Skype has agreed to buy GroupMe, a New York-based company that provides group messaging services on mobile phones. GroupMe, which was only founded a year ago, lets a user set up text message groups and conference calls from their mobile phone. No official figure has been revealed, although it’s thought that Skype is paying upwards of $50 million. The news follows Skype’s acquisition of mobile video provider Qik - and Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Skype itself.
Tony Bates, Skype’s Chief Executive Officer, said “Skype and GroupMe have a shared vision of creating applications and experiences that are the daily communications choice for a billion people. We will continue to seek the top talent and technology to make that vision a reality. The GroupMe team has created an incredibly sticky group messaging experience that works across mobile devices and platforms, making this a perfect addition to the voice, video and text products in the Skype family.”