Digital Fountain

In 1998, at the dawn of the digital media boom, two founders, Jay Goldin and Michael Luby, started a company called Digital Fountain. Their venture was built on a core technological insight into how data could be more reliably distributed over networks. The company developed software focused on broadcast and data transport, aiming to solve the challenges of delivering large media files across the internet. This technology, a form of 'fountain codes,' was designed to ensure that even with packet loss on a network, the original data could be perfectly reconstructed. The company attracted notable investors, including Adobe Ventures, Cisco Investments, and Matrix, raising over $57 million in funding to build out its technology. Its software, particularly a product named "DF Raptor," allowed companies to send digital media over various types of connections. This technology found early applications with national defense agencies before expanding into the mobile, online, and IPTV sectors. A significant chapter in Digital Fountain's journey came in early 2009. On February 20th, the wireless technology giant Qualcomm acquired the company. The acquisition was primarily for Digital Fountain's technology and engineering talent. Qualcomm retained a core team of engineers, including co-founder and CTO Michael Luby, to continue supporting the technology and its existing customers. This event marked the culmination of Digital Fountain's decade-long journey to pioneer more efficient and reliable data transmission.