Investor

Idea Lab

United States of America

Bill Gross started Idealab in 1996 to create and operate pioneering technology companies. The structure of Idealab has allowed us to test many ideas at once and turn the best of them into companies, attracting the human and financial capital necessary to bring them to market. Many of these companies were among the first to introduce new business ideas to the market. CitySearch, now a part of IAC, established the category of local online community directories. eToys demonstrated the tremendous potential for online consumer retail and became one of the most recognized brands during the early days of e-commerce. Overture Services, which began life as GoTo.com, was the first company to introduce the concept of paid search — the business model that powers the multi billion-dollar online search market.

Type: Accelerator/Incubator

Geography: United States of America

Impact: Access to Energy