Jubii

Jubii is a Danish web portal founded in Copenhagen in 1995. It began as an internet service created by Jakob Faarvang and was later incorporated by the founders of Cybernet: Kasper Larsen, Henrik Sørensen, Martin Thorborg, and Andreas Jürgensen. During the early expansion of the Danish internet, Jubii developed into a broad consumer portal rather than a single-purpose website. Its services included a search engine, email, community features, and related online services. For a period, Jubii became one of Denmark's most widely used internet destinations. The reference material describes the portal as reaching approximately 92% of Danish internet users and holding more than 65% of the Danish online advertising market for a short time. These figures reflect the unusually concentrated nature of Denmark's early consumer internet market, when a small number of portals served as gateways to search, communication, and web discovery. Jubii was sold to Lycos Europe in 2000. Under Lycos Europe, it became part of the company's Danish search and community business. The acquisition connected Jubii with the wider Lycos network and gave the brand a role in Lycos Europe's efforts to operate localized portal services. The relationship later expanded beyond Denmark. After Lycos Inc. was acquired by South Korea's Daum Communications, Lycos Europe faced constraints over the use of the Lycos name in the United States because Daum controlled the Lycos trademark there. Lycos Europe therefore used Jubii as the name for a web 2.0-oriented service in the United States from April 2007 and began moving users of its Lycos Europe webmail service to the jubii.com brand. The international extension did not become a durable business. Jubii was reported as being offered for sale in September 2008, and Lycos Europe subsequently shut down its United States ventures. Jubii.com was closed on January 18, 2009, following the earlier termination of other Lycos services, including web hosting and Tripod. In December 2008, Jubii had been sold to Managing Director Peter Lundsgaard and a group of investors for an undisclosed amount. The timing meant that the ownership transaction and the closure of the United States operation occurred during the same period of restructuring. The former owner, Jubii Europe, was liquidated in 2021. The available reference material does not establish the current corporate ownership, operating status, or precise scope of the Danish Jubii service. Accordingly, Jubii is best understood historically as a pioneering Danish portal brand whose prominence came from combining search, email, community functions, and advertising reach, followed by ownership changes, an unsuccessful international extension, and the winding down of its former European corporate structure.

Jubii originated in Copenhagen in the summer of 1995, when Jakob Faarvang created the service during the formative period of Denmark's consumer internet market. The project was subsequently incorporated by Kasper Larsen, Henrik Sørensen, Martin Thorborg, and Andreas Jürgensen, who were also associated with the founding of Cybernet. Rather than remaining a narrowly defined search product, Jubii developed as a portal offering search, email, community functions, and other internet services. The portal achieved exceptional reach in Denmark. For a short period, it was described as reaching 92% of Danish internet users and controlling more than 65% of the country's online advertising market. Its role resembled that of other early national portals: it provided a familiar entry point for users who wanted to search the web, communicate through email, participate in online communities, and find organized internet content. The scale of its audience also made advertising an important part of the business model. In 2000, Jubii was sold to Lycos Europe. The brand became part of Lycos Europe's Danish search and community operations, linking a prominent Danish portal with the broader European Lycos network. Later changes in the ownership of the wider Lycos business affected the brand's international role. Lycos Inc. was acquired by South Korean company Daum Communications, which controlled the Lycos trademark in the United States. Because Lycos Europe could not use the Lycos name in the United States, it selected Jubii for a web 2.0 service launched there in April 2007. Lycos Europe also began moving users of its webmail service to the jubii.com identity. The American extension was short-lived. By September 2008, Jubii was reported to be for sale. In December of that year, the brand was sold to Managing Director Peter Lundsgaard and a group of investors for an undisclosed sum. Lycos was simultaneously reducing its service portfolio, including the closure of web hosting and Tripod. On January 18, 2009, the troubled company shut down its United States ventures, which included Jubii.com. The available material does not give a complete account of the subsequent Danish service or identify a continuing corporate owner. It does record that Jubii Europe's former owner was liquidated in 2021. Jubii's documented history therefore spans the rise of Danish web portals, acquisition by Lycos Europe, an attempt to use a Danish brand for an international web service, and the eventual contraction and liquidation of the associated European corporate structure.

• 2021

  Jubii Europe liquidated

  [1]Jubiien.wikipedia.org

  The former owner, Jubii Europe, is liquidated.

• 2009

  United States operation closes

  [1]Jubiien.wikipedia.org

  Jubii.com is shut down as Lycos closes its United States ventures.

• 2008

  Sale to Peter Lundsgaard and investors

  [1]Jubiien.wikipedia.org

  Jubii is sold to Managing Director Peter Lundsgaard and a group of investors for an undisclosed amount.

• 2007

  United States web 2.0 service

  [1]Jubiien.wikipedia.org

  Lycos Europe uses the Jubii name for a United States web 2.0 service and transitions Lycos Europe webmail users toward jubii.com.

• 2000

  Acquisition by Lycos Europe

  [1]Jubiien.wikipedia.org

  Jubii is sold to Lycos Europe and becomes part of its Danish search and community business.

• 1995

  Jubii is created in Copenhagen

  [1]Jubiien.wikipedia.org

  Jakob Faarvang creates Jubii during the early development of Denmark's consumer internet market.

A broad consumer internet portal combining search, email, community functions, and web content, with particular historical significance in Denmark.

• Web portal · 1995

  Jubii web portal

  The core Jubii offering was a general-purpose consumer web portal. It brought together search, email, community functions, and other online services in one branded destination. Its broad scope helped it become a major gateway to the internet for Danish users during the portal era.

• Search engine

  Jubii search

  Jubii's search service was one of the principal functions of the portal. It supported the brand's role as an entry point to the wider web and formed part of the Danish search and community business later managed by Lycos Europe.

• Web email

  Jubii email

  Email was an important part of the Jubii service portfolio. During Lycos Europe's ownership, users of the company's webmail service were moved toward the jubii.com brand in connection with the international web 2.0 initiative.

• Online community

  Jubii community services

  Jubii included community-oriented services alongside search and email. These features supported the portal's position as a destination for communication and participation, rather than merely a search page.

• 2009

  Close Jubii.com in the United StatesStrategy

  Background

  Lycos had already closed several services and decided to withdraw from its United States ventures.

  Action taken

  Jubii.com was shut down on January 18, 2009.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the documented United States phase of Jubii's international expansion.

  Source

• 2008

  Transfer ownership to Peter Lundsgaard and investorsM&A

  Background

  Jubii was placed on the market during Lycos Europe's restructuring and reduction of services.

  Action taken

  The brand was sold to Managing Director Peter Lundsgaard and a group of investors for an undisclosed amount.

  Aftermath

  The United States service was nevertheless shut down shortly afterward as part of Lycos's withdrawal from the market.

  Source

• 2007

  Use Jubii as the United States brandStrategy

  Background

  Lycos Europe could not use the Lycos name in the United States after Daum Communications acquired Lycos Inc. and controlled the Lycos trademark there.

  Action taken

  Lycos Europe used Jubii for a United States web 2.0 service and moved Lycos Europe webmail users toward jubii.com.

  Aftermath

  The United States initiative was later discontinued when Lycos closed its American ventures.

  Source

• 2000

  Sell Jubii to Lycos EuropeM&A

  Background

  Jubii had become a significant Danish portal with search, email, and community services, making it a strategic fit for Lycos Europe's localized internet operations.

  Action taken

  Jubii was sold to Lycos Europe and incorporated into its Danish search and community business.

  Aftermath

  The brand became part of the wider Lycos Europe network and was later used in an international service strategy.

  Source

1. 1Jubiien.wikipedia.org