eBuddy

About eBuddy

eBuddy was a Dutch software company that provided web and mobile-based instant messaging services. The company's origin traces back to a bet, where founder Paulo Taylor set out to develop MSN Messenger for a mobile phone. After successfully creating the application, he launched it as EverywhereMSN.com on September 9, 2003, alongside partners Jan-Joost Rueb and Onno Bakker. The service was rebranded from e-Messenger to eBuddy on June 1, 2006.

The company's core product, eBuddy Chat, allowed users to connect to various messaging platforms—including Facebook Chat, MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, and AOL—through a single, aggregated interface. This service was accessible via a web browser and dedicated applications for iOS, Android, and J2ME devices. Capitalizing on the shift to mobile, eBuddy launched XMS in March 2011, a free, cross-platform messaging app for smartphones that offered unlimited messaging over an internet connection. At its peak, eBuddy processed over 17 billion messages per month from more than 30 million unique monthly users. The business model was supported by advertising, with the web version displaying 1.5 billion banner ads monthly.

eBuddy secured over $33 million in venture capital funding from investors like Prime Technology Ventures and Lowland Capital Partners. The company's journey included a minority stake acquisition by Japanese gaming company GREE in 2012, which was short-lived as GREE exited the European market the following year. In December 2013, eBuddy was acquired by Booking.com in an "acqui-hire" deal, with the team being integrated into the travel platform's operations. Following the acquisition, development on the eBuddy Chat client was discontinued due to the general decline of traditional instant messaging networks. The original founders, Onno Bakker and Jan-Joost Rueb, later repurchased the company's assets and intellectual property.