News
25 August 2010
Mendeley Hires Spotify’s Paul Brown as Chief Operating Officer
LONDON – August 18, 2010 – Mendeley, a rapidly growing media technology startup that provides the world’s largest research collaboration platform, is delighted to announce that Paul Brown will join the team as Chief Operating Officer, a newly created position, effective September 6, 2010. He comes to Mendeley from Spotify, a startup that is making waves in the digital music industry, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships.
27 May 2010
ASI to judge at Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam in Tallinn
ASI is excited to have partnered with Guidewire Group on the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam for Tallinn on June 2.25 May 2010
GuardTime Raises $8 Million in Series A Funding
MOUNTAIN VIEW, SINGAPORE, TALLINN (May 25, 2010) — GuardTime, the provable integrity company, today announced that it raised $8 million in series A funding to help roll out its global infrastructure for delivering its provable data integrity service.20 May 2010
Blip.tv raises $10.1 million in funding
New York NY - May 19, 2010 -- Next generation television network blip.tv today announced the closing of its third round of institutional capital, led by Canaan Partners and existing investors Bain Capital Ventures. The company will use its new funding to accelerate the growth of the independent Web shows that blip.tv hosts and distributes, expand its content services team, continue to grow its international advertising sales force and develop new products for viewers and producers.14 April 2010
Rendering Accelerator Progeniq Receives Series A Financing
April 12th, 2010 – Sunnyvale, CA / Singapore – Progeniq, a leading provider of acceleration solutions for the
animations and visual effects industries, today announced the closing of its
Series A financing round led by BAF Spectrum, Ambient Sound Investments and
SPRING SEEDS Capital. William Klippgen, Executive Director of BAF Spectrum and
Margus Uudam, Managing Director of Ambient Sound Investments, will both join
the board of directors. William Klippgen will take on the role as Executive
Chairman. Mr. Klippgen was the co-founder of European internet success
Kelkoo.com and has a wide-ranging experience from emerging technology companies
in Europe and Asia.
03 December 2009
targetAPI Launches Next-Generation Behavioral Targeting Solution
New York, New York – December 2, 2009 – targetAPI, an incubator project of investment company Ambient Sound Investments, has launched its next-generation business-to-business behavioral targeting solution. The service, available through an API (Application Programming Interface), is based on the company‟s predictive personalization technology. targetAPI‟s solution predicts a user's interests in real time through an automated semantic analysis of publicly available information on the web, requiring minimal or no input from the user.
16 June 2009
Armorize Technologies Secures Financing For Worldwide Business Development
Tallinn, Estonia, Santa Clara CA, USA, Taipei Taiwan, 16 June 2009 -- Leading Web application security provider Armorize Technologies has secured Up-Round Series-B financing. High profile investors include European Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), Pacific-Rim focused Birch Venture Capital, and Silicon-Valley based Armorize Series-A investors. The Series-B funds will drive business development, sales and marketing efforts worldwide.
12 June 2009
United Dogs secures 480 000 EUR funding for expansion
Tallinn, Estonia --12 June 2009 -- Makers of Uniteddogs and Unitedcats, the Estonia-based United Dogs and Cats Ltd (UDC), received an investment of 480 000 EUR. The investment was made jointly by 3 parties – the state-owned Estonian Development Fund, Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) - an investment group led by the founding engineers of Skype, and a private entrepreneur with a web background in the Baltic region, Mr Raivo Hein.
05 June 2009
DailyPerfect Launches Predictive News Site
Tallinn, Estonia – June 5, 2009 – DailyPerfect, an incubator project of investment company Ambient Sound Investments, has launched its flagship news service Dailyperfect.com. The service is based on the company’s predictive personalization technology and showcases an innovative behavioral targeting solution that predicts a user's interests through an automated semantic analysis of publicly available information on the web, requiring minimal or no input from the user.05 May 2009
ASI invests in Kublax, the online platform for personal money management
Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) has announced its investment in Kublax, a free and secure online tool for personal money management. Following a successful beta test period, Kublax today announced its official launch backed by additional funding from major online investors, and the appointment of a new CEO, Tom Symonds.
26 February 2009
Research Collaboration Start-up Mendeley Closes Financing Round
London, February 26, 2009 – Mendeley, a developer of a groundbreaking free platform for managing and sharing research papers, today announced it has closed its first financing round led by former Last.fm Executive Chairman Stefan Glänzer, former Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy and Business Development for Warner Music Group, Alejandro (Alex) Zubillaga, and ASI.09 December 2008
Idapted Secures Funding from Gobi Partners, ASI and Leading Angel Investors
Beijing, December 1, 2008 – Idapted Ltd., a leading provider of live on-demand Mandarin and English language training, today announced the closing of its Series A financing with Gobi Partners and Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) leading the round.
01 October 2008
Unique Beauty, Spa and Wellness Website Opened by Wahanda
London, October 1 2008 – October sees the launch of a revolutionary new health, beauty and wellbeing website Wahanda. Until now, there hasn’t been a site where consumers can connect with such a wide range of spas, salons, fitness centres and therapists, discover the latest treatments, be inspired by community ratings and reviews, and find the ultimate pamper experience all on one fresh, clean and easy-to-use website.25 September 2008
ASI Exits Kindo to Become a Shareholder in MyHeritage
Tallinn, Estonia and London, England – September 24, 2008 – Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) reached its first exit deal when MyHeritage, one of the world's most popular family websites, acquired Kindo, an ASI portfolio company that helps users build free family trees. As a result of an all-stock arrangement, ASI is to obtain an undisclosed equity stake in MyHeritage.
03 September 2008
Former Energy Executive Joins ASI as Head of Private Equity Investments
TALLINN, September 3, 2008 – Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) has hired Margus Uudam, the former CEO of the electricity distribution arm of Estonia’s energy utility, to head its private equity investments. In his new position, Uudam will build a strong international investment team that will manage ASI’s investments in the technology sector and other areas.11 August 2008
ASI Backs Handheld Component Maker AirDio with 200,000 Euros
Taiwan, August 11, 2008 – Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), the investment firm established by the former founding engineers of Skype, has invested 200,000 euros in return for a 14 percent stake in AirDio Wireless, a developer of tiny wireless networking components that reduce the size of handhelds such as smartphones and mobile internet devices.22 July 2008
Veteran executive takes helm of Modesat
Tallinn, 22 July 2008 – Peep Põldsamm, an entrepreneur and executive with longstanding experience, has become the new CEO of Modesat, a technology firm exploring new wireless communications technologies. Modesat’s core investor is Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), an investment firm owned by the Estonian co-founders of Skype.11 July 2008
ASI invested in Wahanda, an online wellness ecosystem
ASI has formally announced an investment in UK-based online wellness marketplace, Wahanda.26 June 2008
ASI Invests In Drimki to Revolutionize the Online Property Marketplace
Tallinn, June 26, 2008 – Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) announces its seed investment in Drimki, a Paris-based company with a new online real estate platform targeted at residential real estate consumers and sellers. The amount of the investment is not disclosed.19 May 2008
ASI Invests in Senseg’s New Touch Interface Technology
Helsinki, May 19, 2008 – The investment groups Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) and Seed Fund Vera make an equity investment in Senseg, a Finnish company developing a breakthrough touch interface technology. The sum of the investment remains undisclosed.24 April 2008
Skype and Rate.ee co-founders invest in programmer performance metrics inventors
Tallinn, April 24, 2008 – SourceKibitzer, a start-up that has invented unique metrics and performance indicators for software teams, will receive an investment of 200,000 EUR from Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) and Serenda Estonia.15 April 2008
Pet Owner’s Social Network Secures Additional Funding from ASI
Tallinn, April 16, 2008 – The social networking websites for pet owners Uniteddogs.com and Unitedcats.com receive additional 235,000 USD to expand the reach of the service from the investment group Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), the investment group established by the co-founding engineers of Skype.17 March 2008
ASI Invests in Online Scientific Publisher Versita
Warsaw, March 17, 2008 – The investment group Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) has announced a 400000 Euro investment in an online publisher Versita. The fast growing Polish venture is seeking to become the leading scientific online publisher and electronic publishing technology provider in Central and Eastern Europe.20 February 2008
ASI to invest in Russian E-warehouse Service LogneX
Tallinn, February 20, 2008 – The investment group Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) has acquired shares in a Russian company LogneX that will introduce an online inventory management service MoySklad to small and medium businesses in Russia and other Russian speaking countries.07 February 2008
Kindo Secures Additional Seed Funding From Skype's Founding Engineers
LONDON —February 7, 2008— Kindo today announced funding from Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), adding experience to an already impressive list of seed investors. The Estonian investment company will provide financial and advisory support for the fast-growing family network, and will help to grow Kindo's global footprint.06 February 2008
Flowplay secures funding from Intel Capital, Ambient Sound Investments and leading angel investors
SEATTLE, WA – February 6, 2008 – FlowPlay, Inc., a developer of community oriented casual gaming technology, today announced the closing of its Series A financing with Intel Capital and Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) leading the round. Other investors include Ben Feingold, former president of Worldwide Home Entertainment at Sony Pictures and Michael Schutzler, former SVP of Games at RealNetworks, who will continue in his role as a board member. The financing round, totaling approximately $3.7 million, will be used to complete and launch FlowPlay’s first consumer entertainment property, aggregating popular online casual games in a virtual environment.30 January 2008
ASI invests in clinical research company EGeen
Tallinn, January 30, 2008 – The investment group Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) has acquired a stake in EGeen – a clinical research company that conducts clinical trials of drugs for American and European clients.24 October 2007
Oskando aquires a significant share in software development company Median SD
Tallinn, October 24, 2007 -- Estonia’s leading telematics company Oskando has obtained a significant share of the software development company Median SD Ltd. Oskando is continuing its expansion in the vehicle and equipment management and tracking solutions segment.17 October 2007
Pet owners’ social networking sites funded by Skype Co-Founders
Tallinn, October 18, 2007 – Social networking websites for pet owners Uniteddogs.com and Unitedcats.com receive funding from Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), the investment group established by the co-founding engineers of Skype. Also the launch of four new language versions of both websites is announced.05 June 2007
Blip.tv Closes Second Round of Funding Led by Skype Founders’ VC Fund
New York, NY - June 5, 2007 - Blip.tv, the video sharing site focused on independently produced shows, today announces the closing of its series B financing and its first venture capital investors. The round was led by Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), the venture capital fund established by the four founding engineers of Skype.28 May 2007
Skype co-founders invest in Asian 3D social networking company
HONG KONG May 28, 2007 – Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), established by the four co-founding engineers of internet telephony software company Skype, will acquire a stake as part of a Series A funding round in 3D social networking company Frenzoo, to bring to market an exciting new online experience across the region.10 May 2007
ASI and other investors back GuardTime with 1,35 MUSD
Tallinn, May 10, 2007 – Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), the investment group established by four founding engineers of Skype leads the second investment round to Estonian-based digital stamp service developer GuardTime after establishing the company with experienced Estonian information security experts in October 2006.26 March 2007
Oskando acquires 20% position in Eurosat Group
TALLINN, March 26 2007 – Telematics company Oskando announces its first technology investment, acquiring a 20 percent stake in GPS solutions provider Eurosat Group, an Estonian company with over a hundred business clients.10 January 2007
Celecure Receives 1.6MEUR from four founders of Skype
Tallinn, January 10, 2007 – Investment group Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) has agreed to invest 1.6 million euros in Estonian biotechnology drug developer Celecure to accelerate the international breakthrough of its projects.19 December 2006
ASI Acquires a Stake in E-purchasing System MarkIT
Tallinn, Estonia. December 19, 2006 – Investment Group Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) has agreed to invest 2 million Euros in an Estonian IT company MarkIT to fuel the development of their novel e-purchasing system and expansion to five new Central and Eastern European markets.27 November 2006
Ülle Kivirähk joins Oskando
TALLINN, November 27, 2006 – Starting from next year the former Managing Director of Ordi Ülle Kivirähk will take up the position of CEO at Oskando. Current CEO Indrek Hirvlaan will remain responsible for product development and partnership relations.06 November 2006
ASI Launches Estonian Instrumentation Company to the Global Market
Tallinn, November 7, 2006 – Investment Group Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) invests 1,5 million EEK to take Estonian manufacturer of electronic measurement instruments Evikon MCI to the global market. Evikon MCI develops sensor-based measurement devices and systems with a growing demand in the international market.10 October 2006
ASI invests in developing time stamp technology
Tallinn, October 30, 2006 – Experienced Estonian information security experts Märt Saarepera, Ahto Buldas and Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) established a joint company GuardTime which will develop technology for checking the data and date integrity of digitally archived content.18 July 2006
Lithuanian Telemetry Start-up Attracts Investment, Announces Partnership
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA, July 18, 2006 – Two Estonian investment groups have purchased a majority stake in Connecty, a Lithuanian start-up that provides remote monitoring and control solutions, for an undisclosed sum.23 May 2006
ASI Buys Stake in Modesat Communications
TALLINN, May 23, 2006 – The Ambient Sound Investments group has invested 500,000 euros to buy a third of Modesat Communications, an Estonian developer of radio communications technology. When commercialized, Modesat’s research will help improve the energy efficiency of communications devices while increasing their effective bandwidth and coverage area.10 April 2006
ASI aquires majority stake in Estonian telematics firm
TALLINN, April 10, 2006 – Estonian investment group Ambient Sound Investments has announced its second technology investment, purchasing a 42 percent stake in Oskando, a Tallinn-based telematics solutions provider. Combined with ASI founders’ previous presence in Oskando, the 200,000 euro deal brings ASI’s stake to 57 percent.23 March 2006