Skype to buy GroupMe, the mobile messaging startup firm

Skype on Sunday announced its plans to acquire the mobile messaging startup firm GroupMe , a service that was born at a hackathon at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York in 2010, founded by Jared Hecht and Steve Martocci.

The terms of the deal, including price, aren’t being disclosed.

The GroupMe messaging service developed its application for almost all mobile platforms and the service is just a year old."This has been a remarkable year for GroupMe, and we believe that this is a big win. And not just a big win for GroupMe and our amazing investors, but also for New York City. As part of the deal, GroupMe will remain in New York, team intact, working on our standalone application. The major difference will be that we will now have access to Skype’s 175 million monthly connected users. 175 million people. That’s a very big deal." said by Team GroupMe on their official blog.

The deal, coupled with the acquisition of mobile video provider Qik earlier this year, "augments Skype's role as an innovator in driving unique mobile user experiences," the company said in a statement.

"Through the acquisition of GroupMe, Skype continues its drive to provide a global multi-modal and multi-platform communications experience. The acquisition of GroupMe complements Skype's leadership in voice and video communications by providing best in class text-based communications and innovative features that enable users to connect, share locations and photos and make plans with their closest ties."

Tony Bates, Skype's chief executive, said GroupMe "has created an incredibly sticky group messaging experience that works across mobile devices and platforms, making this a perfect addition to the voice, video and text products in the Skype family."

Founded in 2003 and based in Luxembourg, Skype is in the process of being acquired by US software giant Microsoft after being spun off by eBay.

Microsoft said recently it hopes to close the deal for purchase of the Internet voice and video leader by October, once it gets the green light from European regulators.

Official website :  http://www.groupme.com/