WireOver

WireOver developed a cross-platform desktop application (Mac, Windows and Linux) for sending large files directly between users over peer-to-peer connections. Users dragged files into the application window and entered the recipient's email address; once the recipient had the client installed and running, the transfer occurred peer-to-peer or was routed through WireOver's servers without being stored there. Because no files were retained on servers, the company offered unlimited file-size transfers at no cost, positioning the product for use cases such as multi-gigabyte video files and large photo collections.

A paid Pro tier added end-to-end encryption, under which files were encrypted before leaving the sender's machine and could only be decrypted by the recipient, including when the recipient was not a paying subscriber. The company described its posture as "trust no one," contrasting it with cloud storage providers that decrypt files on their servers and control the re-encryption keys. Additional security features included the ability to verify the recipient machine's cryptographic fingerprint to guard against man-in-the-middle attacks. A structural limitation of the transfer-based model was that sender and recipient had to be online simultaneously, unlike link-based cloud sharing.

Founding story

Sources state the company was founded in 2011 by Trenton (Trent) Ashburn, who had built computational models for quantitative hedge funds and later raced as a semi-pro cyclist before seeking a company idea he could relate to; he identified the difficulty of sending large files securely and the fact that mainstream providers decrypt files on their own servers. Amit Bansil, a Boston-based programmer, is also listed as founder and CPO.

Business model

Freemium desktop software: unlimited-size unencrypted transfers offered free of charge, with a paid subscription unlocking end-to-end encrypted "Secure" transfers. Because files were never stored on company servers, storage costs did not scale with free usage.

Subscription revenue from Pro accounts priced at $10 per month for end-to-end encrypted transfers; unencrypted transfers were free.

Traction

Public reporting at launch described a four-person team and cited clients who had replaced physical media shipments with the service; no user or revenue figures are disclosed in the available sources. Databases list no known external funding and a current team size of two.

Latest developments

WireOver is listed as inactive in Y Combinator's company directory and in third-party startup databases; no recent product or funding activity appears in the available sources.