match.com

Match is an online dating service with headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. The company has offices in Dallas, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Beijing. Match is owned by Match Group, which owns several online dating services. History In 1993, Match.com was founded by Gary Kremen and Peng T. Ong in San Francisco. At the beginning, Match.com was the name of the website, while the company that operated it was formally named Electric Classifieds Inc. Early on, Kremen was assisted by Ong, who helped in the design of the initial system, and Simon Glinsky, who co-wrote its business plan, developed product designs including matching criteria, services to LGBT communities, created business models and initial marketing strategies and made early hires. Fran Maier later joined the company as its director of marketing. According to a retrospective from The Atlantic, Maier helped to implement Match.com's business strategy, which included a subscription model and the inclusion of diverse communities, including technology professionals and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Match.com became operational as a free beta version website during early 1995 and was first profiled in Wired magazine that same year. Founder Kremen left the company in March 1996 after disagreements with venture capitalists. In 1997, Match.com was purchased by Cendant, who then sold it to IAC in 1999. Growth and partnerships In September 2001, Match.com partnered with AOL and MSN with the idea that Love@AOL and MSN Dating and Personals would allow a more diverse audience to gain access to Match.com.