Tel Aviv, Israel, and Mountain View, Calif.

Founded: 2006
Sector: Communications
CEO: Zur Feldman

WeFi offers software that aims to help users get the best available Internet connectivity over Wi-Fi for cell phones and laptops. The WeFi software reports the connectivity data to its back-end servers, where a global, ever-growing database and map of available Wi-Fi resources is updated. This information is automatically shared with all the WeFi users. Two venture-backed Spanish startups, FON and Whisher, offer similar global services. Unlike FON, WeFi does not rely on the selling or installing of hardware. The Israeli company's service claims to be able to identify all available Wi-Fi resources wherever the WeFi software runs and to manage the network with zero spending on physical assets. Backers include Yossi Vardi, an instant-messaging pioneer whose company sold ICQ to AOL.

16 Plug and Play

Wazap!

Berlin

Founded: 2003
Sector: Games and Search
CEO: Andreas Ruhrig

Wazap! is a gaming-specific search engine and a global social network. The search engine provides a game database, Web search, eSports, and massively multiplayer online gaming content. The social network allows users to contribute their own articles, comments, and news, as well as to ask questions and connect to each other. The company's CEO is a serial entrepreneur who founded Germany's largest student and gaming portals and sold them in 2000. Wazap! was launched in Tokyo in 2004, Shanghai in 2006, and Los Angeles in 2007. Plans are to expand into England, France, and Korea in 2008.

17 Think Global, Look Local

Qype

Hamburg, Germany

Founded: 2005
Sector: Local Search and Review
CEO: Stephan Uhrenbacher

Qype is a local search service that allows people to share views on everything from the most reliable plumber to the best restaurant. The site has more than 45,000 registered users in Germany and is now expanding across Europe. French and British sites will be launched in December, with Spain and Italy to follow in 2008. Plans are to add event reviews and access from mobile phones. Competitors include townster.de, trustedplaces.co.uk, and welovelocal.com.

18 Cheap Mobile Calls

Truphone

Edenbridge, England

Founded: 2006
Sector: Communications
CEO: James Tagg

Truphone's service, which works by downloading software onto mobile phones, enables VoIP calls on Wi-Fi-equipped mobiles at little or no cost to callers by using a telephone standard called SIP and the Internet to route traffic. Truphone-to-Truphone and Truphone-to-SIP-number calls are free, and calls to other numbers are cheaper than those charged by mobile operators (and often at lower cost than even a conventional phone line). When a Truphone-equipped handset is not in Wi-Fi range, it reverts to being a normal mobile, with calls routed over GSM. The service already operates in Britain and the U.S. and is currently launching in Germany and the Netherlands. Other European countries will soon follow. Competitors include JahJah, Rebtel, and Fring, although those offers don't revolve around Wi-Fi.

19 Flirting with Success

Handmade Mobile

London

Founded: 2004
Sector: Mobile Content/Entertainment
CEO: Mark Curtis

Handmade Mobile describes itself as an entertainment product that sits among popular social networking, online data services, and the lucrative mobile service and content market. It runs Flirtomatic, a pan-European flirting service for people connected to the Internet either via PC or mobile phone. The service allows registered members to discover new people on the basis of their preferences, interests, locations, and other information stored in their profile. They also can chat with other users, send rapid messages with graphics and photos, rate other members, and find user-generated editorial content on matters of flirting and dating. A typical user logs in 46 times per month and stays for 37 minutes each time. The company hopes to reach 1.8 million users in Britain by the end of 2008. Expansion into the U.S. is being considered.

20 Mobile Media

Refresh Mobile

London

Founded: 2005
Sector: Mobile Services
CEO: Scott Beaumont

Refresh Mobile's Mippin service aims to deliver the latest news, blogs, and other Web content in the perfect format to your phone, giving mobile-phone users the ability to discover and share what they want. The CEO is the former head of business development in Europe for T-Mobile. The vice-president of technology, Robin Jewsbury, was T-Mobile's chief innovation officer. Competitors include PluMo, Winksite, FeedM8, and Mofuse. The company plans to target the U.S., Britain, South Africa, and India over the next 15 months.