Groupon

Groupon would not have evolved to be what it is now if co-founder Andrew Mason had not begun it as a side venture. Mason obtained the first $1 million in seed money from Eric Lefkofsky, the current Groupon chairman and Mason's former supervisor at a Chicago web design firm. Originally called "The Point," Groupon was a program that allowed people to collaborate on various social goals. The Point was too complicated for Mason, Lefkofsky, and a third co-founder, Brad Keywell, so they simplified it to just a website that connected subscribers with local businesses—Groupon.

Now, Groupon is a global e-commerce platform based in the United States that connects users with local merchants in 15 countries through activities, travel, commodities, and services.

Headquarters: Illinois, U.S.

Year Founded: 2008

Founders: Andrew Mason, Eric Lefkofsky, Brad Keywell

Industry: Electronic commerce

Website: groupon.com