Meraki
Division | |
Fate | Acquired by Cisco Systems |
Founded | 2006 |
Founder | Sanjit Biswas, John Bicket, Hans Robertson |
Parent | Cisco Systems |
Meraki was a company that provided products for large-scale, distributed wired and wireless networks. The company was started by two MIT PhD students, Sanjit Biswas and John Bicket, along with Hans Robertson. The company was based in part on the MIT Roofnet project and became part of Cisco Systems in December 2012.[1][2]
History
Meraki was funded by Google and Sequoia Capital. The organization started in Mountain View, California in 2006, and was then located in San Francisco. Meraki employed people who worked on the MIT roofnet project.[3][4][5][6]
In 2007, Meraki selected San Francisco for their community-based Free the Net campaign. They started putting gateway devices in the Lower Haight neighborhood to provide Internet access and giving away repeaters. In the first year of the project, growth of the network was primarily into the Mission District. By October 2007, they estimated 20,000 distinct users (ever connected) and about 5 terabytes of data transferred in this network.[7][8][9][10][11] In July 2008, Meraki said 100,000 people in San Francisco used its 'Free the Net' service.[12] Since then, Meraki discontinued this public service, though many access points remain active, but with no connection to the Internet.
In May 2010 an agreement was announced with UK-based Cloud Distribution.[13] On November 18, 2012 Cisco Systems announced it agreed to acquire Meraki for an estimated $1.2 billion.[2][14]
See also
References
- ↑ "About Meraki". Web site. Cisco Systems. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- 1 2 "Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire Meraki". Press release. November 18, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- ↑ Official website
- ↑ Sequoiacap.com: list of funded companies
- ↑ Meraki Cooks Up Wireless Mesh Router August 2, 2006
- ↑ Theregister.com: Google-funded startup to offer free Wi-Fi in San Francisco August 15, 2007
- ↑ Meraki to Build Free Community WiFi Network via San Francisco March 4, 2007
- ↑ Free the Net (San Francisco wireless community)
- ↑ Free the Net - San Francisco Forum
- ↑ Sharing the Internet with the World 2007
- ↑ Startup promises free wireless web in SF AP, January 4, 2008
- ↑ Meraki to Build Free Community WiFi Network via San Francisco July 2, 2008
- ↑ "Meraki Expands International Presence By Partnering With UK-Based Cloud Distribution". Press release (Meraki). May 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- ↑ Michael J. De La Merced (November 18, 2012). "Cisco to Buy Meraki for $1.2 Billion". New York Times Dealbook.