Metreos

Metreos was a software company headquartered in Austin, Texas, focused on development and runtime technology for voice-over-IP applications. Its products were intended to help organizations and developers create software that used Internet Protocol networks for voice communications, placing the company in the enterprise communications and communications-software segment rather than in the consumer telephony market. The company was founded by Louis Marascio and Mark Richards. Publicly available reference material does not establish the precise founding year, the full corporate history, or a detailed product catalog, but it records that Metreos pursued a venture-backed development model. It completed a $550,000 seed financing round in March 2003 from Startech Early Ventures, structured as convertible debt. In October 2004, it completed a $3.8 million Series A equity financing led by Hunt Ventures and Gefinor Ventures. These financings provided capital for the development and commercialization of its VoIP application-development and runtime tools. Metreos operated at a time when enterprises and technology vendors were moving from traditional circuit-switched telephony toward IP-based communications. Its business proposition was to make voice applications more programmable by supplying software tools and execution technology, allowing voice capabilities to be incorporated into broader business or communications systems. The available source material does not provide enough information to identify individual product names, pricing, customer industries, geographic sales coverage, or revenue figures, so those aspects should not be inferred. Cisco Systems announced on June 8, 2006 that it had agreed to acquire Metreos for $28 million in cash. The acquisition was completed on June 30, 2006. Following completion, Metreos ceased to operate as an independent company and became part of Cisco's communications-software activities. The transaction explains the company's present defunct status as a standalone brand. No reliable source in the supplied material establishes whether the Metreos name or specific products continued under Cisco branding after the acquisition.

Metreos was an Austin, Texas software company founded by Louis Marascio and Mark Richards. It specialized in development and runtime tools for voice-over-IP applications. Rather than operating primarily as a telephone-service provider or consumer hardware brand, Metreos supplied software intended to support the construction and execution of applications that used IP networks for voice communications. The company developed during the early expansion of enterprise VoIP, when businesses and communications vendors were looking for ways to integrate telephony with software systems and network applications. The available historical record does not identify a precise founding date or enumerate the company's complete product portfolio. It does, however, show that Metreos obtained venture financing in two documented stages. In March 2003, Startech Early Ventures provided $550,000 in seed funding through convertible debt. In October 2004, Metreos raised $3.8 million in a Series A equity round led by Hunt Ventures and Gefinor Ventures. The financing supported Metreos' work on tools for developing and running VoIP software applications. Public sources supplied for this entry do not provide enough detail to determine the names of individual products, the size of the employee base, customer count, revenues, or the company's international distribution. Accordingly, the historical description is limited to the documented technology focus and financing events. On June 8, 2006, Cisco Systems announced an agreement to acquire Metreos for $28 million in cash. Cisco completed the acquisition on June 30, 2006. The transaction brought Metreos into Cisco and ended its independent corporate operation. The available reference does not specify the precise organizational destination of the technology, the treatment of the Metreos brand after closing, or whether particular products were renamed or discontinued. Metreos is therefore best described as a defunct standalone software company whose business and technology were acquired by Cisco.

1. 2006Cisco announces acquisition

   Cisco Systems announced an agreement to acquire Metreos for $28 million in cash on June 8.

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2. 2006Acquisition completed

   Cisco completed the acquisition on June 30, ending Metreos' independent corporate existence.

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3. 2004Series A financing completed

   Metreos raised $3.8 million in Series A equity financing led by Hunt Ventures and Gefinor Ventures.

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4. 2003Seed financing completed

   Metreos completed a $550,000 seed round from Startech Early Ventures using convertible debt.

   Source

Developer and enterprise software for creating and executing programmable voice-over-IP applications.

• Metreos VoIP application development toolsCommunications software

  Metreos created software development tools for building voice-over-IP applications. The supplied references describe this product area at a category level but do not identify specific product names, editions, supported platforms, or technical features.

• Metreos VoIP runtime toolsCommunications software

  The company also developed runtime tools used to execute voice-over-IP software applications. Available sources do not provide a separate commercial product name or detailed documentation, so this entry represents the documented product category rather than a named offering.

• 2006Metreos agrees to be acquired by CiscoM&A

  Metreos was a venture-backed software company focused on VoIP application development and runtime technology. Cisco Systems announced an acquisition to obtain the company and its communications-software capabilities.

  What changed. Cisco announced on June 8, 2006 that it would acquire Metreos for $28 million in cash. The transaction closed on June 30, 2006.

  Aftermath. Metreos ceased to operate as an independent company and became part of Cisco. The supplied sources do not establish the subsequent branding or product-integration arrangements.

  Acquisition consideration. $28 million in cash (Announced June 8, 2006; completed June 30, 2006)

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• 2006Cisco announces acquisition of Metreos

  Cisco Systems announced that it would acquire Metreos for $28 million in cash.

  M&A
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• 2006Cisco completes acquisition of Metreos

  Cisco completed its acquisition of Metreos on June 30, 2006, ending Metreos' existence as an independent company.

  M&A
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• 2004Metreos closes Series A financing

  The company completed a $3.8 million Series A equity financing led by Hunt Ventures and Gefinor Ventures.

  Other
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• 2003Metreos completes seed financing

  Metreos completed a $550,000 seed financing round from Startech Early Ventures in the form of convertible debt.

  Other
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1. Metreos