Interesting Companies of 2007 - a Roundup
Written by martyndavies on Dec 31, 2007 - 10:38 PM
In the last twelve months there have been a lot of companies that impressed me with their products, or business model, or both. But it's the great people that make great companies, and a lot of this list are here because of chance encounters with interesting people, that got me interested in the product. So here's what caught my attention in 2007, wishing them all good luck for 2008:
Eqo (www.eqo.com)
Eqo, pronounced 'echo' is a service based around your mobile phone, combining free or cheap calling with integration of social networks. You can add all your buddies from Skype, MSN, Yahoo etc., to get a single, mobile presence and IM application. I recently interviewed CEO Bill Tam for the Bending the Needle podcast series.
Truphone (www.truphone.com)
Truphone are (by their own description) a software-based mobile operator. What this means in practice is that you load some software onto a Nokia smartphone, and get a UK mobile number that you can use for calling via VoIP, cheaply or in many cases free. The functionality is not unique, but they win in pure simplicity, I think, because you carry on using the mobile phone in the way you are used to. I'm lazy (as I think many people are), and will spend money rather than struggle with complex procedures for making a call. Truphone is good because it just sits there in the background doing its thing. Kudos to CEO James Tagg, who was our first "Bending the Needle" guest, and all his great team including now of course our own Dean Elwood.
Fring (www.fring.com)
Fring is almost like a combination of Truphone and Eqo, being another phone-based software client that combines free VoIP calling with integration of all the popular IM and presence clients. Fring offers all the services free today, and aim to work in partnership with operators, bringing a more compelling experience for the phone user. A steady stream of innovations keeps Fring an interesting player, for example they recently announced a widget (for your blog, website etc) that shows not just presence but even GPS location.
Jajah (www.jajah.com)
A classic Silicon Valley startup, Jajah offer a low-cost callling solution based on 3rd party call control, i.e. making two outbound calls and tromboming them together. Not the only kind of company that can do this admittedly, but Jajah market their solutioon with such panache, that they stand above the crowd. They've launched a number of variations on their product over the last months, like being able to setup calls from a handset with mobile web. This even works with my age-old Treo, which is great work. They also teamed up with iotum to allow free calling from the Blackberry.
Rebtel (www.rebtel.com)
Rebtel is another disruptor in the business of short-circuiting roaming and long-distance fees. Their approach is to have their own PSTN network that allows you to choose a local number (in your town) for a friend that is abroad. They also get a local number for you (in their country). Thus by making calls at a local cost, you actually get international reach.
GrandCentral (www.grandcentral.com)
Is the "one number" company, now part of Google. They allocate a number for you (US-only so far, so a landline number in a US city), and then you can forward calls from this number to your mobile, home, office or Gizmo number. There are a whole load of tricks I've never seen before, like the ability to listen to someone leaving a message for you even when you are using a cellphone. If you do want to talk to them after all, you press a button and the call goes live, much like you can do with an answer machine at home. Great ideas, but it remains to be seen what Google will do with it.
TalkPlus (www.talkplus.com)
I had the good fortune at VON to meet Jeff Black, the CEO of Talkplus. Focused on the mobile user, TalkPlus offer the same kind of facilities as GrandCentral, but are also very much in the business of saving money for international callers and international travellers. If you get the chance to see Jeff demonstrating his product, do take the time to see it.
Maxroam (www.maxroam.com)
Unstoppable wheeler dealer Pat Phelan (another "Bending the Needle" podcast guest) has been in the calling card business forever, and just this year launched his new venture, MAXroam, a SIM card that you can put in your phone when travelling, that reduces international calling charges for a monthly fee. 2008 will see his company releasing their own WiFi enabled handset using the same technology.
3 Skype Phone (www.three.co.uk)
Good old 3 for grasping the nettle and bringing Skype compatibility to a 3G handset. The Skype phone is a £50 handset integrating technology from iSkoot, so that you can make free calls to everyone on your Skype list. The handset is a nice well-made little device too.
iotum, and CEO Alec Saunders, deserve a special mention not just for their work with Jajah, but also being the first to release a free conference call application within Facebook. Many of the telecom disruptors here are involved in social networks to a greater or lesser degree, but Alec is a long-time blogger and understood the significance of Facebook to today's mobile users. iotum got funded in 2007 too, so that's great news, and good luck in 2008.
Gizmo5 (www.gizmo5.com)
Gizmo 5 is the latest mobile software from Gizmo Project, allowing low-cost calling from the mobile handset. It also integrates IM and presence gadgets (although not I think so many as Eqo and Fring). A nice piece of software, free of charge and easy to try out.
FON (www.fon.com)
FON had a good year in 2007. The idea behind FON is to put a low cost WiFi router in as many homes and businesses worldwide as possible, unifying them into a large WiFi sharing community. When people surf of your router, your account balance goes up, and gives you points to use on other routers when you travel. They teamed up with BT in the UK to form BT FON, and this allows BT Broadband users to surf on other FON routers and even at BT OpenZone hotspots. Very convenient, and a far cry from the normal expensive WiFi options like hotels. FON also have a nice ConnectaFON gadget for Nokia mobile handsets to help you locate a FON hotspot wherever you are.
BT Web21c sdk.bt.com
Web21c is a nice API from BT that allows you to write applications that use the services of their backbone network, e.g. SMS, presence, call control, conferencing. The language choice has widened during 2007, not just .NET now but Java, Coghead, and many more. It's good to see BT embracing the mashup culture and venturing into "Telco 2.0".
Google Android (code.google.com/android/)
After months of rumouring about Google's G-phone, a supposed mobile handset from Google, the news finally broke that Android would be an open-source mobile phone operating system. Android, drawing on Linux and Java technology, will allow open applications to be built for many different handsets, and of course Google would want as many handset vendors to adopt it as possible. A headache for Windows Mobile and Symbian, but a great opportunity for the software industry.
Some comments in brief about some other firms: Trutap have an attractive client for Java handsets, to integrate messaging and presence, much like Eqo.
I must acknowledge the Apple iPhone, which in many ways is not the world's greatest handset, but it does have a user interface for others to aspire to. Also, I know people that didn't realize that mobile phones could be used to surf the Internet, so we have to thank Apple for using their brand power to open peoples' eyes to the possibilities.
Voxalot and the Flat Planet Phone Company, both in the business of selling VoIP services to service providers. In the case of Voxalot, they created a nice free conference app in Facebook. In the case of Flat Planet, I just enjoy reading Moshe's blog. In both cases, great people running the companies, and I'm glad I met them in 2007. This is a tough business to make money in.
Talking of tough businesses, I enjoyed meeting executives from two Session Border Controller (SBC) companies this year, namely Covergence and Borderware. Interesting products in an emerging market, brought to market in imaginative ways.
Good to see FWD re-animated with Jeff Pulver injecting new ideas into the organisation. I also enjoyed the times this year that I got to hear Jeff speak, about the lack of excitement in VoIP and the counterpoint potentional of the social media.
I'm looking forward to seeing all these folks again in 2008, good luck to you all finding funding, customers, business partnerships, growth, or whatever you seek. Happy New Year.
Eqo (www.eqo.com)
Eqo, pronounced 'echo' is a service based around your mobile phone, combining free or cheap calling with integration of social networks. You can add all your buddies from Skype, MSN, Yahoo etc., to get a single, mobile presence and IM application. I recently interviewed CEO Bill Tam for the Bending the Needle podcast series.
Truphone (www.truphone.com)
Truphone are (by their own description) a software-based mobile operator. What this means in practice is that you load some software onto a Nokia smartphone, and get a UK mobile number that you can use for calling via VoIP, cheaply or in many cases free. The functionality is not unique, but they win in pure simplicity, I think, because you carry on using the mobile phone in the way you are used to. I'm lazy (as I think many people are), and will spend money rather than struggle with complex procedures for making a call. Truphone is good because it just sits there in the background doing its thing. Kudos to CEO James Tagg, who was our first "Bending the Needle" guest, and all his great team including now of course our own Dean Elwood.
Fring (www.fring.com)
Fring is almost like a combination of Truphone and Eqo, being another phone-based software client that combines free VoIP calling with integration of all the popular IM and presence clients. Fring offers all the services free today, and aim to work in partnership with operators, bringing a more compelling experience for the phone user. A steady stream of innovations keeps Fring an interesting player, for example they recently announced a widget (for your blog, website etc) that shows not just presence but even GPS location.
Jajah (www.jajah.com)
A classic Silicon Valley startup, Jajah offer a low-cost callling solution based on 3rd party call control, i.e. making two outbound calls and tromboming them together. Not the only kind of company that can do this admittedly, but Jajah market their solutioon with such panache, that they stand above the crowd. They've launched a number of variations on their product over the last months, like being able to setup calls from a handset with mobile web. This even works with my age-old Treo, which is great work. They also teamed up with iotum to allow free calling from the Blackberry.
Rebtel (www.rebtel.com)
Rebtel is another disruptor in the business of short-circuiting roaming and long-distance fees. Their approach is to have their own PSTN network that allows you to choose a local number (in your town) for a friend that is abroad. They also get a local number for you (in their country). Thus by making calls at a local cost, you actually get international reach.
GrandCentral (www.grandcentral.com)
Is the "one number" company, now part of Google. They allocate a number for you (US-only so far, so a landline number in a US city), and then you can forward calls from this number to your mobile, home, office or Gizmo number. There are a whole load of tricks I've never seen before, like the ability to listen to someone leaving a message for you even when you are using a cellphone. If you do want to talk to them after all, you press a button and the call goes live, much like you can do with an answer machine at home. Great ideas, but it remains to be seen what Google will do with it.
TalkPlus (www.talkplus.com)
I had the good fortune at VON to meet Jeff Black, the CEO of Talkplus. Focused on the mobile user, TalkPlus offer the same kind of facilities as GrandCentral, but are also very much in the business of saving money for international callers and international travellers. If you get the chance to see Jeff demonstrating his product, do take the time to see it.
Maxroam (www.maxroam.com)
Unstoppable wheeler dealer Pat Phelan (another "Bending the Needle" podcast guest) has been in the calling card business forever, and just this year launched his new venture, MAXroam, a SIM card that you can put in your phone when travelling, that reduces international calling charges for a monthly fee. 2008 will see his company releasing their own WiFi enabled handset using the same technology.
3 Skype Phone (www.three.co.uk)
Good old 3 for grasping the nettle and bringing Skype compatibility to a 3G handset. The Skype phone is a £50 handset integrating technology from iSkoot, so that you can make free calls to everyone on your Skype list. The handset is a nice well-made little device too.
iotum, and CEO Alec Saunders, deserve a special mention not just for their work with Jajah, but also being the first to release a free conference call application within Facebook. Many of the telecom disruptors here are involved in social networks to a greater or lesser degree, but Alec is a long-time blogger and understood the significance of Facebook to today's mobile users. iotum got funded in 2007 too, so that's great news, and good luck in 2008.
Gizmo5 (www.gizmo5.com)
Gizmo 5 is the latest mobile software from Gizmo Project, allowing low-cost calling from the mobile handset. It also integrates IM and presence gadgets (although not I think so many as Eqo and Fring). A nice piece of software, free of charge and easy to try out.
FON (www.fon.com)
FON had a good year in 2007. The idea behind FON is to put a low cost WiFi router in as many homes and businesses worldwide as possible, unifying them into a large WiFi sharing community. When people surf of your router, your account balance goes up, and gives you points to use on other routers when you travel. They teamed up with BT in the UK to form BT FON, and this allows BT Broadband users to surf on other FON routers and even at BT OpenZone hotspots. Very convenient, and a far cry from the normal expensive WiFi options like hotels. FON also have a nice ConnectaFON gadget for Nokia mobile handsets to help you locate a FON hotspot wherever you are.
BT Web21c sdk.bt.com
Web21c is a nice API from BT that allows you to write applications that use the services of their backbone network, e.g. SMS, presence, call control, conferencing. The language choice has widened during 2007, not just .NET now but Java, Coghead, and many more. It's good to see BT embracing the mashup culture and venturing into "Telco 2.0".
Google Android (code.google.com/android/)
After months of rumouring about Google's G-phone, a supposed mobile handset from Google, the news finally broke that Android would be an open-source mobile phone operating system. Android, drawing on Linux and Java technology, will allow open applications to be built for many different handsets, and of course Google would want as many handset vendors to adopt it as possible. A headache for Windows Mobile and Symbian, but a great opportunity for the software industry.
Some comments in brief about some other firms: Trutap have an attractive client for Java handsets, to integrate messaging and presence, much like Eqo.
I must acknowledge the Apple iPhone, which in many ways is not the world's greatest handset, but it does have a user interface for others to aspire to. Also, I know people that didn't realize that mobile phones could be used to surf the Internet, so we have to thank Apple for using their brand power to open peoples' eyes to the possibilities.
Voxalot and the Flat Planet Phone Company, both in the business of selling VoIP services to service providers. In the case of Voxalot, they created a nice free conference app in Facebook. In the case of Flat Planet, I just enjoy reading Moshe's blog. In both cases, great people running the companies, and I'm glad I met them in 2007. This is a tough business to make money in.
Talking of tough businesses, I enjoyed meeting executives from two Session Border Controller (SBC) companies this year, namely Covergence and Borderware. Interesting products in an emerging market, brought to market in imaginative ways.
Good to see FWD re-animated with Jeff Pulver injecting new ideas into the organisation. I also enjoyed the times this year that I got to hear Jeff speak, about the lack of excitement in VoIP and the counterpoint potentional of the social media.
I'm looking forward to seeing all these folks again in 2008, good luck to you all finding funding, customers, business partnerships, growth, or whatever you seek. Happy New Year.
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