Peer5

Peer5 is an operator of a peer-to-peer (p2p) content delivery network architecture designed to decentralize video viewing experiences for users. The company was founded in 2012 by Shachar Zohar, Hadar Weiss, and Guy Paskar. Peer5 participated in the Upwest Labs 08/01/12 cohort and raised an estimated $3,500,000. The company's network architecture unlocks the distributed computing resources of viewers, and its hybrid switching algorithm determines whether a viewer should load the next segment from its p2p network or the publisher's alternative delivery system to shrink a content provider's bandwidth usage. The platform is intended to improve content delivery through switching between delivery from servers and distributed computing.

Peer5's delivery does not require additional installation and works through a browser, eliminating ISP and local network bottlenecks; it is intended to be infinitely scalable and resilient during peak streaming hours. As well, by using peer-to-peer streaming, a video stream is intended to offload up to 95 percent of the bandwidth from the local network.

The platform is built to deploy progressively for as many streams or users is necessary or desired. This includes simulation tools to help a user understand how the platform will operate and change to their desired deployment. Furthermore, the platform offers zero-setup network curation in order to navigate user and remote worker traffic to ensure the video stream is stable and reduce the need for infrastructure.

In August 2021, Microsoft acquired Peer5 in order to enhance Microsoft's Teams live video streaming. This is to integrate Peer5's eCDN or enterprise content delivery networks and to alleviate network downlink bandwidth for video streaming or broadcasting, especially for large-scale meetings and virtual events.