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Pipe is a file sharing Facebook app that handles up to 1GB files. The way it works is quite simple; files are transferred from one user to the other, like in a tube, without any intermediary server. But what makes it so special?

Pipe is the brainchild of three seasoned entrepreneurs: Philip Eggersglüss, Marco Rydmann,  and Simon Hossell. Simon, the CEO, was kind enough to let us in on the reasoning behind Pipe. Why create yet another file sharing service and how would it find its way in an already crowded space?

                                                  Marco                                Simon                                           Philip

Pipe’s genesis is rather unorthodox. Tradition says that ideas come to mind first, then teams get formed, and execution gets underway. In this instance, however, the three founders decided to sit together, back in March of 2011, and think up something new.

Social, Viral, & Scalable

That idea had to abide by certain principles; current trends that they believed would ensure its success. It had to have a social dimension, it had to have the potential to go viral, and it had to be able to scale easily.

On a Monday morning, Marco, ‘the techie,’ came up with an idea for a simple drag & drop file sharing app that seemed to be exactly what they were looking for.

“We realized that there was plenty of ways to broadcast,” Simon explained. "Talking ‘many-to-many’ is very commonplace on the web nowadays. One-on-one communication, on the other hand, seems to have been lost through the noise," he added.

That realization shaped the way Pipe works. The founders envisioned it as a private, confidential file transfer utility. While it lives on a 1 billion strong network, it merely uses it to establish one-on-one connections. Files are transferred from browser cache to browser cache. Facebook doesn't see the file; Pipe can’t see it either.

Furthermore, using the app requires both ends to have the app installed. But if files are sent to someone that doesn’t have the app installed, they will get notified of the transfer and asked to download the app.

All of this meant that Pipe satisfied all criteria of a viable idea. It lives on the world’s largest social network, leverages its reach to market itself, required very little infrastructure, and could be scaled inexpensively.

                         Online                                                Receiving File                                   Transfer Complete

Offline Use

"During Beta testing, a significant minority would try to send files to offline users," says Simon. "So in response, offline file transfer capabilities were build into the system for files up to a 100 MB. Files that are sent offline will be stored in the sender's 'Locker' for the time being."

Pipe currently lives on Facebook, but Simon did not rule out the possibility of moving to other platforms. Mobile versions of the app should also come around soon enough, but for now, the plan is to familiarize people with the app on the desktop.

If you want to give Pipe a try, the app will launch tomorrow afternoon, depending on where you are in MENA. Make sure you visit the website and the Facebook page to stay updated.