Bertelsmann

Ada is a global health company founded by doctors, scientists, and industry pioneers to create new possibilities for personal health. Ada’s core system connects medical knowledge with intelligent technology to help all people actively manage their health and medical professionals to deliver effective care. Ada is proud to collaborate with leading health systems and global non-profit organizations to carry out this vision. The #1 medical app for 130 countries, almost 20 million assessments have been completed since its global launch in 2016.

Bijak is a B2B platform focused on agricultural commodities in India, designed to enhance the trading experience for buyers and sellers in the agricultural sector. The platform addresses issues of information asymmetry and accountability by providing transparent pricing, which helps traders, wholesalers, and food processors to make informed decisions. Bijak also facilitates better transaction management through a ledger system, optimizes logistics, and improves working capital cycles for its users. By streamlining these processes, Bijak aims to create a more efficient marketplace for agricultural commodities, ultimately benefiting all stakeholders involved in the trade.

Electives is an enterprise learning startup out of MIT that loves to delight employees through unique learning experiences. We provide live classes for employees (taught by interesting experts) and after each session, employees receive thoughtful follow up content to help combat the forgetting curve. Our classes cover a range of topics: new manager training, communications, team building, negotiations, innovation, resiliency, diversity, equity, and inclusion and more. And our teachers include top professors, authors, CEOs, judges, Olympians, FBI Agents, improv comedians, anti-racism thought leaders, and more.

Babel Bank is a prominent financial institution operating in the blockchain sector, with its headquarters in Iraq. The company specializes in providing a range of cryptocurrency financial services tailored for high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients globally. These services include cryptocurrency deposits, credit facilities, structured asset management, prime brokerage, and derivatives strategies. Babel Bank has extended its reach across the Asian market, with branches in major cities such as Singapore, Beijing, and Seoul. It has forged strong partnerships with leading institutions, including exchanges, custodians, investment funds, and mining organizations worldwide. The core team at Babel Bank comprises professionals with backgrounds in top-tier financial institutions and technology companies, bringing significant expertise to the cryptocurrency space. The firm has garnered support from distinguished venture capital funds and completed a Pre-A round of financing in March 2020, further solidifying its position in the industry.

Club Factory operates an online shopping platform that facilitates cross-border e-commerce by connecting consumers directly with manufacturers. The company utilizes big data and artificial intelligence to scan the internet for factories selling products on major platforms like Wish, eBay, and Amazon, allowing it to compare prices from multiple sources. This approach enables Club Factory to present customers with the most competitive pricing options. In addition to enhancing the shopping experience for consumers, the platform also offers supply chain management solutions for enterprises, thereby streamlining the process of purchasing goods at lower prices.

Dashbot, Inc. is a San Francisco-based company that offers a conversational analytics platform designed for bot developers and enterprises to enhance user acquisition, engagement, and retention. Founded in 2016, Dashbot provides a range of services, including actionable insights derived from conversational data, sentiment analysis, and AI response effectiveness. The platform captures a variety of metrics, such as engagement rates and retention statistics, along with full chat transcripts for detailed analysis. Additionally, Dashbot enables proactive engagement through features like Live Person Takeover and Push Notifications. The platform supports numerous conversational interfaces, including Facebook, Alexa, Google Home, Slack, and Twitter, making it a versatile tool for brands looking to optimize their customer interactions.

Scroll is a subscription-based service that provides users with an ad-free online journalism experience. Headquartered in the United States, the company aims to present high-quality content to engaged readers while minimizing distractions from advertisements. By allowing users to access articles on participating news sites without ads, Scroll creates a sustainable revenue model that benefits both users and publishers. This approach not only enhances the reading experience but also supports journalism by sharing revenue with the publishers, thereby fostering a more informed and engaged audience. Through its innovative platform, Scroll seeks to address the challenges posed by the distraction economy and filter bubbles, encouraging readers to focus on meaningful content.

Licious is a path breaking concept in the Indian Food industry; aimed at solving the perennially existing problem of finding safe, delectable, trustworthy fresh meat in India. The company builds a world-class enterprise that's bound to upgrade the way the company procures, sells, buys, and consumes meat in India.

Involve.ai specializes in consolidating customer data and interactions into a comprehensive dashboard, enabling businesses to efficiently assess customer health and retention. By leveraging this centralized data, companies can proactively address potential churn and explore opportunities for revenue expansion through existing customers. Involve.ai aims to enhance customer engagement and improve overall business performance by providing actionable insights derived from organized customer information.

Penguin Random House Canada is the Canadian division of Penguin Random House, the world’s most global trade book publisher which was formed on July 1, 2013, upon the completion of an agreement between Bertelsmann and Pearson to merge their respective trade publishing companies, Random House and Penguin, with the parent companies owning 53% and 47%, respectively. Penguin Random House comprises the adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital trade book publishing businesses of Penguin and Random House in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, and Penguin’s trade publishing activity in Asia and Brazil; DK worldwide; and Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial’s Spanish-language companies in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile. Penguin Random House employs more than 10,000 people globally across almost 250 editorially and creatively independent imprints and publishing houses that collectively publish more than 15,000 new titles annually. Its publishing lists include more than 70 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors. In Canada, Penguin Random House Canada is comprised of Penguin Canada and Random House of Canada, trade publishers and distributors of books from their sister imprints in the U.S. and the U.K.

Club Factory operates an online shopping platform that facilitates cross-border e-commerce by connecting consumers directly with manufacturers. The company utilizes big data and artificial intelligence to scan the internet for factories selling products on major platforms like Wish, eBay, and Amazon, allowing it to compare prices from multiple sources. This approach enables Club Factory to present customers with the most competitive pricing options. In addition to enhancing the shopping experience for consumers, the platform also offers supply chain management solutions for enterprises, thereby streamlining the process of purchasing goods at lower prices.

Raven Tech, Inc. is a Beijing-based startup founded in 2014, specializing in the development of independent app prototypes and creative projects. The company offers a range of innovative tools, including Logonator for generating random logo shapes, Convertor for transforming images into triangular pixel grids, and Vinput, which uses webcam input to create real-time pixelated visuals. Additionally, Raven Tech provides Asky, which embeds text into triangles, and Tribrush, a tool for designing icons and patterns. The company also features Mojifest, a collection of animated symbols for communication, and Re:morse, a font that combines triangular elements for encryption purposes. With a focus on artificial intelligence, big data, and next-generation operating systems, Raven Tech has gained recognition as a participant in significant startup accelerators, including Microsoft Venture Accelerator and Y Combinator. As of 2017, it operates as a subsidiary of Baidu, Inc.

Skyrocket Your Online Sales. We help SME's, Manufacturers, Creative People and Service Providers setup their brand online and get sales from their own stores and also from other sales channels.

Udacity is an online learning platform that specializes in providing educational programs in fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, robotics, and cloud computing. Founded in 2011 by David Stavens, Mike Sokolsky, and Sebastian Thrun, the company offers a variety of nanodegree programs designed to equip students with skills that are highly sought after by employers. These programs include training for roles such as web developer, data analyst, and machine learning engineer. Udacity aims to make education more accessible and affordable, thereby helping individuals enhance their career prospects. The platform evolved from free computer science classes offered at Stanford University and has since attracted millions of users. Udacity collaborates with technology companies to ensure that its curriculum aligns with industry demands, thereby preparing learners for the most in-demand tech positions. While the company has not yet turned a profit, it has experienced significant growth and investment, being valued at over $1 billion.

HotChalk is a leading provider of education technology and services. The Silicon Valley company partners with universities to provide turnkey solutions that put degree programs on line. HotChalk solutions incorporate all phases of the education lifecycle and deliver industry leading student retention and graduation rates. HotChalk operates the largest global network of free education content on the Internet through the HotChalk Education Network. The company believes all people should have access to education, and is on a mission to make meaningful education outcomes available to everyone, everywhere. To learn more, visit HotChalk.com.

Saavn is an Indian digital music service, transforming how people around the world access and experience music on a daily basis. Saavn’s unique combination of Internet radio and on-demand music capabilities, coupled with proprietary social features like music tagging and music chat, deliver one of the richest media experiences available on mobile and Web today. Saavn has over 20 Million monthly active users and is currently accessed in more than 150 countries. Saavn currently has 35 Million+ tracks in 14 languages: Hindi, English (India only), Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Bhojpuri, Urdu, Rajasthani and Odia. The company has 900+ label partnerships and growing, including T-Series, Tips, YRF, Saregama, Eros, Universal, Sony, and Warner Music. The company's award-winning iOS and Android mobile products include phonetic search, dynamic bit-rate streaming, global native ad-serving, and industry-leading design. With Saavn Pro, users can listen to music ad-free and offline. And through partnerships with Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Shazam, Saavn reaches more music fans than any other South Asian music service. Saavn was founded in 2007, and has offices in New York, California, Mumbai, Gurgaon and Bangalore. For more information, visit www.saavn.com or corporate.saavn.com.

Affero Lab is a Brazilian company specializing in corporate education and employee training solutions, catering to both national and international clients. Established in 1997 and based in Rio de Janeiro, with additional offices in São Paulo and subsidiary operations in Miami, the company emerged from the merger of Affero and LAB SSJ, combining their strengths in technology-driven and classroom-based learning. Its diverse portfolio includes Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings, customized learning solutions, and educational logistics, as well as platforms such as PLUG.IT for managing learning processes. Affero Lab also provides consulting services, leadership training, and sales training, aiming to enhance organizational performance through engaging and innovative educational programs.

UCloud Information Technology specializes in cloud computing solutions, offering a comprehensive range of services designed to support various sectors including video, e-commerce, internet finance, and online education. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Shanghai, the company develops and provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and various cloud-based products. Its offerings include UCloud Physical Host for dedicated servers, UCloud Host for cloud computing, UCloud Load Balancer for distributing application data, and UCloud Extended Hybrid Cloud for integrated cloud and server hosting solutions. Additionally, UCloud provides data storage options through UCloud Disk, UCloud DataBase, and UCloud Memory Storage, along with content delivery network services and cloud security solutions. The company's focus on independent research and development enhances its capabilities in data analysis, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things applications, ensuring robust support for its clients' diverse IT infrastructure needs.

Synergis Education provides educational services designed for college and university leaders who are not satisfied with the status quo. It develops on ground, online, and hybrid degree programs to serve the non-traditional adult learning population. The company offers integrated services, including marketing and enrollment management, academic program and instructional design support, technology integration and course delivery, student retention support and placement, student accounting, and additional services; and EdVantage Learning System that co-develops associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degree curricula with its partner institution; and EdVantage Information Systems, a solution that manages a set of technologies, processes, and services. It partners with non-profit, traditional colleges, and universities. The company was formerly known as Academic Partners University and changed its name to Synergis Education in May 2012. Synergis Education was founded in 2011 and is based in Mesa, Arizona.

LexinFintech Holdings is an online consumer finance platform for educated young adults in China. As one of China's leading financial technology companies, Lexin integrates its e-commerce-driven installment finance platform, Fenqile, with advanced risk management technologies, the Company's Dingsheng online investment platform, and the Company's Juzi Licai online investment platform for individual investors, to create a comprehensive consumer finance ecosystem. The Company utilizes technologies including big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to enable the near-instantaneous matching of user funding requests with offers from the Company's more than 30 funding partners, which include commercial banks, consumer finance companies, and other licensed financial institutions. By serving the credit needs of China's educated young adults, Lexin helps its more than 20 million registered users to enjoy a better quality of life through the use of better credit.

Relias Learning offers online training to senior care, health and human services, corrections, and intellectual and developmental disabilities organizations. It’s their mission to help clients achieve the highest quality practice and accreditation standards with online learning and compliance programs. Though the name Relias Learning is new, they’ve been delivering online training programs to organizations with specialized needs since 2002. By bringing together Silverchair Learning Systems, Essential Learning, Care2Learn, Hospice Education Network, and Advanced Training Solutions, they provide their clients with a wealth of courses and dedicated support to meet their compliance needs. Strong partnerships with leading advocacy and professional organizations enable us to create engaging, relevant, and timely learning experiences. Their intuitive user interface makes learning enjoyable.

Udacity is an online learning platform that specializes in providing educational programs in fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, robotics, and cloud computing. Founded in 2011 by David Stavens, Mike Sokolsky, and Sebastian Thrun, the company offers a variety of nanodegree programs designed to equip students with skills that are highly sought after by employers. These programs include training for roles such as web developer, data analyst, and machine learning engineer. Udacity aims to make education more accessible and affordable, thereby helping individuals enhance their career prospects. The platform evolved from free computer science classes offered at Stanford University and has since attracted millions of users. Udacity collaborates with technology companies to ensure that its curriculum aligns with industry demands, thereby preparing learners for the most in-demand tech positions. While the company has not yet turned a profit, it has experienced significant growth and investment, being valued at over $1 billion.

Lagou.com operates a recruitment website and offers staffing services. The company’s clientele includes Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba Group, SINA, JD.com, Beijing Xiaomi Tech, and Zhaopin.com. Lagou.com was founded in 2013 and is based in Beijing, China.

Pepperfry is an online home and lifestyle shopping store selling products with cash on delivery facilities. The company's aim is to be a one-stop shop for customers seeking to spice up their home. Pepperfry was founded in 2012 by Ambareesh Murty and Ashish Shah and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Bidu is an online recommendation, comparison and marketplace portal for insurance and financial services. The company helped millions of consumers compare the prices and benefits of several types of insurance, including auto, travel, home, life, and health insurance, in addition to a variety of financial products, such as credit cards, financing options, and loans. Our mission is to help people make smart financial decisions throughout their lives by way of our technology and objective and content. Bidu was named Best of Insurance 2017, of the magazine Revista. It was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

India Property Online Private Limited operates an online platform that facilitates the buying, selling, and renting of properties across India. Established in 2006 and headquartered in Chennai, the platform enables builders, landowners, and landlords to list their properties for potential buyers and renters. The service caters to clients in major cities including Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, and others. India Property Online is associated with Consim Info Pvt. Ltd, a prominent internet company recognized for its diverse offerings in various sectors such as matrimonial services and classifieds. The company has also formed partnerships with leading media organizations to enhance customer service and improve visibility for property listings. As of December 2018, it operates as a subsidiary of Quikr India Private Limited.

UCloud Information Technology specializes in cloud computing solutions, offering a comprehensive range of services designed to support various sectors including video, e-commerce, internet finance, and online education. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Shanghai, the company develops and provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and various cloud-based products. Its offerings include UCloud Physical Host for dedicated servers, UCloud Host for cloud computing, UCloud Load Balancer for distributing application data, and UCloud Extended Hybrid Cloud for integrated cloud and server hosting solutions. Additionally, UCloud provides data storage options through UCloud Disk, UCloud DataBase, and UCloud Memory Storage, along with content delivery network services and cloud security solutions. The company's focus on independent research and development enhances its capabilities in data analysis, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things applications, ensuring robust support for its clients' diverse IT infrastructure needs.

Synergis Education provides educational services designed for college and university leaders who are not satisfied with the status quo. It develops on ground, online, and hybrid degree programs to serve the non-traditional adult learning population. The company offers integrated services, including marketing and enrollment management, academic program and instructional design support, technology integration and course delivery, student retention support and placement, student accounting, and additional services; and EdVantage Learning System that co-develops associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degree curricula with its partner institution; and EdVantage Information Systems, a solution that manages a set of technologies, processes, and services. It partners with non-profit, traditional colleges, and universities. The company was formerly known as Academic Partners University and changed its name to Synergis Education in May 2012. Synergis Education was founded in 2011 and is based in Mesa, Arizona.

UniversityNow, Inc. is an online education provider based in San Francisco, California, that focuses on making affordable, high-quality higher education accessible to working adults. Founded in 2010, the company operates a network of accredited online schools, including Patten University, offering associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs. UniversityNow's platform is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning communities and innovative pedagogical and tuition models, enabling individuals who may face financial or logistical barriers to obtain recognized college degrees. The company operates as a subsidiary of the National University System and is committed to ensuring that no one is deprived of access to quality education, thereby helping to improve students' futures without the burden of significant student debt.

JusBrasil, Ltd. is an online platform that connects users with attorneys and offers a wide range of legal information. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the company serves thousands of individuals and legal professionals daily by providing access to comprehensive legal data. JusBrasil aims to facilitate connections between consumers and lawyers, thereby assisting users in navigating legal matters. In addition to connecting clients with legal professionals, the platform promotes informed discussions by organizing and disseminating political and legal information, enhancing users' understanding of these areas.

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto is recognized as Canada’s leading university, offering a robust academic environment with a strong emphasis on research and teaching. It provides a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, fostering a community that encourages scholarship and the flourishing of individual rights. The university is committed to principles of equal opportunity, equity, and justice, emphasizing the importance of academic freedom and the right to challenge societal norms through critical inquiry. Additionally, the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation, established in 2000, manages the university's investment assets, ensuring the financial sustainability of its educational and research missions.

Founded in 2007, WizIQ is one of the world’s largest cloud based education platforms. Over 400,000 educators have leveraged WizIQ to deliver learning services to 4 Million+ learners across 200 countries. WizIQ’s award winning Virtual Classroom solution that enables online delivery of live instructor-led learning, has received acclaim from education service providers from around the world. The WizIQ Online Academy Builder represents an evolutionary leap in education technology by empowering education service providers to set up their own customized academies within minutes. Online Academy Builder is designed to increase learner engagement through cutting-edge features, such as mobile learning, video streaming, live online classroom, discussion boards, assessments, insights and analytics. By taking away the complexities of development and the burden of setup costs and server infrastructure this solution allows educators to focus on what they know best. Besides, the in-built e-commerce capability enables them to monetize their services and rapidly expand their reach to newer markets.

Bidu is an online recommendation, comparison and marketplace portal for insurance and financial services. The company helped millions of consumers compare the prices and benefits of several types of insurance, including auto, travel, home, life, and health insurance, in addition to a variety of financial products, such as credit cards, financing options, and loans. Our mission is to help people make smart financial decisions throughout their lives by way of our technology and objective and content. Bidu was named Best of Insurance 2017, of the magazine Revista. It was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

UniversityNow, Inc. is an online education provider based in San Francisco, California, that focuses on making affordable, high-quality higher education accessible to working adults. Founded in 2010, the company operates a network of accredited online schools, including Patten University, offering associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs. UniversityNow's platform is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning communities and innovative pedagogical and tuition models, enabling individuals who may face financial or logistical barriers to obtain recognized college degrees. The company operates as a subsidiary of the National University System and is committed to ensuring that no one is deprived of access to quality education, thereby helping to improve students' futures without the burden of significant student debt.

DramaFever Corp. distributes online video and international televised content for customers worldwide. The company engages in streaming movies, documentaries, and TV shows on demand with professional subtitles. Its library also includes Korean dramas, Latin American telenovelas, a range of Asian TV shows and movies, and kids programming in multiple languages. The company also provides advertising opportunities. DramaFever Corp. was founded in 2009 and is based in New York, New York. As of October 31, 2014, DramaFever Corp. operates as a subsidiary of SoftBank Internet and Media, Inc. As of February 29, 2016, DramaFever Corp. operates as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc..

Hoolai Games, founded in 2008 by CEO Qiao Wanli and President Jian Huang, is a prominent developer and publisher of social web and mobile games in China. The company has rapidly expanded its diverse portfolio, which includes popular titles such as Hoolai Three Kingdoms, War of Immortals, Hoolai Poker, and Checkmate. Hoolai Games focuses on delivering engaging cross-platform gaming experiences that players can enjoy across various devices. Headquartered in Beijing, the company also maintains offices in Shanghai, Tokyo, Guangzhou, Taipei, and Silicon Valley, enhancing its reach and operational capabilities in the gaming industry.

Smashing Ideas, Inc. is a digital media agency based in Seattle, Washington, with additional offices in Portland and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1996, the company specializes in creating engaging digital experiences tailored for the youth market. Its services encompass the development of websites, games, mobile applications, and ePublishing, alongside youth marketing strategies. Smashing Ideas employs a unique methodology known as the Power of Play, which integrates art and science to enhance user engagement through a thoughtful understanding of customer behavior and user experience design. This approach combines elements of game theory and storytelling to craft rich digital experiences that capture attention and foster customer loyalty. By focusing on measurable outcomes, Smashing Ideas aims to deliver a significant Return on Engagement (ROE) for its clients, which include entertainment brands and educational institutions. The company has been a subsidiary of Luxoft Holding, Inc. since 2018.

Learnship Networks GmbH specializes in providing professional online foreign language training services, utilizing a proprietary distance learning technology to modernize traditional face-to-face training. The company offers a variety of courses, including comprehensive and business language programs, special purpose courses, and relocation language training, all delivered through its innovative Live Teaching Method, which fosters interactive learning in a virtual classroom setting. Learnship's curriculum covers multiple languages, such as English, German, French, Spanish, and Mandarin, among others. The company caters to a diverse range of industries, including IT, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and telecommunications, serving customers in over 75 countries and approximately 2,000 corporations worldwide. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Cologne, Germany, Learnship also has locations in Berlin, Munich, Paris, Basel, London, and Chicago, emphasizing its commitment to enhancing international business communication skills for organizations and their employees.

Mojiva Inc. is the parent company of the Mojiva, the mobile ad network and the Mocean Mobile, the mobile ad serving platform. It is led by a team of advertising and media veterans from Google, DoubleClick, Yahoo, Nokia and AdMob, with more than 100 years of collective experience in mobile marketing and technology. Mojiva, Inc. provides products and solutions that not only fuel the mobile advertising marketplace by bringing mobile ad buyers together with mobile content sellers, but that also solve unique challenges in the mobile marketing space. Solutions include tools to market your products and services to mobile users, monetize your mobile content, enable your global ad sales team to capitalize on an expanded media mix, control your inventory, or mobilize the brands your agency is working with.

Napster is a music streaming service that provides users with unlimited, on-demand access to a vast library of music, allowing them to discover, share, and enjoy music anytime and anywhere. The platform is accessible through web browsers, smartphones, and home entertainment devices, ensuring a seamless music experience across various locations. Operating primarily in the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Napster aims to enhance how users interact with music. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Napster is a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy, Inc.

Codeonline Ltd., a developer of interactive mobile entertainment, and Springtoys, a developer of wireless gaming technology, have agreed to merge to create what they claim will be the world’s largest wireless entertainment company. Under the terms of the agreement, the merger will be carried out through a share swap.

As of May 30, 2001, myplay, Inc. was acquired by Bertelsmann AG. Myplay, Inc. is an online digital music service that provides consumers with a centralized storage capability along with the ability to access their personalized music collection from any location worldwide from multiple devices such as a laptop or desktop computer, a hand-held PDA or cellular phone. Myplay, Inc. has strategic partnerships with listen.com, Tunes.com, and Emusic.com. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Redwood City, California.

Liquid Digital Media, Inc., formerly known as Liquid Audio, specializes in providing custom solutions for internet media delivery to content owners and online retail merchants. Founded in 1996 and based in Redwood City, California, the company offers a range of services that include video and audio encoding in various formats, DRM encryption, metadata management, and content hosting. Additionally, it provides catalog distribution, download management, customer service and technical support, as well as reporting and reconciliation services. Liquid Digital Media also focuses on physical and digital tie-ins, merchandising, front-end design and development, and integration with existing storefronts and user interfaces. The company's comprehensive approach aims to enhance the delivery and management of digital content for its clients.

CDNOW.com was an online retailer. The company was founded in February 1994 by twin brothers Jason Olim and Matthew Olim of Ambler, Pennsylvania. Initially launched as a telnet service in August 1994, CDNow became a retail website in September 1994 far earlier than most of the dot.com retailers that gained notoriety after 2000.

Musicbank is a San Francisco-based company founded in 1999 by Michael Downing and Pierce Ledbetter. The company offers on-demand access to and portability of consumers' personal music collections, enabling users to listen to and manage their music via the web without the need to upload content. Prior to its launch in fall 2000, Musicbank secured licensing agreements with major music labels, including BMG Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment. Additionally, the company formed an exclusive retail partnership with Virgin Megastores, positioning itself to provide a unique service in the digital music landscape. Financial support has come from notable investors such as Atlas Venture, Bertelsmann Ventures, and Bonaventure Investments Ltd.

eGroups, Inc. provided a gathering place on the Internet for groups to send and receive emails, schedule meetings, share files and photos, or have private group chats. eGroups, Inc., was formerly known as FindMail Communications, Inc., and changed its name to eGroups, Inc., in March 2000. eGroups, Inc., was incorporated in 1998 and was based in San Francisco, California. On August 31, 2000, eGroups, Inc. was acquired by [Yahoo! Inc.](/organization/yahoo), and its technology was subsequently incorporated into Yahoo! Groups.

Riffage.com, based in Palo Alto, California, was founded by Ken Wirt, the strategic visionary behind Diamond Multimedia's ground-breaking Rio portable MP3 music player. Our mission is to revolutionize the way music is distributed by using the Internet to allow bands to communicate directly with -- and sell music to -- their fans. Unlike some other sites, Riffage.com is staffed by people who genuinely care about music -- musicians, former radio DJs, record company veterans and rabid fans. We think you'll see the difference. On the site, Riffage.com offers a large selection of authorized digital music, both for free as well as for purchase via download from the Internet. The ability to purchase single songs by download -- or even buy an entire physical CD -- from the comfort of a home, office, school or any "connected" location, makes Riffage.com an enticing alternative to shopping at a physical retail outlet. One of the biggest obstacles for most Internet music fans is finding music they like. Among the key features differentiating Riffage.com from the growing ranks of online music distributors are its unique personalization tools, which "learn" an individual's preferences as he or she uses the site. As a result, Riffage is able to quickly begin sending users recommendations about music that will appeal to them. Riffage.com has also rapidly developed into an active online community where fans of similar -- and even diverse -- musical tastes can meet to discover and discuss independent artists and their music. Musicians will find that Riffage.com offers an impressive roster of services, using the Internet as a direct marketing and distribution channel straight to the consumer. As a result, Riffage is successfully supplanting the traditional music industry paradigm of artist-label-distributor-retailer. Through Riffage.com, artists can deliver their music to fans either via direct downloads or by plugging into Riffage's turnkey e-commerce system for selling physical goods. And thanks to a state-of-the-art, daily updated system for reporting current sales, rankings and customer lists, band members are always just a mouse click away from accessing this important information. To increase awareness and improve communications with their fans, musicians can tap into Riffage.com's site to publish and promote upcoming concert dates, music previews, artist news and band merchandise, as well as use Riffage to help manage fan contact lists. Bands can also host live chats and discussion boards through Riffage.com, and are eligible to participate in company-generated promotional activities and events.

Headquartered in Redmond, WA, imandi.com was formed by Microsoft alumni Raghav Kher and Eric Johnson in November 1998. At Microsoft, Kher was Director of Strategic Business Decisions and orchestrated the company's acquisition of Hotmail, while Johnson was a lead developer within Microsoft Research for several leading-edge applications. Kher's proven expertise in marketing and business development complements Johnson's track record in software innovation.