AlterEgo Networks

About AlterEgo Networks

AlterEgo Networks, founded in 1999 by Richard Ling and Mike Santer, operated as a nationwide distributed content delivery network from its headquarters in Redwood City, California. The company positioned itself as a provider of wireless infrastructure focused on accelerating internet content and simplifying the delivery of web content and enterprise applications. Its services were designed to address content adaptation and delivery for a range of clients, including B2C, B2B, and wireless carriers. The firm's business model centered on providing a network to speed up and manage the flow of digital information for these various business clients.

The company's founding team included Richard Ling, who served as Co-Founder, CEO, and President, and Mike Santer, who held the roles of Co-Founder and Chairman. Ling had previous entrepreneurial experience, having founded three other companies: MetaLINCS, Mpact, and Rembrandt Partners. AlterEgo Networks successfully secured a total of $35.1 million in funding across two rounds. The first round occurred on May 10, 2000, followed by a Series B round on September 19, 2000, which raised $27.8 million. This later funding round saw participation from five investors, including notable names like Granite Ventures, Canaan, Cisco Investments, and Mayfield.

Despite its early funding success and its role in the content delivery space, AlterEgo Networks is now considered a deadpooled company. During its operational years, it existed in a competitive landscape with major players like CloudFlare, Akamai, and Limelight. While the company is no longer active, one of its legal entities, ALTER EGO, INC. DBA UNION STREET BISTRO, was still listed as active with an employee count of 23 as of the end of 2022.