Microsoft

Microsoft, an American multinational corporation, specializes in developing, manufacturing, licensing, supporting, and selling a wide range of software products and services. Its offerings include operating systems like Windows, productivity tools such as Microsoft Office, and cloud services through Microsoft Azure. Microsoft also produces hardware like Xbox gaming consoles, Surface devices, and PC accessories. Additionally, it provides business solutions through Microsoft Dynamics, enterprise services, and commercial cloud offerings. Microsoft operates globally, supporting startups through initiatives like Microsoft for Startups and Microsoft Accelerator, which offer mentorship, technical training, and access to markets and investors.

Lillian Barnard

CEO and Board Member

Abhilasha Bhargav-Spantzel

Partner Security Architect

Alexia Cambon

Senior Director, Research

Shinesa Cambric

Principal Product Manager

Puneet Chandok

Corporate Vice President of Microsoft India and South Asia

Roberto Croci

Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups MEA

Scott Guthrie

Executive Vice President, Cloud + AI Group

Rashida Hodge

VP, Azure Data and AI | Customer Success

Philip Meyer

Partner Technology Strategist - Hosting and Cloud

Brandon Middaugh

Senior Director, Climate Innovation Fund

Arindam Mukherjee

Director - Azure Business, Microsoft India

Satya Nadella

CEO

Takeshi Numoto

EVP and CMO

Mohammed Saleh

Health Director

Brian Schultz

Director, Corporate Development

Theresa Sue

Microsoft Partner

Mustafa Suleyman

Executive Vice President and CEO of AI

Emilia Zarei

Founder and CEO

Past deals in Advertising

VipLink

Non Equity Assistance in 2024
Founded by serial entrepreneurs formerly backed by Google Ventures, Viplink delivers 700% more social awareness to consumer brands by connecting with creators at scale and only paying for results. Viplink has over 100k visitors per month and 7k+ creator partners currently in the platform, and in only 6 months, they are at $250k AR with brands like Booking.com and Johnson & Johnson.

MTN Nigeria Communications

Post in 2023
MTN Nigeria Communications PLC is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile financial services in Nigeria. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Lagos, the company offers a wide range of services, including mobile telecommunications, broadband fixed wireless access, and mobile money solutions. MTN Nigeria serves approximately 55 million subscribers, delivering airtime, data, digital services, and short message services, along with interconnect and roaming capabilities. The company operates through three main segments: the Consumer Business Unit, which caters to various customer segments; the Enterprise Business Unit, targeting small and medium enterprises; and the Wholesale Business Unit, which serves clients purchasing telecom products. As a subsidiary of MTN International (Mauritius) Limited, MTN Nigeria plays a crucial role in the Nigerian telecommunications landscape.

Xandr

Acquisition in 2021
Xandr is an advertising company that operates a data-enabled technology platform aimed at creating a global marketplace for premium advertising. This platform focuses on optimizing return on investment for both advertisers and publishers, fostering an open marketplace that supports the open web worldwide. Xandr enables advertisers to effectively connect with their target audiences while providing publishers with tools to enhance their monetization efforts.

PromoteIQ

Acquisition in 2019
PromoteIQ is a company that specializes in automating vendor marketing for e-commerce, aiming to enhance revenue generation for retailers compared to traditional advertising methods. Its platform is designed to streamline marketing automation for digital advertisers, allowing retailers to maintain their independence while experimenting with different marketing strategies. By focusing on superior product marketing, PromoteIQ enables retailers to effectively collaborate with their vendors, thereby maximizing monetization opportunities. The company's innovative approach positions it as a significant player in the realm of digital advertising and e-commerce marketing solutions.

Internautas Weblicidad

Seed Round in 2019
Desarrollo de sitios web wordpress en Chile, ecommerce, software, marketing digital y publicidad por redes sociales.

PriceSynergy.IO

Seed Round in 2018
PriceSynergy.IO is a Microsoft backed Startup, Gathering billions of price points, advertising positions and reseller metrics for products sold online, We deliver powering actionable insights for brands and resellers globally.

MintM

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
MintM Inc. is a technology company that develops a cloud-based digital signage platform aimed at enhancing customer engagement. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, MintM offers Magnet, an intelligent signage and kiosk software that supports various applications including digital signage, visual merchandising, brand activation, and omnichannel marketing. The company's solutions cater to a diverse range of sectors, including retail, health and beauty, food and beverages, and banking and finance. By leveraging computer vision technology, MintM provides tools for real-time measurement, analysis, and automation, enabling businesses to optimize their customer interactions and operational efficiency.

Kwickie

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
Kwickie is a platform that facilitates video merging and sharing, making authentic content creation and distribution convenient and cost-effective. It produces its own TV shows across various genres, hosted by celebrities, which brands can sponsor. Alternatively, brands can create their own channels and content on the platform for wider digital distribution.

PowerLinks

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
PowerLinks Media Limited, established in 2012, operates a programmatic native advertising platform that facilitates the buying and selling of native ads across various formats and devices worldwide. The company's core product, PowerLinks, enables brands and media businesses to adopt and scale native advertising, offering a global marketplace for real-time trading of in-feed, in-video, in-image, in-text, and in-display ad formats. With offices in Salford and Manchester, UK, and New York, USA, PowerLinks integrates and distributes sponsored content, search, e-commerce, responsive display, and video content, driving innovation and accelerating revenue generation through open technology and global scale.

Cogtu

Non Equity Assistance in 2015
Cogtu Technologies is an advertising company that specializes in embedding native advertisements within images. Utilizing advanced technologies such as deep learning-powered image recognition, semantic analysis, and cognitive analysis, Cogtu's innovative platform significantly enhances ad performance for businesses seeking improved returns on their advertising investments.

Cogtu

Seed Round in 2015
Cogtu Technologies is an advertising company that specializes in embedding native advertisements within images. Utilizing advanced technologies such as deep learning-powered image recognition, semantic analysis, and cognitive analysis, Cogtu's innovative platform significantly enhances ad performance for businesses seeking improved returns on their advertising investments.

Adhusky

Non Equity Assistance in 2015
AdHusky, established in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, specializes in facilitating Facebook advertising for businesses, particularly financial service firms. The company offers an automated solution that enables advertisers to create tailored campaigns, refine target markets based on business location, manage bidding processes, and launch advertisements effectively on the platform.

Outleads

Non Equity Assistance in 2015
Outleads is a technology company that specializes in optimizing online advertising by utilizing offline activity data. Its patented technology integrates information from various sources, including CRMs, contact centers, and marketing automation platforms, and channels this data to analytics platforms such as Google Analytics. This allows advertisers to target leads who have shown interest in their products through phone calls or chats but did not complete a purchase, as well as those who engaged with email campaigns without taking further action. By providing insights into customer interactions, Outleads helps clients effectively retarget potential customers and enhance their advertising strategies. The company supports integration with prominent contact center software, facilitating a seamless flow of information for improved marketing outcomes.

Jabmo

Series A in 2015
Jabmo SAS operates a specialized platform for account-based marketing (ABM) tailored for industrial manufacturers. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Paris, France, the company utilizes advanced technology to enhance marketing strategies by delivering personalized content to anonymous buyers within target accounts. Jabmo's platform includes features such as account-based advertising, website personalization, retargeting, and comprehensive analytics, providing a holistic view of marketing efforts at the account level. By focusing on decision-makers and influencers during the buying cycle, Jabmo enables clients to significantly improve engagement and increase sales success rates. Their services are particularly valuable for global manufacturers, with established partnerships that illustrate their impact in the industry. As a leading vendor in the ABM space, Jabmo emphasizes localized support across EMEA and the USA, driving revenue growth through innovative marketing solutions.

DeltaX

Venture Round in 2015
DeltaX operates a cross-channel digital advertising platform that enables ad agencies and performance marketers to efficiently manage their media investments across various channels, including search, social, display, mobile, and video. The platform, which is cloud-based and accessible in 34 languages, utilizes big data, user behavior analysis, and machine learning algorithms to enhance the performance of advertising campaigns. By breaking down data silos, DeltaX facilitates better insights and optimizations, allowing users to buy, track, attribute, and report on their advertising efforts more effectively. Each month, the platform supports significant ad spending for brands across diverse sectors such as e-commerce, travel, banking, technology, education, and gaming.

Heroic.ly

Venture Round in 2015
Heroic.ly is an online marketing platform based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in enhancing retail marketing through its advanced recommendation engine. The company analyzes various factors, including regions, consumer behavior, and product performance, to identify growth opportunities. By providing insights on the optimal combination of products, regions, and advertising networks, Heroic.ly helps marketing organizations maximize sales and address consumer demand effectively. Additionally, the platform offers valuable customer-centric insights, such as predicted revenue and cost per acquisition targets, facilitating a deeper understanding of the marketing funnel in real time.

AppsFlyer

Series B in 2015
AppsFlyer Ltd. is a mobile app measurement platform founded in 2011 and headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, with additional offices worldwide. The company specializes in helping mobile app developers, brands, and advertising agencies measure and optimize their customer acquisition strategies through a real-time analytics dashboard. Its platform integrates with numerous media partners, allowing advertisers to assess and enhance their mobile app promotional campaigns across various channels, including paid, organic, and social media. AppsFlyer offers several key solutions, such as Ad Revenue Attribution, which aids mobile publishers in evaluating user lifetime value by considering diverse revenue sources. The company also provides Agency Transparency for brands to gain insights into their campaigns and Protect360, a robust fraud protection service. With a focus on privacy and user experience, AppsFlyer supports a wide array of applications across platforms like the Apple App Store and Google Play, enabling clients to foster meaningful customer relationships through advanced data analytics and engagement tools.

WebyClip

Series A in 2015
WebyClip Ltd is an Israeli company founded in 2013 that specializes in e-commerce solutions focused on enhancing the user experience through visual media. It operates a visual intelligence platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to automatically source and curate relevant user-generated content, particularly videos, for e-commerce and content publishers. By enabling the integration of these rich media assets, WebyClip aims to improve product discovery and drive user engagement, ultimately increasing conversion rates and revenues for its clients. The company serves some of the largest e-commerce websites globally, providing tools for smart imagery search and immersive visual experiences.

MasterCourses

Venture Round in 2014
MasterCourses is an advertising platform based in Paris, France, that was launched in 2013 by Dali Ben Aleya. The company focuses on enhancing customer conversion and quality for brands and retailers by offering real-time ad formats that display live pricing and availability data directly within advertisements. This innovative approach allows consumers to access crucial information at the moment of impulse, facilitating informed purchasing decisions. Additionally, MasterCourses operates a price comparison platform that enables users to compare prices of products across various online markets. This platform features a shopping cart comparison tool that allows customers to pay based on actual conversions rather than traditional metrics like impressions or clicks, ultimately helping them secure better prices.

Askem

Venture Round in 2014
Askem makes online market research simple. Using Facebook advertising, we get responses from target audiences that were previously impossible to reach. We can find respondents based on their interests and behaviors, job description, marital status, household income and more! How are we different: 1. We don't incentivize people to take surveys. 2. We reach hyper-targeted audiences fast and cost effectively. 3. We enable turnaround from survey creation to results is a few days! Whether you are a startup or a Fortune 500 company, we urge you to question everything. Now you can get the responses you need both quickly and cost effectively with Askem!

POWZY

Seed Round in 2014
POWZY provides a full solution for loyalty programs and customer relationship management. The mobile marketing technology engages and entertains consumers by adding game mechanics to loyalty programs, providing a professional, easy-to-launch and affordable solution to even the next door flower shop. They provide customer acquisition, engagement, and cross-industry purchase behavior analytics to B2C Companies. POWZY real-time bidding platform enables the value exchange between advertisers (who pay only for accomplished branding actions) and developers (who monetize their mobile apps and games, profiting from the non-paying users). It delivers 30 seconds of consumer attention, guaranteed.

247 Information Technology

Non Equity Assistance in 2014
3rd party mobile ad distribution platform on windows.

Askem

Seed Round in 2014
Askem makes online market research simple. Using Facebook advertising, we get responses from target audiences that were previously impossible to reach. We can find respondents based on their interests and behaviors, job description, marital status, household income and more! How are we different: 1. We don't incentivize people to take surveys. 2. We reach hyper-targeted audiences fast and cost effectively. 3. We enable turnaround from survey creation to results is a few days! Whether you are a startup or a Fortune 500 company, we urge you to question everything. Now you can get the responses you need both quickly and cost effectively with Askem!

Personalics

Venture Round in 2014
Personalics Ltd. is a New York-based company that specializes in developing a conversational engine designed for ecommerce platforms. This innovative technology enables brands to engage with customers through personalized and adaptive conversations across various channels, including email, social media, push notifications, and SMS. By leveraging demographic and behavioral analytics, Personalics helps businesses identify specific user segments and deliver targeted micro-content that effectively captures attention. The company's platform facilitates remarketing by utilizing data from multiple touchpoints to generate smart predictions about customer behavior. This allows for the automatic creation of personalized interactions that encourage shoppers to return, thereby enhancing customer engagement and driving sales for retailers and content brands. All advertising creative work is managed in-house, ensuring efficiency without additional costs.

Outleads

Seed Round in 2013
Outleads is a technology company that specializes in optimizing online advertising by utilizing offline activity data. Its patented technology integrates information from various sources, including CRMs, contact centers, and marketing automation platforms, and channels this data to analytics platforms such as Google Analytics. This allows advertisers to target leads who have shown interest in their products through phone calls or chats but did not complete a purchase, as well as those who engaged with email campaigns without taking further action. By providing insights into customer interactions, Outleads helps clients effectively retarget potential customers and enhance their advertising strategies. The company supports integration with prominent contact center software, facilitating a seamless flow of information for improved marketing outcomes.

MasterCourses

Non Equity Assistance in 2013
MasterCourses is an advertising platform based in Paris, France, that was launched in 2013 by Dali Ben Aleya. The company focuses on enhancing customer conversion and quality for brands and retailers by offering real-time ad formats that display live pricing and availability data directly within advertisements. This innovative approach allows consumers to access crucial information at the moment of impulse, facilitating informed purchasing decisions. Additionally, MasterCourses operates a price comparison platform that enables users to compare prices of products across various online markets. This platform features a shopping cart comparison tool that allows customers to pay based on actual conversions rather than traditional metrics like impressions or clicks, ultimately helping them secure better prices.

Pinion.gg

Seed Round in 2013
Pinion Tech Pty Ltd, based in Surry Hills, Australia, specializes in online gaming advertising services. Founded by gamers in 2010, the company aims to support gaming community owners, often referred to as publishers, by providing them with advertising revenue. This revenue can be utilized to enhance community infrastructure, such as upgrading or expanding server capabilities. Pinion Tech operates a network of gaming communities and focuses on placing interactive advertisements on gaming servers. By partnering with Pinion, community owners can generate income from their servers, allowing them to concentrate on managing their communities rather than the financial burdens associated with running them.

Heroic.ly

Seed Round in 2013
Heroic.ly is an online marketing platform based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in enhancing retail marketing through its advanced recommendation engine. The company analyzes various factors, including regions, consumer behavior, and product performance, to identify growth opportunities. By providing insights on the optimal combination of products, regions, and advertising networks, Heroic.ly helps marketing organizations maximize sales and address consumer demand effectively. Additionally, the platform offers valuable customer-centric insights, such as predicted revenue and cost per acquisition targets, facilitating a deeper understanding of the marketing funnel in real time.

Selectable Media

Funding Round in 2012
Selectable Media Inc. is a company specializing in video advertising solutions that connect brands with engaged audiences. The firm offers innovative services for advertisers, including Selectable Value Exchange, which allows audiences to access content in exchange for interacting with brands, and Selectable Sponsored Stories, which seamlessly integrate branded video content in relevant contexts. For publishers, Selectable Media provides tools like Content-Unlock and Value Exchange, enabling consumers to access content by engaging with advertisements or subscribing. The company's platform supports a diverse range of publisher partners, such as newspapers, magazines, and various online services, including social media, mobile games, and sports trivia applications. By facilitating consumer interactions with brand advertising, Selectable Media helps publishers effectively monetize their content while providing advertisers with targeted audience access. Founded in 2005 and based in New York, Selectable Media was previously known as Nabbr.com Corp. and rebranded in May 2007.

MarketingPilot

Acquisition in 2012
MarketingPilot provides Integrated Marketing Management solutions to better understand their customers, manage and streamline marketing operations and create automated and measurable multi-channel marketing campaigns. This acquisition is a very exciting step forward for us, and will accelerate their ability to better meet the needs of CMO's (chief marketing officers) through rich business intelligence, and better enable marketers to successfully plan, execute, monitor, and optimize customer interactions across digital, social and traditional channels, and measure ROI

Screemo

Venture Round in 2012
Screemo Ltd. is a technology company based in Herzliya, Israel, founded in 2012. It specializes in providing interactive experience applications that facilitate real-life engagement between smartphones and digital screens. As a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform, Screemo enables advertisers and retailers to create mobile-to-screen interactive advertising campaigns quickly and cost-effectively. The platform enhances customer engagement and allows businesses to measure analytics and statistics related to their campaigns. By leveraging Screemo's patent-pending solutions, users can deploy interactive experiences at locations equipped with digital screens without the need for extensive integration. This innovative approach allows brands to improve customer experience, increase foot traffic, and drive in-store sales.

WebyClip

Venture Round in 2012
WebyClip Ltd is an Israeli company founded in 2013 that specializes in e-commerce solutions focused on enhancing the user experience through visual media. It operates a visual intelligence platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to automatically source and curate relevant user-generated content, particularly videos, for e-commerce and content publishers. By enabling the integration of these rich media assets, WebyClip aims to improve product discovery and drive user engagement, ultimately increasing conversion rates and revenues for its clients. The company serves some of the largest e-commerce websites globally, providing tools for smart imagery search and immersive visual experiences.

Adchemy

Series E in 2011
Adchemy is a provider of digital advertising technology that focuses on enhancing ecommerce revenue acquisition for online brands. The company offers a user-friendly software platform that simplifies the management of digital marketing campaigns, allowing marketers to create highly effective advertisements. Adchemy's technology automates best practices for search campaigns, resulting in significant improvements in key performance metrics, such as increased impressions, clicks, revenue, and profit margins. Central to Adchemy's offering is the IntentGraph, which allows marketers to organize campaigns using business-relevant language centered on products rather than keywords. This innovative approach enables advertisers to gain deeper insights into their online audiences, effectively target segments, and deliver relevant ads that boost engagement and conversion rates. Adchemy's software is utilized by a number of leading retailers, making it a valuable tool in the competitive landscape of digital marketing.

AppNexus

Series C in 2010
AppNexus Inc. is a technology company that specializes in a cloud-based software platform designed to enhance and streamline programmatic online advertising. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in New York City, with additional offices both domestically and internationally, AppNexus provides a comprehensive suite of tools for advertisers and publishers. Its platform maximizes campaign performance and yield for online inventory, offering trading solutions and marketplaces for digital advertising. Advertisers can create custom trading desks and advertising networks, while the AppNexus Publisher Suite empowers publishers to optimize revenue through various demand sources. Key features include PriceCheck, a header bidding solution for diverse ad formats, and the AppNexus Apps program, which enables third-party technology vendors to develop tailored features for their clients. By leveraging data and machine learning, AppNexus facilitates intelligent, AI-driven advertising campaigns for marketers and agencies.

Affle

Series B in 2009
Affle is a global technology company with a proprietary consumer intelligence platform that delivers consumer engagement, acquisitions and transactions through relevant Mobile Advertising. The platform aims to enhance returns on marketing investment through contextual mobile ads and also by reducing digital ad fraud. While Affle's Consumer platform is used by online & offline companies for measurable mobile advertising, its Enterprise platform helps offline companies to go online through platform-based app development, enablement of O2O commerce and through its customer data platform. Affle India successfully completed its IPO in India on 08.08.19 and now trades on the stock exchanges (BSE: 542752 & NSE: AFFLE). Affle Holdings is the Singapore based promoter for Affle India and its investors include Microsoft, D2C (an NTT DoCoMo subsidiary), Itochu, Bennett Coleman & Company (BCCL) amongst others.

Move Networks

Venture Round in 2008
Move Networks is a provider of digital media publishing and delivery services, specializing in live, multi-channel television over the Internet. The company utilizes its advanced adaptive streaming technology to create a comprehensive platform that serves as an operating system for video. This platform integrates various components, including middleware, content management, subscription packaging, billing, and digital rights management, enabling telecommunications providers and media companies to deliver a rich television experience. Additionally, Move Networks offers solutions for online broadcasters, TV studios, film companies, sports leagues, and content owners, facilitating high-resolution streaming and enhanced advertising capabilities. Its publishing services encompass online encoding, hosting, editing, organizing, streaming, and analytics, allowing clients to effectively manage and monetize their video content.

Navic Networks

Acquisition in 2008
Navic Networks is a provider of interactive television technology and services that enhances viewer engagement and advertising effectiveness. The company offers a suite of solutions that leverage real-time audience measurement data to optimize the delivery and placement of targeted video advertisements. Its offerings include tools for interactive voting in reality shows, accessing advertised products, checking theater showtimes, and upgrading cable services. Additionally, Navic provides features such as polling, classifieds, overlays, interactive advertising, on-demand content navigation, and enhanced customer care solutions. By integrating these capabilities, Navic Networks aims to improve the overall television viewing experience while enabling networks to better connect with their audiences.

Move Networks

Series C in 2008
Move Networks is a provider of digital media publishing and delivery services, specializing in live, multi-channel television over the Internet. The company utilizes its advanced adaptive streaming technology to create a comprehensive platform that serves as an operating system for video. This platform integrates various components, including middleware, content management, subscription packaging, billing, and digital rights management, enabling telecommunications providers and media companies to deliver a rich television experience. Additionally, Move Networks offers solutions for online broadcasters, TV studios, film companies, sports leagues, and content owners, facilitating high-resolution streaming and enhanced advertising capabilities. Its publishing services encompass online encoding, hosting, editing, organizing, streaming, and analytics, allowing clients to effectively manage and monetize their video content.

AdECN

Acquisition in 2007
AdECN operates as a neutral exchange facilitating automated, real-time trading of online display advertising via auction-based bidding. The platform connects advertisers or networks with publishers, enabling efficient matching of ads to visitor profiles based on behaviour, context, or other criteria.

aQuantive

Acquisition in 2007
aQuantive is an advertising network that was acquired by Microsoft in May 2007. The company specialized in digital marketing solutions, focusing on delivering targeted advertising and analytics to enhance the effectiveness of online campaigns. Through this acquisition, Microsoft aimed to strengthen its position in the digital advertising space, leveraging aQuantive's technologies and expertise to improve its offerings and compete more effectively in the rapidly evolving online advertising market.

Screen Tonic

Acquisition in 2007
ScreenTonic is a European provider of mobile advertising services, specializing in ad serving technology, ad management, and mobile media sales. The company partners with various mobile operator portals and off-portal WAP sites to enhance monetization strategies for mobile traffic. ScreenTonic's offerings enable advertisers to reach consumers effectively and personally through mobile phones. To support these services, the company developed STAMP, a dedicated ad management and ad server platform designed specifically for the mobile internet. Through its comprehensive solutions, ScreenTonic aims to facilitate effective communication between advertisers and users in the mobile space.

Massive

Acquisition in 2006
Massive operates a prominent in-game advertising network that allows advertisers to engage with a large, unified gaming audience in real time across various platforms. Founded to enhance the advertising experience within video games, Massive enables publishers to monetize their content while maintaining the integrity and enjoyment of the gaming experience. The company has established itself as a leader in the field of in-game advertising since its acquisition by Microsoft in 2006.

RealNames

Venture Round in 2000
RealNames is an online platform founded in 1996 by Keith Teare, headquartered in San Carlos, California, with additional offices in New York City, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, and Seoul. The company specializes in providing email naming solutions and a navigation system designed to simplify internet use. Its flagship offering is the RealNames system, which allows users to navigate the web using keywords instead of traditional URLs, enhancing the browsing experience. RealNames' products cater to a diverse clientele, including companies of various sizes, advertising agencies, internet service providers, online services, search engines, and directory services. The platform also features an ad-free email solution compatible with popular email programs as well as web and mobile applications.

linkexchange

Acquisition in 1998
LinkExchange was the web's largest banner exchange network and expanded to become the web's first small-business portal before being acquired by Microsoft for US $265 million in 1998: http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-acquires-LinkExchange/2100-1033_3-217516.html LinkExchange was founded in the spring of 1996 by 23-year-old Harvard grads [Tony Hsieh](/people/tony-hsieh) and [Sanjay Madan](/people/sanjay-madan). 24-year-old Harvard grad [Ali Partovi](/people/ali-partovi) joined them a few months later as a third partner. At its peak, the LinkExchange banner network reached over half of Internet-enabled households every month, according to Media Metrix. In June, 1998, LinkExchange acquired Submit It! Inc. (makers of Submit It!, ClickTrade, and ListBot), and MerchantPlanet (a turnkey e-commerce solution for merchants). In November, 1998, LinkExchange was acquired by Microsoft for US$265 million. Other notable LinkExchange people included CFO [Alfred Lin](/people/alfred-lin), and via acquisition of Submit-it, [Scott Banister](/people/scott-banister), and contractor [Max Levchin](/people/max-levchin).

Firefly Network

Acquisition in 1998
Firefly Network develops and provides an intelligent agent technology for the internet. Its flagship product Firefly Passport, is used to collect user preferences anonymously, recommend internet content, and send appropriate advertising. Firefly Network is based in McLean, Virginia. As of April 15, 1998, Firefly Network, Inc. was acquired by Microsoft Corporation.
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