Web 2.0 Startups

Teleconferencing 2.0

sMeet

Berlin

Founded: 2006
Sector: Communications, Social Networking
Co-CEOs: Burckhardt Bonello and Marc Fleischmann

Video phones never really took off because, after all, who wants to be seen before they've had their morning cup of coffee or shave? sMeet ensures that users always put their best face forward by using digital stand-ins, or avatars, instead of real video images. Users enter the sMeet 3D communication space via phone or VoIP and a Web browser. They appear as avatars, which can be created from a photograph, and can talk and socialize by simply walking around and meeting up with others, just like in real life. The service, which requires no downloads or special hardware, not only heralds a whole new way of teleconferencing but also introduces other applications, such as virtual trade fairs and new types of social networking communities. The company, which has already opened offices in Berlin, Foster City, Calif., and Izhevsk in the Russian Urals, plans to target Europe and the U.S. over the next 15 months.