'Skype Mafia' Backs A.I. Startup Automating Contract Negotiations

Prominent members of Europe's so-called "Skype Mafia," all co-founders or early employees of the voice-over-Internet conferencing service, are backing Pactum, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to automate business contract negotiations. Founded late last year but only emerged from stealth mode on Wednesday, Pactum uses a chatbot-like interface to conduct contract talks. The bot can offer changes to standard terms, including price, delivery conditions and days to pay, in order to reach a better deal. The company is based in Mountain View, Calif., with engineering offices in Tallinn, Estonia, where Skype's first engineering offices were also located. Among those investing in the small startup are Jaan Tallinn, a Skype co-founder who has become a prominent backer of A.I.-related startups and research groups, Taavet Hinrikus, an early Skype employee who went on to found international payments firm TransferWise, Ott Kaukver, another early Skype employee who is now the chief technology officer at Twilio, and Sten Tamkivi, a general manager at Skype who is now chief product officer at Topia.