| Acquired by | Makena Technologies |
| Date | 4/05 |
| Terms | Cash |
There.com is an online virtual world where teens can explore, meet friends and play games. It was founded in 1998 by Will Harvey, a Stanford computer science Ph.D. and game developer, and Jeffrey Ventrella, an expert on artificial life from MIT’s Media Lab. The duo raised approximately $37 million - including $20 million from employees, $11 million from angel investors and $6 million from Sutter Hill Ventures. In 2005 the company was spun off under Makena Technologies
A basic membership to the virtual world is free, but a premium membership (one time fee of $9.95) is needed to use all of the features. You’ll also need to open up your wallet if you want extra clothes, vehicles and other in-game accessories.
Some other online virtual worlds are Kaneva, Second Life and Cyworld.
| Website | there.com |
| Stage | Live |
| Launch Date | August 7, 2007 |
| Tags | there-com, virtualworld, teens, games, virtual-world |
There.com lets users create custom avatars and become a part of a virtual community. The community is a place for teens to hang out online. Users can do everything from playing games with friends to building their own virtual house. This community even has its own currency – Therebucks, which have real world value. Therebucks can be exchanged in-game for virtual goods and services.
While hanging out with your online friends, you probably want to chat with them. Text chatting, instant messaging and buddy lists come standard and users with premium memberships can use voice chat.
Since the virtual world is aimed at teens, There.com asks for and reveals little personal information about its members.
