InfoSpace's services ran on other companies' websites, under other companies' names. In 1998 many sites wanted yellow pages, white pages, maps, and news, but few wanted to build them. InfoSpace supplied those services, and the sites ran them under their own brands. It was part of the plumbing behind many portals. When it went public in December 1998, InfoSpace was a young Seattle-area company growing fast on deals with major websites and carriers.

Behind the Scenes on Purpose

Naveen Jain, a former Microsoft manager, founded InfoSpace in 1996. The bet was to stay behind the scenes, licensing content and services to sites that already had users. InfoSpace earned money from advertising and fees as those sites grew. This model kept costs low and let the company grow quickly through partnerships. Later it supplied similar services to wireless carriers, as phones began to reach the internet.

Dogpile, Blucora, Avantax

InfoSpace priced its offering at $15 a share in December 1998, and the stock rose dramatically. By early 2000 it was among the most valuable internet companies. Then it lost most of that value. It bought Go2Net in 2000, and lawsuits and losses followed. InfoSpace later focused on search through its Dogpile brand. It renamed itself Blucora in 2012 and moved into tax and wealth services. In 2023 Blucora took a new name, Avantax.

Cover: The Constellation Leo, folio probably from the Kitab suwar al-kawakib al-thabita (Book of the Images of the Fixed Stars), Islamic. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for the constellation Leo from a book of stars (a directory).