AlterStudios + i-GloO = TexoMobile Let’s build a mobile 2.0 world!

Texo means in Latin « to connect, to build, to weave». Connecting is the very essence of the mobile device. Weaving together mobile content, mobile payment systems and user generated content we create communities that are the mobile equivalent of the Web 2.0.

TexoMobile brings together the essence of our strengths in mobile content, delivery, payment and communities. Our DNA is mobile.

The new entity will focus on three channels :

- Medias : by offer contextual content with delivery and payment solutions
- Off portal : by integrating our existing modules (dating, blogs, videos) and putting them on a more robust mobile platform, and expanding our worldwide presence
- MNOs/MVNOs : in publishing branded communities and browsing content


« Today the mobile internet is becoming an integral part of everyone’s lives. Our merging allows us to create synergies that give us greater reach both technologically as well as geographically» says Vianney SETTINI founder of BeMob’s and Guillaume ALABERT, founder of AlterStudios.

The first step in this new endeavor is to launch a worldwide independent mobile portal. «Thanks to our success in Europe and particularly in France our next step will be to take i-GloO into the English speaking world. To that end we are looking for a Venture Capital firm who is interested in funding our expansion.» declared Shaun Zelber, CEO and founder of AlterStudios.

The new entity will be jointly managed by the three founders Shaun ZELBER, Vianney SETTINI and Guillaume ALABERT.

AlterStudios

AlterStudios was founded in early 2005 by Shaun Zelber and Guillaume Alabert, both former members of Apocope an early entrant in the mobile internet in France. AlterStudios was launched with an open ended vision to aggregate mobile content, publish that content via self branded channels and in white label form.

The initial objective was to launch official sites on MNO portals and kiosks. At that time it was noticed that media companies often didn’t have compelling mobile content or didn’t comprehend the monetization methods needed to sell content contextually. This then became the second project : to aggregate content and deliver a turn key solution for media partners.

One and half years later, 6 employees and 14 MNOs and counting and covering over 30% of the French print media AlterStudios felt that they were ready to look at a strategic partner.

http://www.alterstudios.com

BeMob’s
i-GloO was created end 2003 by Vianney Settini then completing his software engineering degree in the South of France. i-GloO was initially a search engine and a directory of independent mobile sites. Rapidly it became the reference for the off-deck i-mode™ mobile community in France and in time in other European countries.

A natural evolution was to add services to the search and directory which he did by adding first a dating service. Today that service as over 40k users and has become the most used pure play mobile dating service in Europe and the largest independent service of it’s kind outside of Japan and Korea.

The next service to be added was i-GloO Blog in late 2004. The blog can be updated directly from the mobile or the web with text, photo, video and podcasting. Today this service has 8K blogs and 150K mobile accessed pages view per day.

Next was i-GloO Videos. This service allows users to upload and download videos, free of charge, from their mobile and to their mobile. The newest innovation is My i-GloO. This is a totally customizable mobile homepage. Users can add which information they wish to see from their start page much like the web service Netvibes.

Last years i-GloO has signed a partnership with Screentonic (French mobile advertising player which just raised 5 million €) to sell mobile adverting on their services.