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Mobile live video streaming service Qik announced that Netscape veterans Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz have made a significant investment in the company. As a result, the experienced pair is also joining Qik’s Board of Advisors.
Currently co-founder and chairman of social networking platform Ning, Andreessen invests in several Internet startups and serves on the board of directors for Facebook and for Open Media Network. Best known as co-author of Mosaic, the first widely-used web browser, and co-founder of Netscape Communications, Andreessen’s experience also includes his work as CTO of AOL, as well as chairman and co-founder of Web infrastructure company Loudcloud, later named Opsware and acquired by Hewlett-Packard.
A veteran of Netscape, Opsware and AOL, Ben Horowitz co-founded Loudcloud with Andreessen in 1999 and served as CEO of the company before it was acquired in 2007. He currently serves as vice president and general manager of Hewlett-Packard’s Business Technology Organization Unit.
Commenting on the announcement, Qik’s CEO Ramu Sunkara said: “We are thrilled to have Marc and Ben involved in Qik, both as investors and advisors… It is great to have them both on board to help us grow Qik and guide us on how we can change the way people communicate and share live experiences around the world.”
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
