InfoSpace
Corporate brand
UnclaimedInfoSpace was an American internet-services company whose businesses included private-label search, online directories, mobile content, games, and metadata feeds.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
InfoSpace was an American internet-services company founded in March 1996 by Naveen Jain after his departure from Microsoft. It developed a broad portfolio of digital content and infrastructure services, including telephone directories, maps, games, stock-market information, search tools, and metadata feeds. Rather than relying primarily on traffic to a single corporate website, InfoSpace pursued a co-branding and licensing model: websites, telecommunications companies, and device manufacturers incorporated InfoSpace functionality into their own products, often displaying an InfoSpace identity while sharing licensing, subscription, or advertising revenue. The company expanded rapidly during the late-1990s internet boom. It went public on December 15, 1998, under the ticker INSP, and by April 2000 reported relationships with approximately 1,500 websites, 60 content providers, and 20 telecommunications companies. Its market value reached a much higher level during the dot-com-era market surge, making it one of the most prominent technology companies in the American Pacific Northwest. In July 2000, InfoSpace acquired Go2Net, bringing Go2Net chief executive Russell Horowitz into the combined company as president. The expansion was followed by severe financial and governance problems. In 2000, the company used an accounting approach that resulted in reported profits of $46 million even though it later acknowledged a loss of $282 million. Executives also faced allegations involving sales of substantial personal stock while subject to Securities and Exchange Commission trading restrictions. The company's share price, which had reached $1,305 in March 2000, fell to $2.67 by June 2002. Jain returned as chief executive in 2001 but was removed by the board in December 2002. Jim Voelker became chairman, president, and chief executive in December 2002. He reorganized the business by closing or selling many of its activities and concentrating on five core segments. InfoSpace subsequently pursued acquisitions in mobile content and games, including Moviso, Atlas Mobile, IOMO, and Elkware, and acquired the online yellow-pages service Switchboard in 2004. The company reported $249 million in revenue in 2004, an 89 percent increase over the prior year, although later divestitures substantially reduced its operating scope. From 2007 onward, InfoSpace sold several major operations. Its directory services went to Idearc, while parts of InfoSpace Mobile were sold to Motricity; other mobile assets and studios were transferred to Twistbox, FunMobility, and related successor businesses. Jim Voelker left the chief executive role in February 2009, and Will Lansing served as president and chief executive from February 2009 through November 2010. Under Lansing, InfoSpace launched the online auction site Haggle.com, but the service closed after approximately a year and its remaining assets were sold to BigDeal.com. In January 2012, the parent company acquired TaxAct and changed its corporate name to Blucora, partly to distinguish the parent from the InfoSpace search operation and its newly acquired tax-preparation business. Blucora later acquired HowStuffWorks in 2014. In July 2016, Blucora sold InfoSpace and HowStuffWorks to OpenMail for $45 million in cash. Following that transaction, InfoSpace ceased to operate as the independent publicly traded company described during the dot-com era and became a business unit or asset within OpenMail's data-management activities.
History
InfoSpace was established in March 1996 by Naveen Jain, who had previously worked at Microsoft. The company began with six employees and built a business around supplying digital content and services to other internet companies, websites, telecommunications providers, and device manufacturers. Its offerings included phone directories, maps, games, stock-market information, search functionality, and other structured data. Its central commercial idea was syndication: instead of depending on users to visit an InfoSpace-branded destination, the company embedded its technology and content into partner properties such as Lycos, Excite, and Playboy. Partners could present the services under their own brands or with an InfoSpace identifier, while InfoSpace received portions of licensing, subscription, or advertising income. The model enabled rapid expansion without the large funding requirements associated with building a mass-market consumer portal. InfoSpace went public on December 15, 1998, under the symbol INSP and raised $75 million. By April 2000, it had relationships with around 1,500 websites, 60 content providers, and 20 telecommunications companies. During the peak of the dot-com bubble, InfoSpace was praised by analysts and achieved a market capitalization reported in the tens of billions of dollars. The company became one of the largest internet businesses in the American Northwest. Its growth and valuation also became part of the broader period of inflated expectations surrounding internet companies. In July 2000, InfoSpace acquired Go2Net. Russell Horowitz, Go2Net's chief executive, became president of InfoSpace after the transaction. That year also brought serious accounting and governance controversy. InfoSpace used an accounting method that allowed it to report $46 million in profit despite a subsequent reported loss of $282 million. Executives were also accused of circumventing SEC restrictions while selling large blocks of personal shares. Jain returned as chief executive in 2001, but the board removed him in December 2002. By June 2002, the stock had fallen to $2.67 after having reached $1,305 in March 2000. Jim Voelker became chairman, president, and chief executive in December 2002. He attempted to stabilize the company by shutting down or selling many of its twelve business lines and concentrating on five core segments. InfoSpace also faced litigation involving its founder. In March 2003, the company sued Jain over alleged violations of non-compete agreements connected with his new company, Intelius. Jain left the InfoSpace board in April. Separately, a shareholder action concerning short-swing insider trading resulted in a $247 million judgment against Jain in 2003. He appealed in 2005 and later settled for $105 million while denying liability. The restructured company continued to acquire selected assets. In 2003 it purchased Moviso from Vivendi Universal Net USA. In 2004 it acquired online yellow-pages provider Switchboard and entered mobile games through purchases of Atlas Mobile, IOMO, and Elkware. InfoSpace reported $249 million in revenue for 2004, an increase of 89 percent from the previous year. The company subsequently retreated from much of its mobile and directory portfolio. In 2007, it sold Atlas Mobile to Twistbox, Moviso to FunMobility, and directory services to Idearc for $225 million. The remaining portions of InfoSpace Mobile were sold to Motricity for $135 million later that year; IOMO re-emerged as FinBlade. Voelker resigned as chief executive and president in February 2009 but remained chairman. Will Lansing served as president and chief executive from February 2009 until November 2010. During that period InfoSpace experimented with online commerce by launching Haggle.com, an auction site. The service was discontinued after approximately one year and its remaining assets were sold to BigDeal.com. The company changed corporate identity in the following decade. In January 2012, the parent acquired TaxAct and adopted the name Blucora, partly to separate the parent company's identity from the InfoSpace search operation and the newly acquired tax business. Blucora announced the acquisition of HowStuffWorks from Discovery Communications in 2014. In July 2016, Blucora sold InfoSpace and HowStuffWorks to OpenMail for $45 million in cash. InfoSpace therefore moved from a publicly traded, diversified internet company to an acquired operating business, and the historical standalone InfoSpace corporate identity ceased to represent an independent listed enterprise.
- 2016
InfoSpace is sold to OpenMail
[1]Blucora sold InfoSpace and HowStuffWorks to OpenMail for $45 million in cash.
- 2012
Parent company becomes Blucora
[1]Following the acquisition of TaxAct, InfoSpace's parent adopted the Blucora name.
- 2007
Directory and mobile divestitures
[1]InfoSpace sold its directory services to Idearc and major mobile assets to Motricity, Twistbox, and FunMobility.
- 2004
Switchboard and mobile-game acquisitions
[1]The company acquired Switchboard and mobile-game businesses including Atlas Mobile, IOMO, and Elkware.
- 2003
Moviso acquisition
[1]InfoSpace acquired Moviso from Vivendi Universal Net USA as part of its mobile-content expansion.
- 2002
Founder leaves chief executive position
[1]The board removed Naveen Jain as chief executive in December, and Jim Voelker assumed senior leadership.
- 2000
Go2Net acquisition
[1]InfoSpace acquired Go2Net, with Russell Horowitz becoming president of the combined company.
- 1998
Initial public offering
[1]InfoSpace went public on December 15, 1998, under the ticker INSP and raised $75 million.
- 1996
InfoSpace is founded
[1]Naveen Jain founded InfoSpace in March 1996 after leaving Microsoft. The company initially had six employees.
Products and positioning
A licensing, syndication, and co-branded digital-services provider that supplied search, directory, entertainment, and information functionality to third-party websites, telecommunications companies, and device manufacturers.
Metasearch engine
Dogpile
Dogpile was InfoSpace's flagship metasearch property. It combined results from multiple search sources into a single consumer-facing interface and represented the company's best-known search brand.
Search engine
WebCrawler
WebCrawler was a consumer search brand operated within InfoSpace's search portfolio. It was one of the company's notable branded properties alongside Dogpile and MetaCrawler.
Metasearch engine
MetaCrawler
MetaCrawler was another consumer metasearch brand associated with InfoSpace. It aggregated search results and formed part of the company's private-label and consumer search activities.
Online directory
InfoSpace directory services
InfoSpace supplied online directory services, including telephone and yellow-pages information, to partner websites and digital properties. The directory business was later sold to Idearc in 2007.
Online yellow-pages directory · 2004
Switchboard
Switchboard was an online yellow-pages service acquired by InfoSpace in 2004. The acquisition strengthened the company's directory business during its diversification into consumer information services.
Mobile content and games
InfoSpace Mobile
InfoSpace Mobile comprised mobile content, games, and related businesses assembled through acquisitions such as Moviso, Atlas Mobile, IOMO, and Elkware. Most of these assets were sold or separated during the 2007 restructuring.
Controversies
2003
Short-swing insider-trading shareholder case
A federal judge ruled that former chief executive Naveen Jain had purchased InfoSpace shares in violation of six-month short-swing insider-trading rules and entered a $247 million judgment. Jain later settled the matter for $105 million while denying liability.
2003
Non-compete litigation involving Naveen Jain
InfoSpace sued Jain over alleged violations of non-compete agreements related to his role at Intelius. Jain resigned from the InfoSpace board in April 2003.
2000
Accounting and executive stock-sale controversy
InfoSpace used an accounting method that produced reported profits of $46 million despite a later reported loss of $282 million. Executives were also accused of evading SEC trading restrictions while selling large blocks of personal stock.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Haggle.com online auction launch
United States
Under chief executive Will Lansing, InfoSpace launched Haggle.com as an online auction service, extending the company beyond search, directories, and mobile content.
Outcome. The site was shut down after about one year, and its remaining assets were sold to BigDeal.com.
- Co-branded partner distribution
United States
InfoSpace distributed search, directory, mapping, games, and information services through third-party websites, telecommunications companies, and device manufacturers rather than relying solely on a standalone destination. Partner properties embedded the functionality and shared licensing, subscription, or advertising economics with InfoSpace.
Outcome. The approach helped the company scale its network of distribution relationships with relatively low infrastructure and customer-acquisition costs.
Brand decisions
2016
Sell InfoSpace to OpenMailM&ABackground
Blucora reorganized its portfolio and decided to sell InfoSpace together with HowStuffWorks.
Action taken
Blucora sold both businesses to OpenMail for cash.
Aftermath
InfoSpace became part of OpenMail's data-management activities rather than continuing as an independent public company.
Cash purchase price. $45 million (2016)
2012
Rename the corporate parent to BlucoraStrategyBackground
The parent company acquired TaxAct and wanted to distinguish its corporate identity from the InfoSpace search business and the tax-preparation operation.
Action taken
The corporate parent adopted the Blucora name while retaining InfoSpace as a business or brand identity.
Aftermath
InfoSpace no longer served as the name of the overall public parent company.
2007
Sell directory and mobile businessesStrategyBackground
InfoSpace narrowed its portfolio after expanding into directories and mobile entertainment.
Action taken
It sold directory services to Idearc, remaining InfoSpace Mobile portions to Motricity, Atlas Mobile to Twistbox, and Moviso to FunMobility.
Aftermath
The divestitures materially reduced the company's directory and mobile operating footprint.
Reported transaction proceeds. $225 million for directory services; $135 million for remaining InfoSpace Mobile portions (2007)
2004
Acquire Switchboard and mobile-game businessesM&ABackground
InfoSpace sought growth in consumer directories and mobile entertainment after restructuring its broader internet portfolio.
Action taken
The company acquired Switchboard, Atlas Mobile, IOMO, and Elkware.
Aftermath
The acquisitions contributed to a broader mobile and directory portfolio, although much of that portfolio was divested in 2007.
Annual revenue. $249 million (2004; reported as 89% higher than 2003)
2002
Refocus the company around core segmentsStrategyBackground
After the collapse in InfoSpace's share price and leadership turmoil, Jim Voelker took over as chairman, president, and chief executive.
Action taken
Voelker shut down or sold many of the company's twelve business lines and concentrated operations on five core segments.
Aftermath
The company continued operating but increasingly relied on selected acquisitions and later asset sales to reshape its portfolio.
Sources1 sources
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