Where 14 Of The Top Internet Businesses Got Started

Posted on 12. Aug, 2009 by Michael in Entrepreneurship

Hello Everyone,

Today I decided to show everyone where 14 of my favorite top internet businesses were started. Just goes to show you that you don’t have to start with an office etc. A good number started from dorm rooms and their bedrooms with just a laptop.

Some of the images are a little dodgy — but remember 11 years ago we did not have the highly sophisticated ditital cameras we have today

Today 1) Website: Facebook
Founder: Mark Zuckerberg
Place started the business: At his Harvard Dorm Room
The birth of Facebook is related to Zuckerberg’s appetite for hacking.
He got into limelight when he refused $1 billion offer from Yahoo. Later on he settled with $240 million dollar deal, giving Microsoft 1.6% stake in Facebook raising the valuation to $15 billion.

Where Facebook.com Was Started

2) Website: Google
Founder: Larry Page and Sergey Brin
Place started the business: In a garage
Larry and Sergey started on a name BackRub. But Larry and Sergey decide that the BackRub search engine needs a new name. After some brainstorming, they go with Google — a play on the word “googol,” a mathematical term for the number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros. The use of the term reflects their mission to organize a seemingly infinite amount of information on the web.

Where Google.com Was Started

3) Website: Runescape
Founder: Andrew Gower
Place started the business: From a bedroom in his parents’ house in Nottingham.
He has involved in coding for games since his childhood. He had a penchant for dungeon gaming. He initially started RunEscape as a hobby, and later monetized his website and turned out to be a successful business venture.

Where Runescape.com Was Started

4) Website: PopCap Games
Founders: John Vechey, along with Brien Fiete and Jason Kapalka
Place started the business: In his office
John Vechey, along with Brien Fiete and Jason Kapalka founded Popcap games in the year 2000. They earlier worked with internet gaming sites like flipside and pogo. Their first gaming product was Bejeweled, which became a big hit, and received numerous awards.

Where PopCapGames.com Was Started

5) Website: Threadless
Founder: Jack Nickell along with Jacob Dehart
Place started the business: From a studio apartment
Jack Nickell along with Jacob Dehart ( both college dropouts ), started threadless when they were still working on their regular job. Both the partners put a modest $500 as their initial investment. Now the company has annual revenue to the extent of $50 million.

Where Threadless.com Was Started

6) Website: Biz Chair
Founder: Sean Belnick
Place started the business: From his bedroom
He started with $500, with an initial inventory of 50 products. Now the company has 75 employees and sells more than 25000 products online. He sells office furniture, home furniture, school furniture and medical equipment in online shop. Microsoft, Google and American Idol are amongst some of his notable clients.

Where BizChair.com Was Started

7) Website: Digg
Founder: Kevin Rose
Place started the business: In his apartment.
David Prager (The Screen Savers, This Week in Tech), originally wanted to call the site “Diggnation”, but Kevin Rose wanted a simpler name. He chose the name “Digg”, because users are able to “dig” stories, out of those submitted, up to the front page. The site was called “Digg” instead of “Dig” because the domain name “dig.com” had been previously registered by the Walt Disney Internet Group.

Where Digg.com Was Started

8) Website: PlentyOfFish
Founder: Markus Frind
Place started the business: In his office
Back in 2001 after his birthday someone in the office introduced him to online dating sites. He went back to his desk and checked out udate.com and kiss.com and lavalife/web personals. He was bored and He wanted to chat with people. He was really annoyed when he found out you had to pay for everything, he ended up telling the girl who introduced him to the sites that he could do better and make them for free, so he went and registered Plentyoffish.com.

Where PlentyOfFish.com Was Started

9) Website: Voltage
Founder: Rishi Kacker and Matt Pauker
Place started the business: In a basement office in the engineering building
Rishi Kacker and Matt Pauker worked on the technology as a summer research project while attending Stanford. They entered a business-plan competition they won the contest. With the help of some seasoned executives, the two have created a thriving security-software business with more than 130 big-business customers and 75 employees. “It’s still amazing to me,” says Pauker.

Where Voltage.com Was Started

10) Website: YouTube
Founder: Chad Hurley
Place started the business: In his office
After that fateful dinner party, where Hurley and Chen wanted to create a simpler way to share their videos of the night, they immediately went to work at the office creating the answer. “In February, we started developing the product,” says Hurley. “In May, we had our first public preview. And in December, we officially launched YouTube. By that time we were serving over three million videos a day.”

Where YouTube.com Was Started

11) Website: FastHost
Founder: Andrew Michael
Place started the business: From his bedroom
He became a multi-millionaire after selling an internet business he started as a teenager. He started up Fasthosts as an internet project for a sixth form project at the age of 17. With the sale of Fasthosts, Mr Michael’s wealth has rocketed to £47m.

Where FastHost.com Was Started

12) Website: WhatEverLife
Founder: Ashley Qualls
Place started the business: started at her kitchen office.
Started her business in 2004 with an $8 domain name and an old computer, at the age of just fourteen. She didn’t know she was starting a business at the time – she thought she was just creating an easy way to share her cool MySpace background designs with her friends.

Where WhatEverLife.com Was Started

13) Website: eBay
Founder: Pierre Omidyar
Place started the business: In the home of Pierre Omidyar
There aren’t many sites on the Internet that can claim the success that eBay has enjoyed. The first name eBay used was Echo Bay Technology. When the company tried to register the domain name echobay.com, they found that it was already in use. They shortened the name to eBay.com and the Website was born.

Where eBay.com Was Started

14) Website: LinkedIn
Founder: Reid Hoffman
Place started the business: In the living room
LinkedIn was officially founded in 2003. The site was launched on May 5th (affectionately referred to by employees as “Cinco de LinkedIn”) when the five founders invited about 350 of their most important contacts to join. At the end of the first month in operation, LinkedIn had a total of 4,500 members in the network. LinkedIn’s first “real” office was on Shoreline Road in Mountain View.

Where Linkedin.com Was Started

I hope the list has inspired you and has made it clear you can start anywhere!

To Our Success in 2009,

Michael Dunlop

PS. Where did you start you first business?

If you're really considering making a living through blogging, then you absolutely have to check out Blogging To The Bank by Rob Benwell. In his book, the UK millionaire blogger reveals step by step how he makes as much as $90,480 a month from just a few hours work.

For people ready to dive into a more premium guide, you should consider Blog Mastermind by Yaro Starak. Yaro teaches how you too can master the exact SYSTEM he uses to make a minimum of $10,000 to as much as $35,000 per month, blogging part time.

Tags: Chad Hurley, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Start An Internet Business, Started His Business In A Garage, Top Internet Businesses, Where Digg.com Was Started, Where Facebook.com Was Started, Where Google Was Started, Where PlentyOfFish.com Was Started, Where To Start Your Business, Where YouTube.com Was Started

86 Responses to “Where 14 Of The Top Internet Businesses Got Started”

Een Rockstar

12. Aug, 2009

As I start my biz from zero(everything was zero) so my 1st place is in my bedroom..

Reply to this comment
Lillea Woodlyns

12. Aug, 2009

This is a fun read!

I started my online business in a tiny (maybe 350 sq foot) 3-room suite beside the laundry area for the building. Noisy! lol

I don’t have the numbers that these guys do yet, but give me a bit more time and who knows

Reply to this comment
kayt romeo

12. Aug, 2009

Thats interesting. nice post.

Reply to this comment
Scott

12. Aug, 2009

Ebay looks kinda like it had a bit of backing from the start, just going by the decor and what not, still, I guess none of it really matters once the business gets as popular as some of them have.

Reply to this comment
Robert Avila

12. Aug, 2009

Thanks Michael,

That was an awesome post!

It really puts things into perspective seeing where some of these amazing companies were founded. If someone has vision it doesn’t matter how small they start out.

Many reading this will realize that their office doesn’t look much different than the ones in your post and it will inspire them to do great things!

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  12. Aug, 2009
  
  Hey Robert,
  
  Exactly, most people start just like all these big sites, from a computer in a bedroom, garage or even dorm room. Its the fact that we take action. Just do it people!
  
  Mike
  
  Reply to this comment
Brittany

12. Aug, 2009

Cool, that’s inspiring

Reply to this comment
Top Internet Companies - Where They Started

12. Aug, 2009

[...] Dunlop’s post “Where 14 of the Top Internet Businesses Got Started” show’s the offices of where some of the most widely known Internet Companies got their [...]

Reply to this comment
Kateyboo

12. Aug, 2009

I love reading stories like this! Right now I’m in my lounge with a laptop on my lap (no space for a study!). hope to have a story like this in the future (dreaming big!)

Reply to this comment
peter mcgrath

12. Aug, 2009

hi michael

say a great post but how did you manage to get all the
pictures of the various founders bedrooms kitchens it goes to show if we are creative thers hope for us all

thanks
peter

Reply to this comment
Victory

12. Aug, 2009

I am going have to get me one of those “bedroom” dealys they seem to bring a lot of inspiration to a business.

Reply to this comment
Cynthia

12. Aug, 2009

I hope to be on this list one day! Started from my living room home office. Great Post, just the inspiration I need to keep going!

Reply to this comment
jeff

12. Aug, 2009

It seems as though the worst websites are built in the nicest homes.

Reply to this comment
Muzi Mohale

12. Aug, 2009

Ah, welcome back mate, I missed your daily dose of motivation. That’s the beauty with internet business, it’s flexible to start with a pc you’re on the go, no fancy office park address with unnecessary monthly bills, while you still try to find your feet.

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  13. Aug, 2009
  
  Hey Muzi,
  
  Thanks very much, hopefully will start providing daily inspiration again….
  
  You can start from anywhere, a laptop in starbucks if needs be!
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
azwan

12. Aug, 2009

Mine started in my living area but can’t make a great story yet and don’t have a pic to show.
So it’s true – just do it (don’t give too many excuses to start s’thing)

Reply to this comment
Patrenia

12. Aug, 2009

Thanks Michael…this is truly inspirational. I am currently working on lauching my product and I hope to have a story as successful as the one’s you have presented to us.

Reply to this comment
Raja

12. Aug, 2009

Michael….
Once again you have done a great Job.

This post was really awesome and inspirational.

Today i have lot of facilities, still cant able to step up.

So i have to work harder.

Thanks Pal.

Reply to this comment
Ben

12. Aug, 2009

cool & inspiring post. Thanks.

Reply to this comment
Harry Lewis

12. Aug, 2009

I love to hear these success stories. they are very inspiring. All of these people had one thing in common. A knowledge of programming & ‘Computerese’. Unfortunately, although I have the desire, I do not have the ability to set up web sites, do programming, etc. If anyone is interested, I have the desire, the time, but not the technical ability. I would love to start off by delving into Affiliate Marketing. I believe there is an enormous potential for making money there. I am great at follow-up and running things once set up. Anyone interested in going for a ‘ride’ with me, with the knowledge I lack? I can be reached at: Uniqueopp@aol.com. Thanks for reading. Harry

Reply to this comment
Alexi

12. Aug, 2009

This is great inspiration for me, thank you.

I just started my website a couple of weeks ago out of my bedroom.

Hopefully I can soon replace the desktop with a laptop and advance to the living room. =D

Reply to this comment
David Stillwagon

12. Aug, 2009

Great post, I guess it shows that you can start an online business anywhere.

Reply to this comment
kateyboo.com » Blog Archive » Where 14 of the Top Internet Businesses Started - Views on entrepreneurship, internet marketing and mindset

12. Aug, 2009

[...] Check it out here: where-14-of-the-top-internet-businesses-were-started [...]

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Celes | The Personal Excellence Blog

12. Aug, 2009

Hey Michael, great reminder that every business starts from somewhere Thanks for putting this together!

Reply to this comment
Sam

12. Aug, 2009

Gotta love this post.

The Digg photo looks all too familiar !

Best one gotta be the YouTube photo though, looks like the guys set up the site on someone else’s time…

Take a bow all of you gents. Take a bow.

Reply to this comment
Lily

12. Aug, 2009

It’s great to see that your 1st “office” does not have to be the perfect office. I will keep pushing forward. Thanks!

Reply to this comment
Sharon/The Baby Boomer Queen

12. Aug, 2009

I started my business when I wasn’t able to work regular hours any more (I have Lupus) and I was forced to close my antique clothing and milliner shop.

Now, I work from my home and my computer is right next to my bed. I wish I had a computer in every room of the house.

Great post…one that should give everyone incentive and inspiration. I am glad that a friend sent this to me. I can’t wait to post it on my blog.

Southern smiles and world peace,
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~

Reply to this comment
Marcell

12. Aug, 2009

WOW! Very inspirational! I love the fact that these guys and gals started these big companies from their bedroom or from their garage. Pretty amazing. That shows fact that if they can do, you can also

Reply to this comment
Chef Tony

12. Aug, 2009

Great post, but remember too, we don’t all have to be striving to be ebay…niche marketing does very well too…keep it up everyone!!

Reply to this comment
Andy

12. Aug, 2009

Great post – really gives you inspiration.

I have started many a business from such places but am still waiting to code the next Facebook

Reply to this comment
baloot

12. Aug, 2009

mostly, successful IM are born from their bedroom.

Reply to this comment
Erik

12. Aug, 2009

I started my start-up http://www.bulldogbyte.com in my bedroom too.

Reply to this comment
Where 14 Of The Top Internet Businesses Got Started | Baby Boomer Advisor Club|Baby Boomer Health and News

12. Aug, 2009

[...] the full story of “Where 14 Of The Top Internet Businesses Got Started,” go to IncomeDiary.com. See ya’ there… Share This Story With Your Friends (choose below)… These icons [...]

Reply to this comment
Greg Ellison

12. Aug, 2009

That is awesome that they created something huge in their homes or garages. Most of the creation were with friends so that is cool. We have the power create anything we want we just need to do it. Greg Ellison

Reply to this comment
nicotec

12. Aug, 2009

what does it say that some of the great tech entrepreneurs have no taste for interior design..?

Reply to this comment
Jason R. Ayers

12. Aug, 2009

Very inspirational post …it doesn’t matter where you start – just start.

Jason R. Ayers

Reply to this comment
Raul Pellerano

12. Aug, 2009

My partners and I started our start up – http://www.bongobing.com – with two of us in our dorm rooms and one working from home (after a full day at work). We’re now all living together and are working out of our apartment. We’ll hopefully make Michael’s list. Thank you for the post, I posted it on our Facebook fan page and twitter blog along with my personal facebook page.

Reply to this comment
franjh

13. Aug, 2009

You just never know where you might end up, when you work hard on an idea! Facinating story’s and inspiring for everybody to never give up.

Reply to this comment
Salvador Stabler

13. Aug, 2009

Great point my friend. It doesn’t matter where you get started as long as you get going.

So many people are afraid of failure and at the same time don’t know how to focus.

thanks mike

Reply to this comment
Toko Kaos Online

13. Aug, 2009

great post.. just start and move to the top.. they are amazing..

Reply to this comment
jj-momscashblog

13. Aug, 2009

Hi Michael, Glad to hear your back from your trip would love to hear about that too. This was a great post of yours, I started in my living room and then the phone rang telling me I had been picked to buy my blog…actually I was sitting in my chair . So now I know just from the pictures and stories behind the pics. that I’m on my way to greatness. I think any and all of us can achieve greatness all it takes is perseverance and dedication doing something that we love, there in lies the trick… loving what one does. Thanks again Michael for a great post. JJ p.s. sending u an email re: Twitter.

Reply to this comment
Partha

13. Aug, 2009

Good to see this ….

Reply to this comment
Luis Lopez

13. Aug, 2009

This article is awesome, that gives me courage to keep working on my design company, even if I work from home in a little studio, maybe one day I’ll get a good office like those guys.

Reply to this comment
David Amxtrong

13. Aug, 2009

Well, very nice post, interesting!

I started my first business in classroom.

Thank so much for your nice post.

Cheer,

Reply to this comment
Ayush

13. Aug, 2009

Thanks for sharing this wonderful inspirational story.

Reply to this comment
Khristal

13. Aug, 2009

Very Inspirational! Keep the great post coming : )

Reply to this comment
Martin

13. Aug, 2009

Hey Michael!
Very inspirational and interesting post.

Thank you!

Reply to this comment
fred mwabamba

13. Aug, 2009

hey mike! the article is very inspiring, i luv it

Reply to this comment
tworzenie zaplecza

13. Aug, 2009

I can mention Ma.gnolia.com This was also started in garage. Unfortunatelly it was also maintained in garage. Finally it also ended in garage (admin didn’t make backup, mirror or smth like this)

Reply to this comment
Lucas Tadeu

14. Aug, 2009

Really nice article.It’s nice to know that most of these giants of the today internet started just like us,. Thanks for posting, really liked it.

Reply to this comment
Gary A. Parenti

14. Aug, 2009

Hey Michael,

Welcome home.I wondered why I hadn`t received
any mail from you lately.As always another great post
from one of the best..

I also started in my home , and I am still in my home..
Of course I just started 2 months ago..So I guess I will be doing this right here for some time to come…

Looking forward to your next post…
One of your followers,
G.A.P. / Pyradom

Reply to this comment
Alexander Bickov

14. Aug, 2009

Nice historical ideas

Reply to this comment
Bijay Rungta (@rungss)

14. Aug, 2009

Whoaa..

All of them were Garage Bands/Startups

I read in The Google Story that Page and Brin used to stay at their place that they took after taking a leave from the University for almost 24 Hours….

I was doing just that (though in a considerably mature Organization) but Some People just don’t seem to understand and point out the general Rules/Processes that the Organization has already Adopted and resist any exception being made…

Rules are there to Protect an Organization as a wise Friend of mine once pointed out…

This came after a lot of Thoughts, and Learning Process including this Blog Archive by me though…

Where I Observed that There was one rule that most People just got to follow even if most others ignored by some of the Other..
http://bijayrungta.com/one-rule-thats-followed-by-everyone-around-the-world

What do you guys have to say???
Reply me @rungss on Twitter, besides Commenting here..
Cheers,
Bijay Rungta
Software Architect

Reply to this comment
Response to the List the Garages Where 14 Of The Top Internet Businesses Got Started (Via Bijay Rungta aka @rungss, Sharing Knowledge, Daring to Speak, Caring(People) to nurture and Living to Love)

14. Aug, 2009

[...] 14 Of The Top Internet Businesses Got Started 14 August 2009 View commentsComments Here is a the Comment I posted in a Blog that I stumbled Upon Today [...]

Reply to this comment
Stuart Wooster

14. Aug, 2009

That’s my room!! Hahaha!

Nice post….but I really do worry about people who just take pics of their rooms like that.

Reply to this comment
Stanley Chong

14. Aug, 2009

all things started from scratch. well, if you got a ideas, you can start from everywhere, even the kitchen,

good jobs.

Stanley Chong

Reply to this comment
Shareef Defrawi

14. Aug, 2009

Very inspiring indeed.

Reply to this comment
Gus Zadra

14. Aug, 2009

I received this in an email from our CEO. We started our company in my living room, then it moved to a basement, then a larger living room, and we’re moving in to our office a the end of the month. No seed money, just hard work, and big ideas.
http://www.bonsaimediagroup.com

Thanks for the post. It’s great inspiration for us.
Cheers

Reply to this comment
Umer Hayat

15. Aug, 2009

that was a great read Micheal!
I started my business only 1 year ago from my bedroom and I’m still in my bedroom…:)

Actually I like work from bedrooms…:))

Reply to this comment
Invaders Troop

16. Aug, 2009

Interesting yo… Very nice to see where those top sites born…

Reply to this comment
Todd Perlee

16. Aug, 2009

Inspiring. These people also have great marketing instincts. There’s nothing like having a great name and logo to go along with your business plan initially. Brand legitimizes. Check out http://www.stembrand.com if you need to move quickly on marketing with an affordable, experienced agency.

Reply to this comment
Riley Fox

16. Aug, 2009

Michael,
Thanks for taking the time to research this post of fourteen of the top Internet Businesses. Not only fun to read, but makes someone just starting an Internet business get motivated.

Reply to this comment
Julio Cosmo

16. Aug, 2009

Great post Michael!!!

Reply to this comment
GoBusiness101

17. Aug, 2009

Soon I will be featured here where I also started. LOL. Tanx

Reply to this comment
Yoav Shalev

17. Aug, 2009

this is truly inspirational! really keeps you motivated to continue and make your dream come true!

thanks for sharing with us.

Reply to this comment
Yael Rozencwajg

17. Aug, 2009

It’s quite funny to read all the comments bellow!
Everyone’s here seems to have stated like these major websites, but none achieve them…they surely had something more than (us) people ….

Reply to this comment
Bruceongames

18. Aug, 2009

Andrew Gower rarely gives interviews. However he has just done one for Bruceongames that gives rare insight into his early days and advice for anyone wanting to emulate him: http://www.bruceongames.com/2009/08/18/exclusive-andrew-gower-interview/

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  18. Aug, 2009
  
  Wow Bruce thats really cool that you got a interview with Andrew, I have never seen anyone get a interview with him, very cool!
  
  Reply to this comment
Generic Domain Market

18. Aug, 2009

Great post .. thanks for putting this together!

Reply to this comment
Gaurav M

19. Aug, 2009

Damn GOOD !

Reply to this comment
ahmet alp balkan

19. Aug, 2009

Thanks for this inspirational post!

Reply to this comment
caeser

20. Aug, 2009

wow. have taken long without seeing mic blogs this is very good and motivational. thanks michael

you should post your own pic mic

Reply to this comment
Dustin @ Inzolo

20. Aug, 2009

Nice. This was fascinating to me. I love the power of the Internet to allow business to start from virtually nothing. Maybe I should take a snapshot of my office now!

Reply to this comment
Robert Rawlins

20. Aug, 2009

Gives you hope! One of these days I’m going to have myself a billion dollar idea! haha

Great article.

Reply to this comment
Nardyello

21. Aug, 2009

It seems crazy, but it all just started in a room with a brilliant mind thinking of something to do that didn’t exist before.

Really great post. Thank you for sharing.

Reply to this comment
Dave DaCoda

24. Aug, 2009

Nice!
European founders will to that, too.
Our german website http://www.admberlin.de started in 2004 in my house.
My first web-projekt, worlds first internet-dog, started in 2000 in my living room with a pc, webcam, flat (at that time very expensive) and a shepherd dog (www.dogcam.de)
I sold that company but the new owner closed that a year later.

Reply to this comment
qatar world

25. Aug, 2009

awesome post !! ..

wow bedroom and dorms??

my bedroom bigger than all of them and i have all opportunities to start but !! i dont know whats stops me ?? im 20 as u

Reply to this comment
Iblackdude

28. Sep, 2009

Geezzzzzz.
Thanks for the story. Now my turn ( . ) ( . )

Reply to this comment
Ben

28. Sep, 2009

Nice to see how some startups I use frequently was founded and started, it’s so awesome!

Reply to this comment
Vandana

13. Oct, 2009

This is good stuff, Inspiring!

Reply to this comment
Internet Business

11. Nov, 2009

This post shows that t succeed you need to have vision!So you can start an internet business from anywhere as long as you have goals to pursue.

Reply to this comment
Colin Jeffrey

24. Nov, 2009

Fantastic, great how you got all the photo’s and Info.
a very good learning point too. Just goe’s to show that you can live out your dreams from anywhere, the Google set up tells you it all.

Reply to this comment
Ben Jacob

16. Dec, 2009

Thats a great post Michael.. We all use those services or dreams big.. and never tries to know how they built it.. or where it has started from..

Reply to this comment
mindxstudio

30. Dec, 2009

Thanks Michael, for such good stuff.

Reply to this comment
Chris M

14. Jan, 2010

What a fantastic article, awesome to see that all of us web junkies started in our little rooms

Reply to this comment
Inner

05. Feb, 2010

I started my first business in a backpacker bar on a fateful Tuesday evening. Who new where it would go…

Thanks for the list. Interesting read

Reply to this comment