Critical Path

Critical Path, Inc. was a provider of messaging and communication solutions for telecommunication companies, mobile operators, ISPs, and enterprises. Founded in 1997 by David C. Hayden and Wayne Copeland de Geere, the company specialized in offering white-label services such as email, web and mobile messaging, social media integration, security, and archiving. Its client base included Fortune 100 companies and various small businesses.

The company's business model focused on providing a comprehensive, integrated platform of messaging services that allowed users to manage email, fax, and voice messages from a single point of access, regardless of the device. This was particularly aimed at the growing wireless market. Critical Path went public with an IPO on March 29, 1999. Over its history, the company made several acquisitions, including Usenet provider Supernews in 1998, and later merged with Mirapoint, an enterprise messaging security company, in 2010. In early 2001, the company faced legal challenges related to accounting irregularities and securities fraud, which led to a management shakeup. Its stock was delisted from Nasdaq in 2005, and the company went private in 2007. Ultimately, Critical Path was acquired by Openwave Messaging on December 4, 2013, as part of a strategy to expand in the secure messaging market.

Keywords: messaging solutions, email hosting, mobile communications, communication software, enterprise messaging, messaging security, unified communications, white-label services, ISP solutions, telecommunications services, social media messaging, data security, cloud solutions, identity management, anti-abuse software, collaboration tools