Hi5
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Screenshot
Screenshot of Hi5's home page
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Type of site
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Social networking |
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| Available in | Multilingual |
| Owner | if(we) |
| Created by | Ramu Yalamanchi |
| Website | hi5.com |
| Alexa rank |
 19,018 (April 2014[update]) |
| Commercial | yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | June 27, 2004 |
| Current status | Active |
hi5 is a social networking site based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 2004, it was reported to be the 2nd largest social network after Myspace by 2007. In 2008, comScore reported that hi5 was the third most popular social networking site in monthly unique visitors behind Facebook and MySpace. The social networking site, if(we), formerly known as Tagged, purchased hi5 in December 2011, for an undisclosed sum and operates it today.
The company was founded in 2003 by Ramu Yalamanchi. and had become the 8th largest social network by mid 2006.
Prior to 2004, the Company had raised $250,000 in an angel investment round, and utilized this early investment to bring the Company to profitability. In 2007, the Company raised $20 million in series A venture capital from Mohr Davidow Ventures, as well as $15 million in venture debt. The Company had gained significant market share in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, and Mary Meeker had cited hi5 as the 10th largest site in the World in her 2007 Technology / Internet Trends report.
Bill Gossman was appointed CEO in April 2009, and at that time, hi5 refocused itself as a social gaming platform and opened itself to new game developers. In early 2010, hi5 acquired social gaming company Big Six. in 2010, and announced it had raised $3 million convertible note from existing investor Mohr Davidow, bringing the funding up to $38 million.
In July 2010, the company raised $14 million from Crosslink Capital.
In January 2011, Alex St. John joined the company as President and CTO. Quantcast reported hi5 has 2.7 million monthly US visitors and 46.1 million global visitors. Software-industry veteran Karen Richardson served as chairwoman of the company's board in 2011.
In December 2011, the assets of the company were acquired by Tagged, now known as IF(WE).
Hi5 had many typical social networking features, such as friend networks, photo sharing, user groups, and status updates. In a 2009 redesign, hi5 added a number of features oriented toward gaming and entertainment. The site featured over 200 games in a variety of genres, and was adding games at a rate of 2-3 per week.
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Wikipedia