Mirabilis
Israeli internet company that created the ICQ instant messenger; sold to AOL in 1998 in Israel's first landmark technology exit
| Mirabilis
| |
|---|---|
| Trade name | Mirabilis Ltd |
| Type | Acquired (subsidiary of AOL) |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder(s) | Yair Goldfinger, Arik Vardi, Sefi Vigiser, Amnon Amir; seed investment from Yossi Vardi |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel; office in New York, United States |
| Industry | Internet software (instant messaging) |
| Parent | AOL (from 1998) |
Mirabilis was a Tel Aviv internet company that created ICQ, one of the first widely used instant-messaging programs. It was set up in 1996 by Sefi Vigiser, Arik Vardi and Yair Goldfinger, with Amnon Amir, who left in the company's second month, and with seed money from Arik Vardi's father, Yossi Vardi. In 1998 America On Line bought it for $287 million, in a deal that The Jerusalem Report said could reach $407 million.[1] The Israel Defense Forces has called the sale "the catalyst that sparked the Israeli startup movement".[2]
Founders and the IDF
The founders' military links are with ordinary units rather than intelligence. The Jerusalem Report said Yair Goldfinger studied computer science at Tel Aviv University "following army service in the artillery corps", and quoted Sefi Vigiser as saying: "I wanted to join Army Radio, but they put me in artillery, and I had to spend a year and a half in Lebanon".[1] The Israel Defense Forces includes Yossi Vardi in its "Startup Soldiers" feature, saying he "served as an instructor at the Israel Air Force Flight Academy".[2]
Sale to AOL
The Jerusalem Report said ICQ had more than 13 million users by early summer 1998 without earning any revenue, and that AOL was chosen because it was the only bidder used to handling hundreds of thousands of users online at once. Early investors included Dan Propper of Osem and Arison Investments.[1] The Israel Defense Forces gives the price as $400 million.[2]
See also
- Waze
- Israel Defense Forces
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Margo Lipschitz Sugarman, Annus Mirabilis, The Jerusalem Report, 1998 (republished as an anniversary article), accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 IDF Editorial Team, Startup Soldiers: From the IDF to High-Tech Success, Israel Defense Forces, 25 June 2013, accessed 21 October 2026.