Terrence "Lee" Zehrer, (born June 3, 1947, in Sauk Centre, Minnesota) is an American entrepreneur and internet pioneer. He is best known as the founder of the first picture personal online dating service, Kiss.com.[1]
Biography
editLee was raised on a dairy farm in rural Minnesota before entering the Navy and serving a tour of active duty in the Vietnam War. Upon returning to the states, he enrolled in St. Cloud State University and received a B.S. in Business Finance. Lee is a brother of Emmy nominated American film director, Paul Zehrer, Star Valley Flowers[2] owner John Zehrer, and the uncle of former Kansas City Royals pitcher Zach Peterson. He currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kiss.com/Udate/Match.com
editLee registered and founded Kiss.com in 1994.[3] Kiss became the first picture personals sites to reach a million registered members and saw 400 percent revenue growth in 1999.[4] In 2001, Kiss.com merged with UK dating company, Udate.com, in a deal worth approximately $18 million in common stock and cash.[5][6] After the acquisition, Lee sat on the board of directors as the majority stock holder[citation needed] for the conglomerate until in 2003, when IAC/InterActiveCorp acquired Udate/Kiss and merged to form what is now Match.com in a deal worth approximately $150 million.[7] Kiss.com has since dissolved as a part of IAC's personals business which includes Match.com and Chemistry.com. Lee currently holds a position on the board of directors for the internet company, eVenues.com,[8] and is an advisor for many other startup businesses.
Philanthropy
editLee is now a philanthropist, investor, and business advisor. He is a large donor/contributor to the Libertarian Party,[9] Allen Institute for Brain Science,[10] the Freedom From Religion Foundation,[11] and the Methuselah Foundation.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Company Overview of Kiss.com Inc". /www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Our Story | Star Valley Flowers".
- ^ "History of Internet Dating | Lovesites". Archived from the original on 2010-10-04. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
- ^ "Kiss.com welcomes relationship expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D." www.prnewswire.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "UK dating". www.over40datingsite.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Udate.com agrees to acquire Kiss.com in a $17.7 million 'Love Match'". www.prnewswire.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "USA Interactive to Acquire Udate.com and Kiss.com". www.onlinedatingmagazine.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Stocks". Bloomberg News.
- ^ https://www.lp.org, Archived 2021-05-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Team". www.alleninstitute.org. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7208/is_200701/ai_n32220290/[dead link]
- ^ "Methuselah Foundation - Welcome to Methuselah Foundation". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-02-12.