Nextpeer
Cutting-edge social layer for mobile game developers.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
* | $9.0m Valuation: $9.0m | Acquisition | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Nextpeer was a Tel Aviv-based company that provided a software development kit (SDK) for mobile game developers. Founded in 2011 by Shai Magzimof, Daniel Shir, and Itamar Mula, the firm focused on integrating multiplayer and social functionalities into mobile games. The founders' journey began with a previous venture, Innobell, a platform for in-call interactions that was rejected by the App Store, leading them to pivot to what became Nextpeer. Magzimof, a serial entrepreneur, later founded Phantom Auto, a teleoperation safety solution for autonomous vehicles.
The company's core business revolved around its SDK, which allowed developers to add features like real-time multiplayer capabilities, leaderboards, and social feeds to their iOS and Android games. This platform was designed to boost player engagement and retention for its clients, who were mobile game developers. Nextpeer operated on a freemium model, offering a basic version of its SDK for free with premium features available through subscription plans. This business model targeted the rapidly growing mobile gaming market by providing a straightforward tool for developers to enhance the social and competitive aspects of their products.
The company secured $2 million in a seed funding round on May 27, 2013, with investors including OurCrowd, Eniac Ventures, and Wolfpack Ventures. This investment supported the expansion of its platform and user base. By 2015, Nextpeer had established a significant presence in the mobile gaming ecosystem, which attracted the attention of larger tech companies. In July 2015, the messaging and VoIP company Viber acquired Nextpeer for a reported $9 million. The acquisition was part of Viber's strategy to expand its developer-facing tools and integrate more gaming features into its communication platform. Following the acquisition, Nextpeer was integrated into Viber's operations.
Keywords: mobile gaming SDK, multiplayer platform, social gaming, game developer tools, player engagement, player retention, Tel Aviv startup, Shai Magzimof, Daniel Shir, Itamar Mula, Viber acquisition, gaming middleware, cross-platform gaming, mobile game monetization, real-time gaming, freemium SDK, OurCrowd, Eniac Ventures, Phantom Auto, Innobell