Facebook seems to have found its adversary in David Gorodyansky's new social media app Anchorfree. The Russian CEO seems to have found a way to compete with Mark Zuckerberg's "Free Basics" campaign on Facebook.

While Gorodyansky is still unknown in the U.S., his status is likely to increase on the global stage as his product continues to increase in popularity. So who is Gorodyansky?

His Legacy

In 2006, the founder of Anchorfree seemed to have a good product. Then the recession hit in 2008, and Gorodyansky almost went under. However, AnchorFree was able to survive. Through investments the founder was able to raise $62 million. The app now reaches 400 million people in 200 countries.

However, this was not Gorodyansky's first company. In 2002, he founded the company Intelligent Buying with Eugene Malobrodsky. The company resold high-end computer equipment and was a success before Gorodyansky decided to exit and start Anchorfree in 2005.

Anchorfree's Development

Since the creation of AnchorFree, Gorodyansky and his team have developed numerous programs, such as Hotspot Shield, which is a virtual private network that is used for Wi-Fi security, Internet privacy and circumventing censorship. For example, Hotspot is used to protect personal information while using public Wi-Fi in restaurants, hotels or cafes that offer service for free. It is also credited with letting people trick services like Netflix to allow them to use services available only in certain countries. Finally, it allows users to get rid of certain restrictions and censors imposed by governments.

AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield has since been used by protesters during the Arab Spring and during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.

He has since been recognized as one of the leading entrepreneurs of his generation and has received awards from the Academy of Achievement and was featured on Forbes and Inc magazine. He also received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The Future

Gorodynansky continues to develop new projects under Anchorfree and he is building new apps including Kaboom Keyboard, a Snapchat picture messaging clone. There are no other immediate plans but the company and his prominence are likely to continue to growing.

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