Press Releases

Mark Jacobstein Joins iSkoot as New Chief Executive Officer

CAMBRIDGE, MA – December 12, 2007 – iSkoot, the leading provider of carrier-friendly mobile VoIP solutions, today announced that they have brought Mark Jacobstein aboard as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. The creative visionary behind Small World Sports, the world’s first networked fantasy sports games, and the founding President of Digital Chocolate, one of the largest publishers of mobile games, Jacobstein most recently served as Executive Vice President at loopt, Inc., a ground-breaking social mapping startup. Jacobstein’s appointment comes fast on the heels of iSkoot’s successful collaboration with Skype and mobile operator 3 for the global launch of the 3 Skypephone, the first ever mass-market Skype-enabled mobile handset. Jacobstein brings to iSkoot over thirteen years of experience building and managing international high-growth companies in technology and media. Jacob Guedalia, iSkoot’s founder and former CEO, will continue with the company as President and Chief Operating Officer and maintain his position as Chairman of iSkoot’s Board of Directors.

“The launch of the 3 Skypephone has ushered in a new chapter for iSkoot,” says Guedalia, who will be responsible for strategic partnerships and corporate development. “We are thrilled to be bringing Mark’s pioneering vision and expertise in developing consumer products to the helm of iSkoot.”

“Mobile VoIP will be huge,” said Jacobstein. “iSkoot’s innovative carrier-friendly solution is not only the best approach, but the only truly viable one — delivering remarkable value to all parties involved. The company has created one-of-a-kind products, and has positioned itself for amazing growth. I’m excited to work with product visionaries like Jacob and David Guedalia as we advance iSkoot to the next level.” Jacobstein will be opening a San Francisco office to attract world class product and marketing talent to the organization.

“Mark’s demonstrable talent leading high-growth companies and knowledge of the mobile ecosystem makes him an ideal fit for iSkoot,” said Vinod Khosla, board member and founder of Khosla Ventures.

“Mark has an exceptional understanding of product design, marketing and organizational development,” said Izhar Armony, board member and general partner at Charles River Ventures. “We are confident that his rich experience in product innovation will prove to be a tremendous asset for the company.”

Prior to joining iSkoot, Jacobstein was EVP at Silicon Valley-based loopt, Inc., the revolutionary social mapping start-up. Previously, Jacobstein was co-founder, President and COO of Digital Chocolate. Responsible for building the highest-rated mobile games studio in the world, Jacobstein oversaw all of Digital Chocolate’s publishing and product development. In 1994 Jacobstein co-founded New York-based Small World Sports, the first-ever network-based fantasy sports company that was subsequently acquired by The Sporting News. He also served as SVP of Sales and Business Development at iXL’s New York office after selling Small World Software, a pioneering internet solutions company, to iXL.

About iSkoot

San Francisco-based iSkoot brings leading internet services like Skype to mobile handsets around the world, delivering rich consumer experiences with minimal impact on operator networks.

iSkoot launched the first and only carrier-grade, carrier-deployed Skype-for-Mobile application in 2006, and now powers the Mobile World Congress award-winning 3 Skypephone currently sold in eight countries on three continents.

iSkoot takes advantage of the voice-optimized circuit-switched network for delivery of voice communications, in keeping with its mission to engineer elegant and operator-friendly solutions to the challenge of bringing resource-intensive internet services to mobile handsets.

For Information Contact:
info@iskoot.com

For Media Contact:
Erica Jostedt
SutherlandGold Group for iSkoot
iSkoot@sutherlandgold.com
415-934-9600