Snapvine
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Voice-over-IP, Social networking |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Joe Heitzeberg |
| Fate | Acquired by Whitepages in 2008; operations discontinued March 31, 2010 |
| Headquarters | Seattle , United States |
Key people | Joe Heitzeberg (CEO), Russell Siegelman (board member) |
Number of employees | 25 |
| Parent | Whitepages (from 2008) |
Snapvine was a startup based in Seattle, Washington that specialized in providing voice-over-IP capabilities tailored for users of social networking sites. Established in 2005 by CEO Joe Heitzeberg, the enterprise concentrated on embedding voice communication features within social media environments.
In 2006, Snapvine obtained $2 million in venture capital funding from Draper Fisher Jurvetson and First Round Capital. Russell Siegelman, a Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner and former Microsoft executive, made a personal investment and joined the company's board of directors. By mid-2006, Snapvine employed six staff members, served 20,000 users, and had moved its main office to the Belltown neighborhood in Seattle.
The following year, Bridgescale Partners contributed an additional $10 million to Snapvine. At this stage, the company’s workforce grew to 18 employees, and its software had been downloaded five million times across platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Bebo, and Hi5. Snapvine’s widget was integrated into 200 social networks and recorded 22 million daily activations of its voice player. Notable users included celebrities like 50 Cent, Enrique Iglesias, and Vanessa Hudgens. Revenue was generated through banner advertisements and enforced voice advertisements that played prior to users sending voice messages. Competing firms included SayNow, Jangl, and Jaxtr.
After experiencing viral expansion on Myspace, Snapvine was purchased by Whitepages in 2008 for $20 million. Whitepages CEO Alex Algard intended to merge Snapvine’s voice technology with Whitepages’ contact directory services to enable users to substitute traditional phone numbers with Snapvine voicemail accounts for enhanced privacy. The majority of Snapvine’s 25 employees transitioned to Whitepages’ Seattle office following the acquisition.
Operations at Snapvine were discontinued on March 31, 2010.
External links
- Official website of Snapvine archived by the Wayback Machine as of March 1, 2010