Indian IM service Hike today said it has acquired US-based voice-calling company Zip Phone for an undisclosed amount. This is Hike’s first major acquisition and is aimed at expanding its product range in the Internet-based communication, the company said in a statement.
The acquisition will put Hike in direct competition with Facebook- owned Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as other messaging-and- calling apps such as Line, WeChat, Viber and Skype. Zip Phone, a one-man startup founded by Anuj Jain in the US, is a voice-calling app that works globally.
“From day one we’ve strongly believed that through communication, we can bring India online. With the acquisition we take one more step towards that mission. Zip Phone’s technology will allow us to bring free voice calling to the market much faster,” Hike Messenger founder and CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal said.
This is one of the top requested features from users as well, he added adding that “we can’t wait to launch this”.
“As a start-up enthusiast, I had been keeping a close eye on Hike and its developments and I am excited to now be a part of one of the biggest and fastest growing startups in the Indian Internet space and finally, building for India,” Jain said.
Launched in December 2012, Hike has over 35 million users and has raised USD 86 million from Tiger Global and BSB till date.
