RipCode

About RipCode

Founded in 2005 by serial entrepreneur Brendon Mills, RipCode, Inc. carved a niche in the burgeoning IP video market by addressing the complexities of multi-platform video delivery. Mills, who previously founded GENBAND and held positions at Cisco Systems, brought significant technological and entrepreneurial experience to the venture, holding 12 U.S. technology patents. The Dallas-based company positioned itself as a provider of critical infrastructure for the internet and mobile video sectors.

RipCode developed and marketed specialized hardware appliances and software focused on real-time video transcoding. Its core business revolved around enabling video content providers and network operators to dynamically convert live and on-demand video streams to fit any screen size or device, from televisions to PCs and mobile phones. This on-the-fly transcoding capability was a key differentiator, as it eliminated the need for clients to pre-encode and store numerous versions of their entire video libraries, leading to significant reductions in server hardware requirements, storage space, and energy consumption. The company's client roster included notable names such as MySpace Mobile and Thomson Reuters, and it also secured U.S. defense contracts through partnerships.

Garnering substantial venture capital interest, RipCode secured approximately $34.5 million in funding across several rounds from investors like Granite Ventures, El Dorado Ventures, and ATA Ventures. This capital fueled the expansion of its product development and market presence. The company's trajectory culminated in a strategic, all-stock acquisition by RGB Networks in June 2010. The acquisition was part of RGB's 'three-screen' strategy to create a unified platform for delivering video to TVs, PCs, and mobile devices, with RipCode's mobile video technology being a crucial component. Following the acquisition, RipCode's technology was integrated into RGB's Video Multiprocessing Gateway, and its legacy lived on when RGB later launched an open-source transcoder initiative named 'Ripcode Transcoder' in its honor.