Skype investors join forces in 'kyte' venture

Revolution UK 01-May-07

The original investors in Skype - Joost, Google, Hotmail and Draper Richards - have joined forces to launch a new venture, kyte.

Kyte brings together user-generated content, mobile and TV. It allows
people to create their own interactive TV channel on their web site,
blog, social network or mobile phone. Kyte is not a destination site,

but aims to drive traffic to sites such as MySpace.

Users become their own channel 'producer', customising their own TV
channels. They can create real-time slide shows from their mobile camera
and use instant messaging.

Kyte founder Daniel Graf told Revolution: "There is great potential to
advertisers here. This is an ideal channel for brands to market their
products to a highly targeted audience.

"The opportunity exists for brand channels, and fan channels building
instant communities. Brands will have the luxury of viewing instant
feedback following a new product launch, for example.

"We'll start simply, with ad revenue and subscriptions on premium
services, then build a marketplace."

Kyte is backed by global investors, including Niklas Zennstrom's Atomico
(co-founder of Skype and IPTV company Joost); Ron Conway (an original
investor in Google, Ask Jeeves and Brightmail,); Tim Draper (founder of
Draper Richards Jurvetson and original investor in Hotmail, Baidu, and
Overture) and Howard Hartenbaum of Draper Richards, (responsible for the
founding investment in Skype).