Startup profile · funding coverage
Skype funding, valuation and investors
Internet voice and video communications platform.
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Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Not publicly disclosed
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
Not publicly disclosed
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
acquired
acquired · Luxembourg / Redmond, Washington (Microsoft)
Overview
Skype pioneered consumer internet voice and video calling over P2P infrastructure, reaching hundreds of millions of users globally. In September 2009, a consortium including Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, and Index Ventures acquired Skype from eBay for approximately $2.75B. Microsoft acquired Skype in May 2011 for $8.5B, integrating it into Office and Windows ecosystems.
Why Skype is interesting
a16z joined Silver Lake-led 2009 take-private before Microsoft's $8.5B acquisition — landmark comms exit.
Product & use cases
Skype provided free and low-cost voice/video calls, messaging, and international dialing over the internet — predating Zoom and WhatsApp video ubiquity.
- International voice and video calls
- Consumer messaging
- Small business conferencing (pre-Zoom era)
- Microsoft Teams integration (post-acquisition)
Key facts
- Microsoft acquisition (May 2011): $8.5B
- Consortium buyout (Sep 2009): $2.75B incl. a16z and Index
- Pioneer of consumer internet VoIP
- Integrated into Microsoft Teams ecosystem over time
Funding history (newest first)
Acquisition
2011-05 $8.5B- Microsoft (lead)
Source: https://news.microsoft.com/2011/05/10/microsoft-to-acquire-skype/
Buyout
2009-09 $2.75B- Silver Lake (lead)
- Andreessen Horowitz (participant)
- Index Ventures (participant)
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from Skype's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: First global-scale consumer VoIP brand with massive installed base at 2009 take-private.
Skype's P2P calling was revolutionary in the 2000s but lost to mobile-first apps and Zoom's enterprise focus. a16z's 2009 consortium buy was classic take-private arbitrage before Microsoft strategic acquisition.
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Zoom direct
Won enterprise video during COVID; Skype declined in relevance.
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WhatsApp / FaceTime direct
Mobile-native free calling displaced Skype consumer use.
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Microsoft Teams adjacent
Microsoft's preferred enterprise comms; Skype subsumed.
Notable stories
- a16z's Skype consortium buy in 2009 was an early landmark deal for the firm — take-private of a household-name consumer internet asset.
- Microsoft's $8.5B purchase looked expensive at the time but secured comms footprint before Zoom existed.
Industries
Related funding articles
Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Skype's financing or category context.
FAQs about Skype
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
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