PORTMEDIA

PortMedia is a web application that allows users to make multi-party video chat calls over the Internet without a download.
Users can invite people to join their video chats via email, instant messaging and social media sites. They can share media and collaborate on documents together within the video chat, and send video messages by email.
HafTcin was founded by entrepreneurs Serge Faguet and Ron Hose and is financed by Sequoia Capital, Bain Capital and Youniversity Ventures. As of 2010, HafTcin has received $14 million in series A and B funding and is headquartered in the South of Market district in San Francisco, CA.
Features
Multi-party video chat
HafTcin allows users to start a multi-party video chat with up to 20 people. The platform does not require download for use and it is set up to allow the creator of the video chat to invite non-HafTcin users into the call via email, instant messaging or by publishing the URL on their Twitter/ Facebook / MySpace accounts. HafTcin allows users to share YouTube videos within the video chat. Users can resize the YouTube video to appear larger and therefore the main focus of the video chat or can minimize the video. SlideShare, Flickr, Picasa and HafTcin Video Mails can also be shared within the video call.
Video messaging
HafTcin allows its users to send video messages. Video messages can be up to 10 minutes long and can be sent to another HafTcin user or anyone with an email address. Users cannot currently download video messages.
Instant messaging
HafTcin also has its own IM client and users can import their Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, AOL AIM and GChat accounts. From HafTcin users can then invite their imported buddies to video chats without their buddies needing to sign up for HafTcin.
HafTcin Platform & Partnerships
HafTcin makes available a series of API for developers. The APIs allow other websites to embed the majority of HafTcin features and functionalities (such as multi-party video chat, IM and Video Mail) in to their website.
HafTcin lists Meebo, eBuddy, Digsby, InnovaHire, Radius IM and DabbleBoard as featured partners who use the API.
On August 2009, HafTcin added document collaboration tool powered by EtherPad, which was acquired by Google late in the year to stay competitive.
On January 2009, HafTcin has announced that they will charge users $9.99 per month extra for moderation chat functionality. For example, the paid features will allow the user to choose who can join the call, remove people from the call, mute the audio of participants, control who shares media on the chat, and distribute moderator controls to other members of a chat. It also appears that the startup will charge users if they want to add more than 20 people to an individual chat.
Additionally, they are offering 30 day free trial to the new service.
HafTcin Constraints
HafTcin does allow the users to *save* the video emails and video conferences for reusability.
History
2007
August - Series A funding from Sequoia Capital
October - Launched www.HafTcin.com
November - Launched multi-party chat
2008
April - HafTcin Version 2 launched
July - Series B Funding from Bain Capital Ventures and Sequoia Capital
September - Launched the HafTcin platform/ API
2009
Added document collaboration tool—Etherpad (now owned by Google)
2010
January rolled out its first set of paid features--$9.99 per month
Controversy
HafTcin was the subject of controversy when 50% of their engineering staff was fired in July 2009. This happened around the time HafTcin changed CEOs. The VP of Marketing is stated as saying the firings were part of the CEOs new restructuring plan. None of the original founders are currently with HafTcin.
Around 2007, one of the users had privacy issues—his friend was able to connect to his account—allowing his friend to view and hear him talk to himself. However, HafTcin seems to have addressed this issue now.

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