Maybe the Clarent story got a few investors off their duffs?
multitude announces new internet-based voice
communication service; secures $10.5 million in
additional venture funding
July 7, 1999
SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) via
NewsEdge Corporation -- Company Kicks-Off Public
Beta with Release of Downloadable Client
Application
Multitude, Inc., a pioneer in real-time,
voice-over-the-Internet communication technology,
today unveiled FireTalk,(tm) an integrated voice
conferencing service that it believes will revolutionize
the way people communicate and interact online.
Concurrently, the company announced it has
received $10.5 million in additional venture funding,
and that it has begun an extensive Public Beta of
the new FireTalk service. Multitude said that in the
near future it will detail several strategic partnerships
with major companies involved in e-commerce,
entertainment, online communities,
telecommunications and more.
Unlike other services that simply add voice
capabilities to Web-based chat rooms, FireTalk is a
complete voice communication service that
elegantly combines the best of instant messaging
and chat with high quality voice and conference
calling. FireTalk provides PC users with the ability to
talk and communicate instantly, for free, from any
location, at any time, with individuals or groups
anywhere in the world using only a PC and the
Internet. The Beta version of FireTalk can be
downloaded at no charge from various Freeware and
Shareware download sites on the Web. FireTalk
offers a uniquely intuitive way to communicate with
one or more people - talk and listen in real-time,
voice conference 'live' with many, and send and
receive messages. FireTalk is different than other
voice services because it is extremely easy to
install and it does not require that users
'push-to-talk' - they simply click on the names in
FireTalk's directories or private 'friends' lists and
start talking. Its sound quality is excellent even at
limited 28k dial-up bandwidth. Unique only to
FireTalk, its voice conferencing features allow many
people to talk and be heard at once, and more than
a thousand people to participate on a single
conference call.
According to CEO Bruno Tapolsky, Multitude has
moved the use of live voice over the Internet from a
technical novelty to an indispensable
communication tool. "With FireTalk, people don't
need to meet at a specific place or Website in order
to talk," he noted. "It's like having a cell phone with
you all the time versus having to find a phone at
various locations on the Internet. FireTalk lets you
reach people at any time, from any place, with just a
click. This is one reason why we think FireTalk will
revolutionize the way people communicate and
interact over the Internet," Tapolsky added.
$10.5 Million Investment
Multitude also announced it has secured $10.5
million in additional venture funding. Co-managed by
Paribas, the investment was led by Prime Asset
Management AG, a leading German-based investor
group with a growing portfolio of private and public
Internet companies. Investors in this financing
include France Telecom's Innovacom fund, Techfund
Capital Management and Net Ventures. Already
recognized among the Internet gaming community
for its pioneering use of real-time voice in online
computer games, Multitude received its early rounds
of funding from current investors Chase Capital
Partners, Techfund Capital Management and
Technology Development Fund. The infusion of new
capital will be used to support the market
introduction of FireTalk and fuel Multitude's growth
and partnership strategies.
More About FireTalk
FireTalk requires no special hardware beyond a
standard multimedia PC configuration - soundboard,
speakers, and a microphone or headset. Its minimal
client application occupies a small footprint on the
desktop when in use, so users can make calls while
doing other things on the Internet or their PC. In
addition to its powerful messaging and conferencing
capabilities, FireTalk offers many familiar
telephone-like features. These include signaling
incoming calls with a ring, multiple lines, and Mute,
Hold and Do Not Disturb buttons. Since it is Firewall
compatible, FireTalk can be used from both home
and work.
Other key FireTalk features include:
- Ease-of-Use
- quick installation with automatic hardware set-up
and
testing;
- one-click person-to-person calling;
- one-click instant conferencing;
- fully integrated voice and text chat;
- small unobtrusive application window that is fully
functional
when minimized;
- Powerful phone-like features and conferencing
capabilities
- unique user ID and name for each registered user;
- directory of users with Locate/Find user search
window;
- easy lookup of users with a one-click call button;
- see who is on-line at a glance;
- 2-lines with automatic hold and switching;
- can accommodate voice enabled chat rooms of
more than 1000
simultaneous users.
About Multitude
Multitude is a pioneer in voice-over-the-Internet
technology and communication systems that
provide point-to-point and massive real-time voice
conferencing via personal computers. The company
has won rave reviews for its voice and other
multi-user technologies, first showcased in 1997 in
the award-winning online game, FireTeam. Multitude
can be found on the Internet at www.multitude.com.
In early July, the company will move its
headquarters from San Mateo to a permanent facility
in South San Francisco.
-0-
Note to Editors:
Multitude, FireTalk and their respective logos are
trademarks of Multitude, Inc. Product names
mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.
<<Business Wire, 07-06-99, 08:07 Eastern>>
CONTACT: Access Communications | Alisa Arnett,
415/904-7070 Ext. 229 | aarnett@accesspr.com
[Copyright 1999, Business Wire] |
