Skype is a software application that facilitates voice and video calls, as well as text messaging, over the Internet. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Skype enables users to connect and share experiences regardless of their physical location. The platform allows for various interactions, such as personal conversations, collaborative work meetings, and group video calls. It offers a free basic service for individual users, while additional features, like calling landlines, accessing Wi-Fi, and sending texts, are available through paid options. Skype also ensures privacy by encrypting calls, chats, and file transfers. As a division of Microsoft Corp, Skype plays a significant role in enhancing communication and collaboration for both personal and professional users.
GroupMe is an app & service that helps you stay connected with your real life social network: your family, friends and coworkers. Since we launched less than two years ago, we’ve processed billions of messages, grown the company to 25 people, won the Breakout award at SXSW, and been acquired. As part of the Skype division at Microsoft, our goal is to be the daily communications provider for *billions* of people. Even though we’re part of a huge company, we have a great deal of autonomy, and continue to operate like an independent startup. We’re a tight-knit team that works hard and iterates quickly in an entrepreneurial environment. GroupMe is located in New York City in a bright loft with lots of sunlight, a ping pong table, a pinball machine, a Sonos sound system, and a well-stocked kitchen. We sing karaoke across the street sometimes.
Qik is an online messenger that allows its users to exchange video messages between individuals or within a group. The first version of the Qik service was launched as a private alpha in January 2008 and then as a public beta in August 2008. Since then the company has expanded its service to support millions of users in over 160 countries and on all the major smartphones (over 140 models) including iPhone, [Android](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/android), [Symbian](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/symbian-software-ltd), [Blackberry](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/blackberry), and Windows Mobile. Qik was founded by [Ramu Sunkara](http://www.crunchbase.com/person/ramu-sunkara), [Bhaskar Roy](http://www.crunchbase.com/person/bhaskar-roy), and [Nikolay Abkairov](http://www.crunchbase.com/person/nikolay-abkairov), and has attracted investments from individuals and companies such as [Marc Andreessen](http://www.crunchbase.com/person/marc-andreessen), [Ben Horowitz](http://www.crunchbase.com/person/ben-horowitz), [Marc Benioff](http://www.crunchbase.com/person/marc-benioff), [Quest Venture Partners](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/quest-venture-partners), and [CampVentures](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/campventures). The company is headquartered in Redwood City, California with an office in Zelenograd, Moscow, Russia. In 2011, Qik, Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, was acquired by Skype Technologies.
Rdio is the groundbreaking digital music service that has reinvented the way people discover, play, and share music. With on-demand access to over 12 million songs, Rdio connects people with music and makes it easy to search for and instantly play any song, album, artist or playlist without ever hearing a single ad. Discover what friends, people with similar tastes, recording artists and more are listening to in real-time and share across Twitter and Facebook. Build a digital music collection that's available everywhere - on the web, in-home or in-car, on an iPad or smartphone, and even offline. Rdio's library includes content from major record labels, as well as Merlin, INgrooves, The Orchard, CD Baby, TuneCore, and Believe, in addition to independent labels and distributors across the world. Launched in August 2010, Rdio is headquartered in San Francisco and was founded by Janus Friis, one of the creators of Skype. Currently available in 51 countries, Rdio is funded by Atomico, Janus Friis through his investment entities, Skype and Mangrove Capital Partners.
TrialPay enables customers to pay for one item by trying or buying something else. Their system is used by merchants like Skype to provide users with free trials in exchange for participating in deals from their advertising partners.
Fon is a WiFi provider. It is Driven by a community WiFi approach, and through strategic partnerships with telecommunication companies and WiFi providers including British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom Group, SFR, SoftBank, Telstra, KPN, Proximus, Vodafone, Virgin Media, and The Cloud, we have created a globally connected WiFi network.
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