Vive (software)
{{Infobox software
| name =Vive
| logo = ViveCompanyLogo.png
| logo size = 180px
| logo caption = Vive logo
| author = Tripod Technology GmbH
| released = June 2014
| latest release version = 3.0.4
| operating system = iOS 7 or later
| platform = iOS
| language = {{hlist | English | French | German | Italian | Japanese | Portuguese | Russian | Spanish}}
| genre = {{hlist | Social networking | video chat}}
| website = {{URL|vive.me}}
| discontinued = yes
}}
Vive is a members-only mobile video chat community. The company has offices in San Francisco, Berlin and Hannover.{{cite news|last1=O'Hear|first1=Steve|title=Vive, The Mobile App That Lets You Video Chat With Strangers, Raises $1.5M|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/10/08/vive/|publisher=TechCrunch|access-date=24 November 2014}} It is free to use.
History
Vive was founded in Hannover by Arnd Aschentrup, Matthias Kleinmann and Tobias Dickmeis.{{cite news|last1=Skrabania|first1=Lydia|title=Bekannte Business Angels investieren in Video-Chat-Community Vive|url=http://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/vive|publisher=Gründerszene|access-date=24 November 2014}} All three had been involved in similar, formative projects prior to the creation of the app. Aschentrup worked with a number of companies in Germany's tech scene, co-founding Cyoshi Mobile GmbH with Dickmeis and later becoming Global COO of Mobile Streams.{{cite web|last1=Tayler|first1=Victoria|title=FoneStarz Media to distribute Mobile Streams' content|url=http://www.mobilestreams.com/news/269|website=Mobile Streams|access-date=24 November 2014}}
The company entered beta-phase in June 2014{{cite news|last1=Stüber|first1=Jürgen|title=Neue Berliner Video-Community Vive fordert Skype heraus|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin-aktuell/startups/article133059861/Neue-Berliner-Video-Community-Vive-fordert-Skype-heraus.html|publisher=Berliner Morgenpost|access-date=24 November 2014}} and launched its iOS app in September of the same year. In October 2014 an iPad version of Vive was released, the same month during which the company successfully secured a 1.5 million funding round from prominent European investors.{{cite news|last1=O'Hear|first1=Steve|title=Vive, The Mobile App That Lets You Video Chat With Strangers, Raises $1.5M|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/10/08/vive/ |publisher=TechCrunch|access-date=24 November 2014}} Among them were Atlantic Internet GmbH, Hannover Beteiligungs Fond (HBF) and Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Niedersachen (MBG).{{cite news|last1=Skrabania|first1=Lydia|title=Bekannte Business Angels investieren in Video-Chat-Community Vive|url=http://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/vive|publisher=Gründerszene|access-date=24 November 2014}}
Features and membership
The app allows members to search for people within their locality as well as around the world. Upon logging into the app, members are presented with a list of other users, ranked on the basis of common interests and last log-in.{{cite news|last1=Stüber|first1=Jürgen|title=Neue Berliner Video-Community Vive fordert Skype heraus|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin-aktuell/startups/article133059861/Neue-Berliner-Video-Community-Vive-fordert-Skype-heraus.html|publisher=Berliner Morgenpost|access-date=24 November 2014}} The app aims to provide a platform for authentic, emotional and spontaneous connection between its members.{{cite news|last1=Skrabania|first1=Lydia|title=Bekannte Business Angels investieren in Video-Chat-Community Vive|url=http://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/vive|publisher=Gründerszene|access-date=24 November 2014}} It is reminiscent of the video-chatting websites Airtime and Chatroulette.{{Cite web |last=O'Hear |first=Steve |date=2014-10-08 |title=Vive, The Mobile App That Lets You Video Chat With Strangers, Raises $1.5M |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/10/08/vive/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}
Potential members are asked how they would like to use Vive and what they can share with the community. A team of moderators then evaluate applicants based on their answers.{{cite news|last1=Morris|first1=Darryl|title=Vive - It's Chatroulette Without the Willies|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/darryl-morris/vive-its-chatroulette-wit_b_6052716.html|publisher=Huffington Post |access-date=24 November 2014}}
Vive users were able to connect in Facebook Spaces{{Cite web |date=2017-12-19 |title=Facebook Launches Spaces For HTC Vive |url=https://www.uploadvr.com/facebook-launches-spaces-htc-vive/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=UploadVR |language=en}} until Spaces was replaced by Facebook Horizon.