Facebook has largely been known as an enormous social media platform, but it has also become a corporate power over the years, investing in, acquiring and creating a wide range of companies. Here, we present the top companies owned, or partially owned, by Facebook.
What is Facebook?
To start, let’s take a brief look at the company itself. Facebook was founded in 2004 as an online social media platform, designed to connect people all around the world. Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, initially created the website for Harvard students, and it quickly grew in popularity to be used by students from all over the world. By 2007, it had become one of the most-visited websites in the United States and as of April 2021, over 2.8 billion users are active on the website every month.
Facebook has become a giant company and its billions of users and massive revenue have enabled it to invest heavily in a wide range of companies and industries. In this article, we look at the top companies owned by Facebook.
Acquired Companies
Facebook has been on a buying spree over the last few years, acquiring some of the most promising companies in technology and beyond, to help the social media giant to expand. The following are some of the more prominent acquisitions made by Facebook:
WhatsApp is a hugely popular messaging platform, first released in 2009, now owned by Facebook. It was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for a staggering $22 billion, making it one of the most expensive acquisitions of all time. With over 2 billion monthly users, WhatsApp is currently the most popular messaging platform in the world.
Giphy
Giphy is an entertaining GIF hosting platform, founded in 2013. It was acquired by Facebook in 2020 for $400 million. While it’s part of Facebook’s wider content platform, GIFs are being used increasingly across various other tools and services.
Story Studio
Story Studio was acquired by Facebook in 2018 and is a video-creation platform. It produces immersive video experiences and includes a range of tools for editing, adding special effects and creating interactive videos.
Another flagship acquisition made by Facebook was the hugely popular photo-sharing platform Instagram. Acquired in 2012 for $1 billion, it now has over 1 billion monthly active users and has become one of the world’s most popular social media platforms.
Strivr Labs
Strivr Labs is a virtual reality (VR) software firm, acquired by Facebook in 2020 for an undisclosed amount. The company specializes in creating interactive, immersive training applications and immersive virtual reality experiences.
Direct Investments
Facebook has also invested directly in a wide range of companies. Some of its notable investments include:
SpaceX
SpaceX is a private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company, founded in 2002. It has been funded by a range of private investors, including Facebook, which invested $5 million in 2015.
PayPal
PayPal is a digital payments company, founded in 1998 and now owned by eBay. However, in 2015 it announces a $24 million investment from Facebook in its global payment goals.
Unity
Unity is a cross-platform game engine, founded in 2004. The company announced in 2014 that it has raised $181 million, including an investment from Facebook.
ROSA
ROSA is a global network of robotics companies, founded in 2017. Facebook participated in the company’s Series A round of funding, investing $30 million to help drive growth.
Organic Growth
In addition to these investments and acquisitions, Facebook has its own range of products that have either been developed in-house or are the result of a long-term acquisition. These include:
Oculus VR
Oculus VR is a virtual reality headset, developed by the company Oculus, founded in 2012 and acquired by Facebook in 2014. The company has since built out the Oculus virtual reality platform, and the headset is now one of the most popular virtual reality headsets on the market.
Occulus Go
Occulus Go is a portable virtual reality headset, developed by Oculus VR. It launched in 2018 as a more affordable option for consumers and is now one of the most popular virtual reality headsets on the market.
Portal
Portal is a video calling device created by Facebook, designed to let users make video and audio calls to other Portal devices. It was first released in 2018 and is now one of the most popular video calling devices on the market.
As you can see, Facebook has grown from a simple website started by Mark Zuckerberg to become a global corporation with a host of investments, acquisitions and products. By leveraging its massive user base, revenue and brand recognition, it has become a force in the technology industry, and has its fingers in a number of pies. We’ve presented the top companies owned, or partially owned, by Facebook in this article, but there are dozens more in a wide range of industries.
