Zip2 – Elon Musk’s First Successful Startup
There’s always more than meets the eye when it comes to the backstories of successful entrepreneurs. Origin stories are much deeper than the shallow version you often hear in the media. This is especially true with Elon as many people aren’t aware of what he achieved before PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX.
In 1989 Elon Musk moved to Canada from South Africa to avoid military service. He studied at Queen’s University in Ontario for two years and later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania. In the summer of 1994, he worked for two different startups as he was extremely interested in technology. It was while interning he came up with the idea for his first startup and was keen to join the internet boom.
Alongside his brother Kimbal and Greg Kouri, Elon started Global Link Information Network which would later be rebranded to Zip2. In the mid-1990s the internet was a small blip on the radar and nobody really understood the value it could provide.
Musk with his expertise would try to convince brick and mortar retail businesses such as restaurants and salons to increase their online presence. Zip2 was like Yelp or Tripadvisor combined with a map service that provides directions to a business. The website would show the businesses that were around and provide directions, it seems simple but this was ahead of its time.
