Jangl and TalkPlus On the Block

VoIP companies Jangl and TalkPlus are for sale, reports Om Malik. The VC community isn't interested in further funding the ventures, so it's time to close shop.

Jangl first offered anonymized online calling and then developed click-to-call VoIP widgets for social networking sites. The company raised around $9 million in venture funding, but the only way Jangl made money was through online dating sites; people will apparently pay to make anonymous phone calls to avoid psychos and stalkers. Jangl's senior management got snapped up by Jajah last week, so game over.

TalkPlus had raised $5.5 million in 2006. The company had provided a mixture of mobile UC functionality and low-cost long-distance calling, so you could call your mistress in Taipei using one virtual identity, the wife with another one, and use a third number for work purposes; a voice drop feature enabled the ability to make an MP3 voice through a phone number and then email it. There was also the ability to generate throwaway numbers a la AOL Phoneline.

Both companies have developed interesting technology, but the question becomes who might acquire it and how much someone might be willing to pay for it.

For more:
- GigaOm reports on Jangl and TalkPlus for sale.
- Michael Cerda's blog on Jangl and Jajah

Related articles:
Jangl rolls out ad-based VoIP widget
AOL Opens Up, Yahoo Outsources PSTN interfaces