System1

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
System1
Company type
Infospace, MapQuest, Startpage.com
,
Formerly: Waterfox
Websitesystem1.com


System1 is an

Internet advertising company.[1] Formerly known as OpenMail, it was founded in 2013.[2][3][4]It describes itself as operating a "Responsive Acquisition Marketing Platform", and cites privacy as one of its principal foci, although it has been criticized for its influence on privacy-focussed properties, including search engine Startpage.com.[5][6]It is headquartered in Marina del Rey, California.[7]

History

Michael Blend and Chuck Ursini founded the company in Venice Beach, California, in 2013.[2][4]

In July 2016, Infospace and its subsidiary HowStuffWorks, Dogpile, Zoo.com, MetaCrawler, WebCrawler was bought by System1.[8][9]

OpenMail rebranded as System1 shortly after April 2017.[2][3]System1’s subsidiary, digital media publisher HowStuffWorks, also spun out as an independent podcast network in 2017.[10][11]

In October 2019, System1 bought

Verizon) it was doomed to die. Verizon had dumped MapQuest to System1 for such a small sum, it was "not material enough for Verizon to file paperwork".[12]

In February 2020, System1 acquired Waterfox; concern about the acquisition, as well as secrecy surrounding it, was expressed by the public.[13] System1 also acquired a controlling share in privacy-focused search engine Startpage in 2020.[14]The Waterfox and Startpage acquisition was done through System1's subsidiary Privacy One Group Ltd.[6] Further clarification and communication happened after public concern about the acquisition grew.[15]

In 2021, System1 announced that it would be going public on the New York Stock Exchange.[16][17]The company also announced it would be combining with the SPAC Trebia Acquisition Corp. in a reverse merger.[16][17]Through this deal, System1 also merged with the privacy subscription platform Protected.net.[18] It officially went public on January 31, 2022.[19]Protected.net would eventually rebrand as Total Security.[18]

In February 2022, System1 acquired consumer mapping service RoadWarrior.[20][21]In March 2022, System1 purchased online coupon provider CouponFollow in a deal worth up to $110 million.[22][23]

In April 2022, Waterfox set Startpage as its default search engine, reflecting the ownership of System1.[24]

In May 2022, in a quarterly earnings report, System1's acquisition of Answers.com was announced.[25]

From 2022-2023, System1 was named a Microsoft Supply Partner of the Year in the Americas. Microsoft also gave System1 an Advertising Global Partner Award in 2023.[14][26]

In July 2023, Waterfox became independent of System1.[27]In October 2023, System1 announced a search partnership with European search engine Ecosia after Ecosia moved away from exclusively using Microsoft’s Bing.[28]In November 2023, System1 also announced the sale of Total Security.[29]

Properties

References

  1. ^ Reim, Garrett (September 19, 2017). "Venice's System1 Raises $270 Million". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "System1 raises $270 million for 'consumer intent' advertising". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  3. ^ a b "SPACs Are Running Out of Names to List". The Wall Street Journal. January 24, 2022. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  4. ^ a b "System1: Silicon Beach's Sleeping Giant". CSQ | C-Suite Quarterly. 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  5. ^ Sven Taylor (November 15, 2019). "Startpage Acquired by System1, Privacy One Group – Still Safe?". Restore Privacy. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b Brinkmann, Martin (November 16, 2019). "Startpage Search owner changes raise serious questions".
  7. ^ "System1 Signs Large Sublease in Marina del Rey". Los Angeles Business Journal. 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  8. ^ Ellingson, Annlee (September 20, 2017). "System1 raises $270 million for 'consumer intent' advertising". L.A. Business First. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  9. ^ "Blucora to sell InfoSpace business for $45 million". The Seattle Times. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  10. ^ "HowStuffWorks Gets $15 Million Series A, Spins Off As Independent Podcast Network". AdExchanger. 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  11. ^ "HowStuffWorks is the latest podcast company to round up new funding". Vox. 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  12. ^ a b Doctorow, Cory (2019-10-10). "Verizon dumps another Oath property for peanuts: RIP, Mapquest". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  13. ^ Brinkmann, Martin (Feb 15, 2020). "Waterfox web browser sold to System1". Ghacks Technology News. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  14. ^ a b "Microsoft Advertising Partner Awards Americas winners". Microsoft. February 10, 2022. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  15. ^ "Privacy-focused search engine Startpage gives more details of the System1 investment". www.computing.co.uk. 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  16. ^ a b "System1 to go public via SPAC; Smart acquires DynAdmic - ExchangeWire.com". www.exchangewire.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  17. ^ a b "System1 to go public through SPAC". Domain Name Wire | Domain Name News. 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  18. ^ a b c Brock, James (2023-09-18). "System1 Mulls $240M Offer". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  19. ^ "System1 Goes Public On The NYSE, Virtually Rings The Bell". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  20. ^ "System1, Owner of MapQuest, Buys RoadWarrior". socaltech.com. February 14, 2022.
  21. ^ "MapQuest Parent System1 Closes RoadWarrior Deal". PYMNTS. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  22. ^ "Ad-ranking company System1 buys CouponFollow in deal worth up to $110 million". www.bizjournals.com. March 3, 2022. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  23. ^ "System1 acquires e-commerce coupon company from NextGen Shopping (NYSE:SST)". seekingalpha.com. 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  24. ^ "Waterfox G4.1.0 update reduces requirement to SSE 4.1, sets Startpage as the default search engine for Private Tabs". 7 April 2022.
  25. ^ "System1 Announces Preliminary First Quarter 2022 Financial Results". NASDAQ. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  26. ^ "2023 Global Partner Award winners!". Microsoft Advertising. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  27. ^ arindam (2023-07-31). "Waterfox Browser Cuts Ties with System1, Embarks on a New Journey". DebugPoint NEWS. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  28. ISSN 1059-1028
    . Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  29. ^ "System1 (SST) Announces Sale of Total Security". StreetInsider.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
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