Fnbox

Fnbox Ventures, Inc. was a Latin American technology company organized primarily as a holding company for Internet businesses. Founded in 2002 by Rodrigo Teijeiro, the company initially addressed the high cost of international telephone calls to Argentina through TarjetasTelefonicas.com, an online calling-card and VoIP service. Its early experience with online payment fraud led Fnbox to develop internal fraud-control capabilities, which later became an important part of the operating infrastructure behind its telecommunications businesses. The company broadened its scope during the expansion of consumer Internet use in Latin America. In 2006 it launched Sonico, a social-networking service designed for Latin American users. Sonico expanded rapidly and became one of Fnbox's most visible businesses, reaching millions of registered users during its first year and expanding into Brazil. Fnbox subsequently built or acquired additional services intended to monetize a large regional audience. These included Recarga.com, a platform for prepaid mobile-phone top-ups; Cuponica.com, a daily-deals marketplace acquired in 2011; and Datam, an online advertising and lead-generation service launched in 2010. Fnbox's portfolio combined consumer-facing websites with transaction and marketing infrastructure. TarjetasTelefonicas.com and the related Phonico.com service sold international calling minutes, while Recarga.com enabled customers in Latin America and the United States to add credit to prepaid mobile accounts. Cuponica offered discounted deals in categories such as restaurants, entertainment, hotels, and personal services. Datam sought to convert traffic and customer information into qualified advertising leads. Together, these businesses reflected Fnbox's strategy of building regional Internet services around communications, social interaction, commerce, and targeted marketing. By the end of 2010, the company reported 75 million users across TarjetasTelefonicas.com, Sonico, and Recarga.com. It raised outside capital as it expanded, including a reported $6 million investment from venture and private investors in 2008 and earlier financing associated with Sonico's expansion. In 2011, the company shifted additional attention toward monetization through online advertising and daily deals. Its stated future opportunity centered on Latin America's large mobile-user population, growing social-network participation, and expanding online retail market. Management included founder and chief executive Rodrigo Teijeiro, co-founder and chief technology officer Álvaro Teijeiro, and chief financial officer Gustavo Victorica. In 2012, Fnbox was described as having more than 90 employees and offices in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Miami, and Mexico City. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about the company's later ownership, operating status, and disposition of its individual businesses; those details therefore remain unconfirmed.

Fnbox began in June 2002 when Rodrigo Teijeiro sought a less expensive way to place calls to Argentina over the Internet. He founded the company and created TarjetasTelefonicas.com, initially working with a software-development team in Ukraine. The service reportedly generated sales within days of launch, but its exposure to online fraud soon became a serious operational concern. Fnbox temporarily closed the site and spent approximately two years developing a fraud-protection system. After that system was completed, TarjetasTelefonicas.com was relaunched with automated controls intended to reduce fraudulent orders and chargebacks. The company expanded beyond international calling during the mid-2000s. In 2006, as social networking began to gain momentum, Fnbox launched Sonico, a service designed specifically for Latin American audiences. Sonico reached 4.4 million users in its first year according to company-related descriptions, and Fnbox raised approximately $4.3 million from venture and angel investors to support growth, including expansion into Brazil. Sonico was organized around private, public, and professional aspects of users' online lives and also allowed organizations and brands to participate. Fnbox continued assembling a portfolio of online businesses. It introduced Datam, an advertising and lead-generation operation, in June 2010. That same period saw the launch of Recarga.com, which provided online prepaid mobile-phone recharges in Latin America and the United States. The service was aimed at markets where prepaid mobile usage was widespread because it avoided the commitment of a recurring monthly bill. By the end of 2010, Fnbox stated that its principal services had attracted a combined 75 million users. In 2011, Fnbox acquired Cuponica.com, a daily-deals site offering discounts on restaurants, theaters, spas, hotels, and other entertainment or leisure activities. The acquisition complemented the company's existing audience and gave it another potential source of transaction revenue. Fnbox also emphasized online advertising as a way to monetize traffic generated by its communications and social-network products. The company raised a reported $6 million from venture-capital and private investors in 2008. Its telecommunications businesses were described as having processed large volumes of calling-minute sales, while Recarga.com operated across multiple countries and mobile carriers. By September 2012, Fnbox reportedly had more than 90 employees and offices in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Miami, and Mexico City. Its strategic outlook emphasized the growth of mobile-phone use, social-network membership, and e-commerce in Latin America. Available public material does not establish whether Fnbox remains active in its earlier form, how its portfolio was later reorganized, or whether its services were sold or discontinued.

• 2012

  Regional operating footprint

  [1]Fnboxen.wikipedia.org

  Fnbox was described as having more than 90 employees and offices in Argentina, Brazil, the United States, and Mexico.

• 2011

  Cuponica acquisition and monetization push

  [1]Fnboxen.wikipedia.org

  Fnbox acquired Cuponica.com and increased its emphasis on daily deals and advertising as methods for monetizing its growing audience.

• 2010

  Recarga.com and Datam expand the portfolio

  [1]Fnboxen.wikipedia.org

  Fnbox launched Recarga.com for prepaid mobile recharges and Datam for online advertising and lead generation.

• 2008

  External financing

  [1]Fnboxen.wikipedia.org

  Fnbox reportedly raised $6 million from venture-capital and private investors.

• 2006

  Sonico launches

  [1]Fnboxen.wikipedia.org

  Fnbox entered Latin American social networking with Sonico and raised approximately $4.3 million to support growth and expansion into Brazil.

• 2004

  Fraud controls become a core capability

  [1]Fnboxen.wikipedia.org

  Fnbox closed its initial calling website after encountering significant Internet fraud and focused on building a proprietary fraud-protection system before relaunching the service.

• 2002

  Fnbox is founded

  [1]Fnboxen.wikipedia.org

  Rodrigo Teijeiro founded Fnbox in June 2002 and launched TarjetasTelefonicas.com as its first subsidiary, targeting lower-cost international calls to Argentina.

A regional Internet venture platform focused on adapting online communications, social networking, mobile-payment, commerce, and advertising services to Latin American consumers and businesses.

• International calling and telecommunications · 2002

  TarjetasTelefonicas.com

  TarjetasTelefonicas.com was Fnbox's original online calling-card and telecommunications business. It sold international calling minutes for long-distance and mobile calls, initially serving the need for inexpensive calls to Argentina. After an early shutdown prompted by online fraud, the service returned with an internally developed fraud-control system. The platform was described as automating most orders and handling substantial monthly e-commerce transaction volume.

• Social networking · 2006

  Sonico.com

  Sonico was a social-networking platform built for Latin American users. It organized online activity into private, public, and professional areas and enabled individuals, organizations, and brands to interact. Sonico was one of Fnbox's principal growth businesses, gaining millions of users during its first year and expanding into Brazil as the company sought to establish a regional rather than single-country network.

• Mobile recharge · 2010

  Recarga.com

  Recarga.com was an online platform for adding credit to prepaid mobile phones. It served customers in Latin America and the United States and connected users with multiple mobile carriers. The service addressed the prevalence of prepaid mobile plans among consumers who preferred to avoid fixed monthly commitments, and it formed part of Fnbox's effort to apply its transaction infrastructure to mobile services.

• Daily deals and e-commerce

  Cuponica.com

  Cuponica.com was a daily-deals marketplace acquired by Fnbox in 2011. It offered consumers heavily discounted promotions for restaurants, theaters, spas, hotels, entertainment, and related services. The business gave Fnbox a direct commerce channel and a way to monetize the audience accumulated through its telecommunications and social-networking properties.

• International calling

  Phonico.com

  Phonico.com was Fnbox's online calling-card business. It extended the company's international-communications activities and was described as having sold hundreds of millions of calling minutes to customers in numerous countries. Public reference material does not provide a confirmed later operating status or a complete explanation of how the service was structured relative to TarjetasTelefonicas.com.

• Online advertising and lead generation · 2010

  Datam

  Datam was an online advertising and lead-generation service launched by Fnbox in 2010. It was intended to help businesses reach targeted audiences and convert Fnbox's large user base into qualified commercial leads. The company described rapid early lead generation, although the available material does not establish Datam's later scale, customer list, or ultimate disposition.

• 2011

  Acquire Cuponica.comM&A

  Background

  Fnbox was looking for additional ways to monetize its large consumer audience and regional e-commerce capabilities.

  Action taken

  Fnbox acquired the daily-deals marketplace Cuponica.com.

  Aftermath

  The transaction added discounted commerce and local-services promotions to Fnbox's portfolio.

  Source

• 2010

  Expand into mobile recharge and advertisingProduct launch

  Background

  Fnbox sought to monetize its regional Internet traffic beyond social networking and calling services.

  Action taken

  The company launched Recarga.com for prepaid mobile top-ups and Datam for advertising and lead generation.

  Aftermath

  The new services broadened Fnbox's portfolio into mobile transactions and business marketing.

  Source

• 2006

  Enter Latin American social networkingProduct launch

  Background

  The rapid spread of social networking created an opportunity to build a service tailored to Latin American users.

  Action taken

  Fnbox launched Sonico and expanded the service into Brazil after attracting early users and new financing.

  Aftermath

  Sonico became one of Fnbox's main audience-generating businesses.

  Financing raised. $4.3 million (2006 financing associated with Sonico expansion)

  Source

• 2004

  Suspend and rebuild the original calling serviceStrategy

  Background

  The original TarjetasTelefonicas.com service was vulnerable to Internet fraud shortly after launch.

  Action taken

  Fnbox closed the website, developed an internal fraud-protection system, and later relaunched the service with automated controls.

  Aftermath

  The rebuilt system became part of the operating foundation for the company's telecommunications transactions.

  Source

1. 1Fnboxen.wikipedia.org