Idealab

Idealab (formerly known as idealab!) is a technology incubator — possibly the most famous business incubator of the dot-com era. It is based in Pasadena, California.

History

Idealab was founded by Bill Gross in March 1996. Prior to Idealab, he founded GNP Loudspeakers (now GNP Audio Video), an audio equipment manufacturer; GNP Development Inc., acquired by Lotus Software; and Knowledge Adventure, an educational software company, later acquired by Cendant. Gross graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and Idealab! has historically hired many alumni; Gross now sits on the Institute's board of trustees.

The company leased the right to use the .tv domain, giving the island nation of Tuvalu enough money to join the United Nations in 2000.

Noteworthy companies

Idealab has spun off a variety of companies including:

• Insider Pages[1], city guides with customer reviews of restaurants, beauty salons, dentists and other local services.
• NetZero
• Goto.com - Later renamed to Overture Services Inc.. After its acquisition by Yahoo! it became Yahoo! Search Marketing.
• eToys
• jackpot.com
• New.net
• Picasa, recently bought by Google
• PETsMART.com
• .tv
• FreePC
• Spun.com
• Kidsonline
• Swap.com
• Internet Brands[2], parent of:
  • CarsDirect.com [3]
  • Autos.com[4]
  • Vamoose.com[5]
  • Vacationhomes.com[6]
  • Loanstore.com[7]
  • Bestrate.com[8]
  • Realestateabc.com[9]
• Desktop Factory
• Energy Innovations
• X1
• Snap (search engine)
• PayMyBills.com, acquired by PayTrust
• Omnilux, Inc.[10]
• Blastoff.com

External links

• Idealab official site
• News article on Idealab leasing the right to use the .tv domain
• Interview with Stuart MacFarlane of Idealab company InsiderPages.com

Sources

• Bill Gross' Management Team Page at Idealab