Google is Top Buyer of VC Companies

Google bought 10 companies in 2010, making the tech giant the top purchaser of venture capital-backed  businesses for the year.

Google, which bought such diverse holdings such as the Bay Area-based Like.com, Bump Technologies and Slide, was followed by both Facebook and IBM, with both acquiring five companies each, Dow Jones VentureSource reported. And while Google may not have been able to close the deal on the San Francisco-based Groupon, the company's last three successful purchases were  in August -- the aforementioned Like.com, Slide and Jambool. However, pending deals like Google's six-month long wait to buy ITA Software for $700 million while it's pored over by federal regulators, were not included in the list.

It's a far cry from 2009, when Google only bought three companies. However, Dow Jones predicted that Facebook would go on a spending spree in 2011.

Expect Facebook to step up its acquisition pace, now that it has raised hundreds of millions in more capital from Goldman Sachs. Its executives say the company plans to acquire more than 10 companies this year.

Zynga bought four VC-backed companies in 2010, and Apple acquired three.

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