Wednesday, March 4, 2009

IP video startup Verivue launches first product

By Efrain Viscarolasaga

Verivue Inc., a Westford startup launched by local industry veterans to attack the Internet protocol distribution and delivery space, has launched its first product.

Dubbed the MDX 9000 Series Media Distribution Switch, the unit is aimed at helping communications companies, cable operators and content delivery networks store and deliver IP video quickly, to any end device.

Founded in 2007 by an eight-person team that includes former Juniper Networks Inc. executive Jim Dolce and former Sonus Networks Inc. co-founders Rubin Gruber and Mike Hluchyj, Verivue raised $25 million in funding in April of 2007 and another $40 million last July, according to a company spokesperson.

Backers include Boston-based Spark Capital, Waltham-based Matrix Partners and Philadelphia-based Comcast Interactive Capital, which led the second round. Matrix was an original investor in Dolce’s Redstone Communications Inc., which was also based in Westford and was acquired by neighbor Unisphere Networks Inc. in 2000.

Verivue’s product line is modeled after the blade server concept, according to officials, providing server, storage and networking and applications into a unified platform.