TokBox
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, WebRTC, Video communication |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Serge Faguet, Ron Hose |
| Fate | Acquired by Telefónica Digital; brand discontinued |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California , United States |
| Products | OpenTok video platform, WebRTC APIs and development tools |
| Parent | Telefónica Digital |
TokBox operated as a PaaS (Platform as a Service) provider, offering hosted infrastructure, APIs, and development tools designed to deliver enterprise-level WebRTC functionality through its proprietary OpenTok video platform tailored for commercial applications.
Established by Serge Faguet and Ron Hose, the company was based in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood. In October 2012, Telefónica Digital, a branch of Telefónica, acquired TokBox, leading to the eventual discontinuation of the TokBox brand.
Server SDKs
The OpenTok server SDKs encapsulate the OpenTok REST API, allowing developers to securely create tokens for their applications. Officially supported languages include: Java and PHP. Additionally, community-maintained libraries are available for: Python, Ruby On Rails, .NET, Node.js, Perl, and Golang.
Client libraries
OpenTok's client-side WebRTC libraries facilitate video communication across various platforms. Official support extends to: JavaScript, iOS, and Android. Community-driven support also exists for frameworks such as PhoneGap and Titanium.
Developer outreach
Since 2010, TokBox has actively participated in developer engagement by sponsoring numerous hackathons, including events like the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon, API Hack Day, and Music Hack Day.
In September 2013, PennApps—a prominent biannual hackathon hosted at the University of Pennsylvania—drew over a thousand participants worldwide. Among them, four sophomores from Carnegie Mellon University with no prior hackathon experience created Classity, a real-time lecture web application, earning the “Best Use of TokBox API” accolade.
2007
- August: Secured Series A investment from Sequoia Capital
- October: Official launch of www.tokbox.com
- November: Rolled out multi-party chat functionality and established partnership with Meebo
2008
- April: Released TokBox Version 2
- July: Completed Series B funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures and Sequoia Capital
- September: Debuted the TokBox platform/API
2009
- Integrated document collaboration feature—Etherpad (later acquired by Google)
2010
- January: Launched initial paid services priced at $9.99 monthly
- November: Received Series C funding from DAG Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Sequoia Capital
- November: Introduced the OpenTok API
2011
- February: Announced termination of TokBox video chat and conferencing services effective April 5, 2011, to concentrate exclusively on the OpenTok API
Controversy
In July 2009, TokBox underwent significant layoffs, terminating half of its engineering staff during a CEO transition period. The VP of Marketing explained these reductions as part of a new organizational restructuring. It is noteworthy that none of the founding members remained with the company afterward.