Telegram
Telegram is a cloud-based messaging platform. It offers chats, groups of up to 200,000 members, public channels, calls, file sharing, bots and mini-apps. It was founded in 2013 by Pavel and Nikolai Durov. Pavel Durov is the sole owner and CEO. The company has more than 1 billion monthly users and a very small core team, estimated at roughly 60 to under 100 people, though third-party estimates vary widely. It earns revenue from Telegram Premium subscriptions, channel advertising, the Stars in-app currency and the TON blockchain ecosystem. It has been funded mostly through convertible bonds, with Mubadala and Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners among the investors, and investors have put its valuation above $30B (2024–2025). It is not primarily an AI company, though AI agents such as MoonPay's now run on the platform.