BlueJeans
| Company type | Subsidiary (formerly independent) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video conferencing, Telecommunications |
| Predecessor | BlueJeans Network |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Krish Ramakrishnan, Alagu Periyannan |
| Defunct | March 2024 |
| Fate | Discontinued by parent company Verizon Communications |
| Successor | None |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Krish Ramakrishnan (Founder, CEO) |
| Products | Cloud-based video conferencing platform |
| Owner | Verizon Communications (from 2020) |
| Parent | Verizon Communications |
BlueJeans by Verizon was a video conferencing platform hosted in the cloud, with its headquarters located in San Jose, California's Santana Row area. Established in 2009 by entrepreneurs Krish Ramakrishnan and Alagu Periyannan, the firm specialized in interoperable video communication solutions tailored for enterprise clientele. Prior to being acquired by Verizon Communications in 2020, it operated under the name "BlueJeans Network."
The company set itself apart through integrations with platforms such as LinkedIn and Salesforce, positioning itself as a formidable contender against leading competitors in the sector. Its business strategy emphasized scalable cloud offerings designed to support multinational corporations and their various branches.
Verizon's acquisition of BlueJeans aimed to strengthen its unified communications suite and broaden its footprint within the video conferencing market. Nevertheless, Verizon declared the platform would be discontinued in August 2023, officially terminating BlueJeans’ online presence by March 2024 and ending its commercial activities.
History
Founded in 2009 by Krish Ramakrishnan—previously with Accel Partners—and Alagu Periyannan, who had served as CTO at Blue Coat Systems and held a technical leadership role at Apple, BlueJeans Network developed its video conferencing technology within half a year. The commercial launch occurred on June 29, 2011, with Ramakrishnan as CEO. Initial funding rounds raised $23.5 million from investors including Accel Partners, NEA, and Norwest Venture Partners.
BlueJeans targeted not only large enterprises but also small businesses and independent professionals, rapidly expanding to 4,000 users representing 500 companies within its first 75 days. Deutsche Telekom became its inaugural major channel partner, creating a scalable videoconferencing solution for the European market. Other key collaborators included InterCall, iVCI, York Telecom, and AVI-SPL. By 2013, BlueJeans had entered the UK and Australian markets and served over 300,000 users worldwide. The company secured nearly $100 million in venture capital funding and anticipated streaming one billion meeting minutes during 2014.
In April 2020, Verizon Communications acquired BlueJeans to augment its unified communications offerings. The transaction finalized in May 2020, after which the service was rebranded as "BlueJeans by Verizon." In August 2023, Verizon announced intentions to discontinue BlueJeans operations within the first half of 2024.
Video conferencing
BlueJeans by Verizon provided a proprietary cloud-based video meeting platform that facilitated connectivity across multiple devices, operating systems, and conferencing applications. Each participant was assigned a private “meeting room” hosted on BlueJeans’ cloud infrastructure for scheduling and conducting meetings. The service integrated with enterprise conferencing tools such as Cisco, Microsoft Lync, StarLeaf, Lifesize, and Polycom, along with consumer platforms like Google. Users could access BlueJeans directly or via partners; notably since 2012, it powered InterCall’s videoconferencing solutions.
Described by CRN as "endpoint agnostic," BlueJeans operated compatibly with any video communication software or hardware, including smartphones. This cross-platform interoperability connected disparate videoconferencing systems regardless of device or operating environment.
Michal Lev-Ram of Fortune observed that BlueJeans primarily complemented existing videoconferencing hardware rather than displacing established manufacturers, highlighting interoperability as a strategic advantage. Conversely, Ari Levy reported in 2013 that services like BlueJeans began impacting revenues of traditional room-based hardware vendors by offering more adaptable solutions aimed at smaller enterprises. That same year, BlueJeans partnered with Salesforce.com to integrate video conferencing into Salesforce’s "Chatter," enabling users to share presentations and documents live.
Among BlueJeans’ prominent clients were Facebook, Foursquare, and MIT—demonstrating its expanding influence within the cloud-based video conferencing industry.
Awards and recognition
In 2012, BlueJeans was honored as the Entrepreneurial Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. The Wall Street Journal included it as a finalist in its Software Innovation Awards, and the Telecom Council presented BlueJeans with the Graham Bell Award for Best Communication Solutions. Additionally, University Business recognized the company within its Video Conferencing Services category, while CRN named BlueJeans one of the 25 Coolest Emerging Vendors. Gartner also acknowledged the company in its Cool Vendors Report.
The following year, 2013, saw CRN rank BlueJeans sixth among leading networking startups. CIO magazine placed it third in their list of cloud startups, and Business Insider identified it as one of the top 21 cloud startups, emphasizing its significant impact and expansion within the cloud communications sector.