Crocodoc has been acquired by Box, announced by Box via press release and Crocodoc’s company blog.  Crocodoc is a YC W10 company that makes document-management technology that is used primarily by businesses.  Crocodoc’s products include software that converts Microsoft Office files into HTML5, secure document embedding and sharing solutions, and workflow collaboration tools.  This acquisition is an exciting milestone in the ongoing competition for enterprise dominance.

Box‘ main competitor is Dropbox, which itself is the single most valuable company ever funded by Y Combinator.  A month ago, Dropbox formally entered the enterprise market through its Dropbox for Business.  That announcement culminated several months of new features and acquisitions.  In my post about Dropbox for Business, I stated “Box will certainly be a major competitor of Dropbox, if not THE competitor.”  Bringing in Crocodoc’s talent means that Box also obtains Y Combinator DNA, including extremely valuable connections to other YC-funded talent and technology.  Ryan Damico, co-founder of Crocodoc, will fill the role of Director of Platform at Box.  That job places Mr. Damico in a very effective position to both enhance product value and work with outside developers.

Y Combinator itself is effectively a neutral arms dealer in all this.  By my count, there are more than twenty YC-funded companies making products for web-based productivity and collaboration.  Acquisitions like Crocodoc affirm the great demand right now for startups working on disruptive solutions for doing business.