About Skype
Skype is a Telecommunications company based in Luxembourg founded in 2002, and was acquired by Microsoft in May 2011. VoIP software for internet video chats and calls is offered. It operates in the Telecommunications and Technology sectors. Skype has raised $26.81 million across 7 funding rounds from investors including eBay, Microsoft and Bessemer Venture Partners. The company has 599 employees. Skype has completed 3 acquisitions, including 3jam, Content Circles and GroupMe. Its website skype.com draws about 887 thousand monthly visits. Its focus areas include Consumer, Communication Apps, Calling and Video.
Company details
Skype was founded in 2002 in Luxembourg as a VoIP software application in the telecommunications sector. Internet-based video chats, voice calls, text messaging, and file sharing are facilitated, with free peer-to-peer connections between users. Charges apply to landline and mobile calls via a credit system. Conference calls and screen sharing for up to 25 participants are supported, distinguishing it from client-server models.
Apps and channels of Skype
its YouTube channel Behind the Skype has 284K subscribers and 14 videos.
Videos from Skype
The most watched videos on Skype's YouTube channel, Behind the Skype (284K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on Behind the Skype .
Funding Insights of Skype
Skype has successfully raised a total of $26.81M across 7 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $7.76 million completed in April 2010. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $26.81M
- Total Rounds 7
- Last Round Series B — $7.76M
- First Round $250,000
(Jun 2002)
- Investors Count 19
All 7 funding rounds of Skype with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2010 | $7.76M | Series B | – | – | – |
| Nov 2009 | $50M | Debt – Conventional | – | – | |
| Jun 2009 | Angel Round | – | – | ||
| Jun 2005 | Series B | – | – | ||
| Mar 2004 | $18.8M | Series B | – | DFJ, Index Ventures | |
| Oct 2003 | Series A | – | – | ||
| Jun 2002 | $250,000 | Angel Round | – | – | – |
| Date | Valuation | Stage |
|---|
Full valuation and stage history of Skype
Every valuation point, the growth-stage changes (minicorn, soonicorn, unicorn) and the dates behind them require an active premium plan.
- All valuation points
- Stage changes
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19 investors in total: 17 institutional and 2 angel.
Investors in Skype
Skype has secured backing from 19 investors, including institutional, venture fund, and angel investors. Prominent investors backing the company include eBay, Microsoft and Bessemer Venture Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital investments in technology sectors are handled by Andreessen Horowitz. | a16z.com | |||
Technology investing and private equity firm focused on partnerships. | silverlake.com | |||
Horizons Ventures is focused on investing in deep science and technology. | horizonsventures.com | Hong Kong, China | ||
US focused VC firm | dfj.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Venture capital investments in technology startups and entrepreneurs. | indexventures.com | |||
Venture capital investments and support for entrepreneurs in technology and innovation sectors. | 1911 | bvp.com | Redwood City, United States | |
Early-stage Tech & Offline focused VC Firm investing in geographies such as the US | draperrichards.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Seed-stage investments are directed toward US tech and wireless firms. | campventures.com | Los Altos, United States | ||
Seed and early-stage tech investments in the US are targeted. | europlaycapital.com | Los Angeles, United States | ||
Tech-based companies are invested in by Atomico venture capital fund. | 2006 | atomico.com | London, United Kingdom |
Investor details for Skype
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
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- Co-investor network
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People of Skype
557 people are tracked at Skype (306 in leadership, 11 in board & advisors, 240 in team); the tracked headcount is 599.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Gary Sun | Director | Leadership |
Bill Duff | CVP & CFO, Consumer & Devices | Leadership |
Alex Pepperl | Director, Head Of Retail Media Adtech Partnerships | Leadership |
Bernando Caldas | VP, Program Management | Leadership |
Christopher Bishop | Technical Fellow & Director of Microsoft Research AI4Science | Leadership |
Ugur Yilmaz | Director - Microsoft IT | Middle East & Africa Region | Leadership |
Kevin Scott | CTO & EVP, Technology & Research | Leadership |
Pascal Walschots | Senior Director Business Applications Solutions Play | Leadership |
Erik Sevenants | Director, Partner Development, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Global Isv's | Leadership |
Lee Grigsby | Director Support Engineering - Security Global Lead | Leadership |
Christine Schanne | Software & Digital Platforms - Partner Strategist | Leadership |
Ed D'Esposito | Global Client Technology Director | Leadership |
Janett Garcia-Riseland | Senior Director | Leadership |
Amanda Langowski | Head of Microsoft Insider Program | Leadership |
Kirk Koenigsbauer | CVP & COO, Experiences & Devices Group | Leadership |
Barry Chami | Director Asia Business Sales Operations | Leadership |
Taylor Black | Director Of AI & Venture Ecosystems, Strategic Programs & Communities Team | Leadership |
Dilraj Kundi | Sr. Director, Global Strategic Pursuits | Leadership |
Nick Parker | President, Industry & Partnerships | Leadership |
Brad Smith | President & Vice Chair | Leadership |
537 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Skype
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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Investments & Acquisitions by Skype
Skype has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 3 companies. Notable acquisitions include 3jam, Content Circles and GroupMe.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of group messaging application | groupme.com | New York, United States | 2010 | Aug 2011 | •••• | |
Server-free networks for collaborative document management were offered. | contentcircles.com | Menlo Park, United States | 2007 | Jun 2011 | •••• | |
3jam: Free Your Phone Number | 3jam.com | San Francisco, United States | 2005 | May 2011 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Skype
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
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- Complete history
- Exports
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Timeline of Skype
9 dated milestones of Skype across 9 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Skype is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $250K.
- Milestone Reaches Unicorn status.
- Exit Acquired by eBay.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $7.8M.
- Acquisition Acquires 3jam.
- Exit Acquired by Microsoft.
- Acquisition Acquires Content Circles.
- Acquisition Acquires GroupMe.
Web traffic of Skype
The website of Skype (skype.com) receives about 887K visits a month and ranks #56,620 among all websites worldwide, #6,800 in Telecommunications.
- Monthly visits887K
▲ 5.8% vs previous month
- Unique visitors384.6K
per month
- Global rank#56,620
among all websites
- Category rank#6,800
Computers Electronics and Technology · Telecommunications
- Bounce rate36%
- Pages per visit3.7
- Average visit2 min 32 sec
- DevicesDesktop 54% · Mobile 46%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Skype. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vonage.com | 100% | 1.3M | #40,014 | View details | |
| jajah.com | 99% | View details | |||
icall.com | icall.com | 87% | #7,108,714 | – | |
| voipbuster.com | 86% | #2,574,940 | View details | ||
| facebook.com | 86% | 12.1B | #3 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Skype
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Related news about Skype
Complete news archive for Skype
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Frequently Asked Questions about Skype
Skype was founded in 2002.
Skype is headquartered in Luxembourg.
Skype is a funded company, having raised a total of $26.81M across 7 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Angel Round of $250K, raised on Jun 2002.
Skype has 599 employees.
Skype was founded in 2002 in Luxembourg as a VoIP software application in the telecommunications sector. Internet-based video chats, voice calls, text messaging, and file sharing are facilitated, with free peer-to-peer connections between users. Charges apply to landline and mobile calls via a credit system. Conference calls and screen sharing for up to 25 participants are supported, distinguishing it from client-server models.
Skype has made 3 acquisitions, including 3jam, Content Circles, and GroupMe.
Skype has 19 investors. Key investors include eBay, Microsoft, Bessemer Venture Partners, Draper, and Lakestar.
Yes. Skype was acquired by Microsoft in May 2011.
The website of Skype receives about 887 thousand visits a month and ranks #56,620 among all websites worldwide.