Boxee runs on the following computer platforms:
The idea for Boxee was born when founding friends Avner, Gidon, Idan, Tom, and Roee, came up with the idea for boxee in 2004 when they began using Xbox Media Center, open source software for the original Xbox that allowed people to play digital media on their TVs. They became members of XBMC’s open source community and in 2007 imagined a way to take the platform even further. Since 2007, Mr. Ronen and a team of 11 others have worked to extend the base code for XBMC with online sources like hulu and Netflix as well as social networking in boxee.
Boxee has received three rounds of funding totaling $26.5M:
Series A – November 17, 2008 - $4M
$2M from Spark Capital, led by Bijan Sabet
$2M from Union Square Ventures led by Fred Wilson
Series B – August 12, 2009 - $6M
$4M from General Catalyst Partners, led by Neil Sequeira
$1M from Spark Capital
$1M from Union Square Ventures
Series C – March 1st, 2011 - $16.5M
Pitango Venture Capital, led by Isaac Hillel
Softbank NY, led by Jordan Levy
General Catalyst Partners
Spark Capital
Union Square Ventures
Named one of Rolling Stone's "Agents of Change" for 2009, prior to boxee Ronen was the Head of Corporate Development and M&A; for Comverse, Inc. a leading provider of software and service to Telecom service providers. Ronen was responsible for acquisitions valued at $450M, which were key to the company's evolution from a Voicemail company to a Billing and VAS provider.
Ronen joined Comverse in 2002 when they acquired Odigo, a company he co-founded in 1998. Odigo was one of the early Instant Messaging services on the web serving over8M users worldwide, and earned Ronen the 2002 honor of being a member of Crain's 40 under 40.
Prior to Odigo Ronen served for 4.5 years in the Israeli Defense Force in the special computer unit, MAMRAM.
As a co-founder of Boxee and VP of Platform, Idan Cohen is responsible for expanding the capabilities of Boxee by developing relationships with content and service partners. Cohen spent his first three years at Boxee as Head of Product, where he crafted each aspect of the software's critically acclaimed user experience. His goal, in line with Boxee's own philosophy, is to bring the creativity of the web to the TV screen.
Prior to Boxee, Cohen pioneered the Innovation Lab at Comverse, establishing the company as a leader in telecom software and services. This unique initiative helped the company innovate across multiple business segments through experimentation with cutting edge telecom and Internet technology.
Cohen has always been a craftsman at heart. As a child, he was devoted to modeling airplanes, and later as an adult, he flew his own plane at the Red Bull Flugtag (granted, it didn't go very far). Today, you can find him snapping pictures with his small army of vintage and modern cameras, or in the kitchen masterfully preparing his own signature dishes.
Andrew Kippen was previously a marketing strategist at Stage Two Consulting where he crafted go-to market strategies for consumer tech startups and taught larger companies how to approach online influencers and social media.
Prior to that Kippen worked in the Economic Office of the French Embassy, helping French companies understand and approach the US technology marketplace with innovative messaging and positioning strategies. He also organized and emceed Tech Connection, a networking event for the tech community.
After obtaining his degree he quickly launched into Public Relations with Spaeth Communications, where he specialized in coaching large corporate and government clients like FedEx and the US Department of Education in media relations.
Andrew was born in Dallas, Texas, raised by Scottish parents, and educated by Hungarian clergy. He holds a degree in International Communications from Franklin College in Switzerland.
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