Voxer
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Type of site
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Mobile voice communication |
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| Owner | VoxerNet LLC |
| Created by | Tom Katis, Matt Ranney |
| Website | Voxer |
| Launched | 2007 |
| Current status | Active |
Voxer is a San Francisco based mobile app development company most well known for its free Voxer Walkie Talkie app for smartphones.
Founded by Tom Katis and Matt Ranney, Voxer Walkie Talkie is both a live "push-to-talk" system and a voice messaging system. Messages on Voxer are delivered live as they’re being recorded and then delivered as a voice message as well. The app works on Android, Windows Phone and the iOS operating systems. In April 2012, the company raised $30 million in venture financing from Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), Intel Capital and other angel investors.
Tom Katis co-founded Voxer (originally called RebelVox) in 2007 after a tour of duty in Afghanistan as a Special Forces communications sergeant. He got the idea for the company when he needed better technology to talk to other soldiers on the battlefield.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Katis explained that during an ambush in Afghanistan, he attempted to coordinate reinforcements and help from a medical team in the middle of a firefight. He sought a way to talk to all parties at the same time, but the government-issued walkie talkies didn't have the functionality.
In May 2011, the company launched Voxer Walkie Talkie on Apple's iOS operating system. The free app utilizes a number of patents and technology around its live streaming voice service to create a "push-to-talk" product that makes all communication live.
The app has been described "as being similar to the Nextel walkie talkie phones, except it lets users listen to messages at their convenience and talk one-to-one with other users." The app also allows users to send text messages and photos and has a location feature that allows users to see on a map where other users are located when they send a message.
In November 2011, after launching a version of the app on the Android operating system, Voxer Walkie Talkie began to experience viral success.
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