Kik Joins Forces with Social Communication Platform Rounds to Strengthen Live Group Video Chat

WATERLOO, Ontario, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kik Interactive, the creator of popular chat platform Kik, today announced it will unite with Rounds, the Israel-based communications platform, to boost Kik's expression and group video features, which launched in December 2016. The addition of Rounds expands Kik's international presence and will mark the opening of the company's first two product and engineering centers outside of Waterloo in Tel Aviv and Toronto.

"Video is the natural evolution of chat and an integral part of expression and hanging out in real life. We saw Kik as the perfect partner to expand our reach to such a vast audience" said Dany Fishel, cofounder and CEO of Rounds. "It's rare when two companies share a similar culture and vision of connecting people through fun, meaningful experiences, and we're eager to build the next great platform together."  

"The team at Rounds knows how to build products that make chat fun and entertaining for our teen audience," said Ted Livingston, founder and CEO of Kik. "The company has very strong product and engineering experience, and we're excited to join forces to achieve our goal of making chat the central hub for everyday life."

Founded in 2009 by Dany Fishel and Ilan Leibovich, Rounds merges communication and entertainment together into a fun interactive video chat experience by enabling up to 12 friends to simultaneously video chat while experiencing activities together such as watching videos, playing games, sharing photos, and more. Rounds boasts more than 40 million users worldwide and has raised a total of $24 million in funding from leading investors, including Sequoia Capital, Samsung Ventures, Rhodium, Verizon Ventures, and DFJ's Tim Draper. 

All of Rounds employees will join Kik, bringing Kik's total headcount to 165. Kik's product and engineering center in Toronto will focus on chatbot platform development and will be based out of the MaRS Centre. Both offices are planning to hire in the coming months. For more information, please go to: https://www.kik.com/careers.

About Rounds
Rounds offers instant group video chat on mobile. It's a live communication platform that makes it easier, faster and more fun to connect to friends and family. Using Rounds, friends can get together and send text messages, video chat with up to 12 participants and engage in activities while chatting - to watch videos, play games, share photos and much more. Rounds operates across networks, operating systems and devices. To date, Rounds has raised a total of $24 million in funding from industry leading investors, including Sequoia Capital, Samsung Ventures, Rhodium, Verizon Ventures, DFJ's Tim Draper, and other private investors. Learn more about Rounds at http://www.rounds.com

About Kik
Kik Interactive, Inc., connects the world through chat. The company is the maker of Kik, a chat platform with more than 300 million registered users where people can chat with friends and connect with chat-based services. Founded in 2009, Kik Interactive, Inc. is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. For more information, please visit kik.com.

SOURCE Kik Interactive, Inc.

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