MessageMe

About MessageMe

MessageMe operated in the crowded mobile messaging market as a cross-platform application for iOS and Android, founded in 2012 by Arjun Sethi, Alexander Chee, Justin Rosenthal, and Vivek Tatineni. Sethi, a serial entrepreneur with a background in social gaming as the CEO of Lolapps, brought experience in creating engaging user loops, a philosophy he aimed to apply to messaging. His parents were involved in the Silicon Valley startup industry, and he learned to code at a young age.

The company positioned itself as a richer, more expressive alternative to standard SMS. Its platform allowed users to send not only text but also photos, videos, voice messages, doodles, music, and location pins. Unique features for its time included a walkie-talkie function for quick voice messages and the ability to share YouTube videos directly in chats. Monetization was based on the in-app purchase of digital sticker packs, a model popular in Asian markets. MessageMe targeted general mobile users, aiming to replace native texting apps by providing a more engaging and feature-rich experience.

The startup launched in March 2013 and demonstrated rapid early growth, attracting one million users within 10 days and reaching five million users in just 75 days. This initial traction secured significant venture capital, including a $1.9 million seed round and a subsequent $10 million Series A from investors like Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and Greylock Partners. However, the company faced challenges, including having its access to Facebook's "Find Friends" feature revoked, which cited a policy against replicating core functionalities. Despite its promising start, the app's growth eventually slowed. In October 2014, Yahoo acquired MessageMe in a talent acquisition deal reported to be in the range of $30 to $40 million. Both Snapchat and Truecaller had also shown interest in an acquisition. Following the deal, the MessageMe app was shut down on November 7, 2014, and the team was integrated into Yahoo to develop new mobile communication products, later launching Yahoo Livetext.