businessweek.com
Company: Grasshopper
Founded: In 2003 as GotVMail Communications in Boston, Massachusetts
Grasshopper, previously known as GotVMail Communications, was started as a joint venture of two undergrads from Babson College, Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser in 2003. The company provides advanced phone numbers/virtual phone systems to small entrepreneurial companies and businesses to help them portray a more professional image without spending gazillion dollars. Since its inception the Grasshopper has assisted over 100,000 entrepreneurs and small businesses to stay connected from anywhere.
In 2003, Siamak Taghaddos won the Business Plan Competition by writing a business plan for Telecom Company that would serve as a virtual phone system for small and emerging entrepreneurial companies. He got the attention of Hauser who was thinking of working on the same plan. They made a team and launched GotVMail which would provide customers a toll-free number for incoming calls. GotVMail system would receive the calls and give the caller a personalized greeting and then route the call to the concerned person or send it to the voicemail in their absence.Over the years, Grasshopper’s success has been phenomenal! Currently, it serves over 100,000 entrepreneurs and the number is steady rising.
Grasshopper’s Success Story has been the subject of worldwide media attention. The company has been featured on Inc. at #66 among 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in the US. Both Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser have been featured on Inc Magazine’s ’30 under 30′ list; BusinessWeek’s ‘Top 5 Entrepreneurs Under 25′ list; American Venture Magazine’s ’40 Under 40’ list; CNN’s ‘Young People Who Rock’ and many more.
Info Source: www.grasshopper.com/about
