engine advertising technology provider Overture to Yahoo in 2003 for $1.6 billion.

Neither TweetDeck or UberMedia responded to requests for comment.

With TweetDeck based in London's Silicon Roundabout, the acquisition could offer a boost for the Government's plans to make the area a hub of technological innovation.

Google also recently confirmed it was planning to introduce an Innovation Hub in the East London area.