Whisper Systems

[5] An independent group called Open Whisper Systems later picked up the development of this open-source software,[6] which led to the creation of the Signal Technology Foundation.

[7][8] Security researcher Moxie Marlinspike and roboticist Stuart Anderson co-founded Whisper Systems in 2010.

[12] Shortly after the acquisition, Whisper Systems' RedPhone service was made unavailable.

In November 2015, Open Whisper Systems merged TextSecure with RedPhone and renamed it as Signal.

[7][8] The foundation has stated publicly that they are not tied to any major technology companies and "can never be acquired by one either.