Houseparty

Houseparty was a social networking service that enabled group video chatting through mobile and desktop apps. Users received a notification when friends are online and available to group video chat. On average, users spent more than 60 minutes per conversation on the app in group or one-on-one chats. It was launched by Life on Air, Inc. in 2016 and was available on iOS, Android mobile devices, macOS and Google Chrome. Sima Sistani is the company's chief executive officer and co-founder. Epic Games announced the decision to discontinue Houseparty on September 9, 2021 and removed it from the app stores on the same day. It continued to function for users who had already downloaded it until October 2021. Development In early 2015, Life On Air, Inc., a team headed by founder and CEO Ben Rubin, released the live streaming app Meerkat and raised $12 million in venture capital funding from Greylock Partners. Following the release, the creators began developing a new app called Houseparty that moved "away from public broadcasts in favor of private chats." Houseparty was released to the App Store and Play Store in February 2016 under a pseudonym. It was developed over 10 months with a website redirecting to the Houseparty app in October 2016. The company raised $52 million in venture capital funding from Sequoia Capital in late 2016. It was available on macOS as of 2018. Acquisition and expansion Co-founder Sistani was announced as the company's chief executive officer in March 2019 and led the acquisition of Houseparty by Epic Games later that year. Life on Air, Inc. became a subsidiary of Epic Games and the monetary terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Sistani noted that Houseparty was being used by Fortnite players, so "the partnership made a lot of sense."