Skype is finally free — eBay settles with Skype co-founders, clearing way for buyout
EBay has settled with the founders of Skype, clearing up some nasty lawsuits that had stood in the way of a Skype acquisition. Now the Internet phone company to be sold to a consortium of investors that includes Skype’s co-founders.
Private equity firm Silver Lake Partners leads the investor group, and is joined by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, as well as Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis.
As… Continue Reading
Skype cofounders seeking $266M for their Atomico Ventures fund
Skype cofounders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis are raising $266 million for their new fund, Atomico Ventures, within the year. This timeline — expedited by placement agent Probitas Partners — requires limited partners to provide a minimum of $13.3 million.
Based on Grand Cayman island (a conveniently tax-neutral locale), the early-stage venture capital fund will focus on “disruptive” consumer-facing startups in Europe, according to its web site. The dynamic duo of Zennström and Friis has had… Continue Reading
The Venice Project — a Skype for TV
The Skype co-founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom signed an accord with eBay when their company was acquired.
Under that accord, they can not use Skype peer-to-peer technology to launch another business in the telephony area. So that leaves video.
And once you’ve got entrepreneurship in your blood, you go out and do it again, right? That’s why they’ve launched the Venice Project, their latest company, focused on making Internet TV a reality for the masses.
Om Malik… Continue Reading