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About.me becomes independent, buys back from AOL

Online profile creator about.me has become independent again after buying itself back from web giant AOL.

Lexy Savvides Principal Video Producer
Lexy is an on-air presenter and award-winning producer who covers consumer tech, including the latest smartphones, wearables and emerging trends like assistive robotics. She's won two Gold Telly Awards for her video series Beta Test. Prior to her career at CNET, she was a magazine editor, radio announcer and DJ. Lexy is based in San Francisco.
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Lexy Savvides

Online profile creator about.me has become independent again after buying itself back from web giant AOL.

(Credit: about.me)

About.me lets users create a one-page profile for themselves online, with links to their other web presences like Facebook and Twitter. The site was bought out by AOL two years ago in a deal reportedly worth US$1.3 million just four days after its public launch.

The same day that Dell went private, thanks to a multi-billion dollar deal, the profile company sent out an email to users saying that the service was becoming independent again. Co-founders Ryan Freitas and Tony Conrad said that the buyout was financed in part thanks to a group of investors that had also backed WordPress and Google.

"Our commitment is to make about.me the web's starting point for identity," said Freitas and Conrad. "We believe everyone will eventually have an about.me page they integrate into their email signature, add to their Twitter bio or embed in one of their blogs."

According to TechCrunch, about.me has raised US$5.7 million, while AOL will remain a shareholder in the site.