Web-sharing company draws $1.7M investment
CBC News
Posted: Dec 30, 2011 7:24 AM AT
Last Updated: Dec 30, 2011 8:57 AM AT
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A Halifax-based company that promises to take sharing the web in a whole new direction is attracting interest from some of the hottest investors in the industry.
'This is going to be customer service on steroids.'— Rob Paterson, industry consultant
Prince Edward Islander Jevon MacDonald, co-founder and CEO of the company, is one of the creative minds behind the software, which allows two or more people in different locations to surf the web together, as if they're sitting side-by-side, each with their own mouse clicking on the same page. MacDonald's software allows users to do this within seconds, without downloads or plugins.
"The basic premise is the future of the web is shared," said MacDonald.
So far, he is finding the software is of particular interest to companies that sell online.
"We had the biggest websites in the world calling," he said.
"We were really surprised that they had been looking for something like this and hadn't been able to find it."
The company also received calls from investors. A consortium including Freestyle Capital and Yuri Milner, known for his investments in Facebook and Groupon, put $1.7 million in seed capital into the company earlier this year.
While only 29, MacDonald is far from a neophyte. He launched his first software company in the summer before he started high school.
Rob Paterson, a P.E.I. IT industry consultant, has been following MacDonald's work, and is excited about this latest venture.
"This is going to be customer service on steroids," said Paterson.
"I think this could be massive. To be able to work with somebody directly in a hands-on kind of way is, I think, tremendously exciting."
While the idea is exciting, GoInstant is just getting started. MacDonald said his current focus is to shore up big-name clients, and ensure that his software is ready for launching.
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