Terrence "Lee" Zehrer

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

Lee 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

Lee registered the domain name Kiss.com in 1994, prior to competitor Match.com which was registered in 1995.[3] Founded in 1994, 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 a majority stock holder[7] 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.[8] 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,[9] and is an advisor for many other startup businesses.

Philanthropy

Lee is now a philanthropist, investor, and business advisor. He is a large donor/contributor to the Libertarian Party,[10] Allen Institute for Brain Science,[11] the Freedom From Religion Foundation,[12] and the Methuselah Foundation.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Company Overview of Kiss.com Inc". /www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  2. ↑ http://starvalleyflowers.com/our-story/
  3. ↑ http://www.lovesites.com/history-of-internet-dating
  4. ↑ "Kiss.com welcomes relationship expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D." www.prnewswire.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "UK dating". www.over40datingsite.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Udate.com agrees to acquire Kiss.com in a $17.7 million 'Love Match'". www.prnewswire.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  7. ↑ http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/ReferencesView.aspx?PersonID%3D27925113. Retrieved February 12, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ "USA Interactive to Acquire Udate.com and Kiss.com". www.onlinedatingmagazine.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  9. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=3128670&privcapId=128779168&previousCapId=138671502&previousTitle=Tan%20Door%20Media%20Inc.
  10. ↑ https://www.lp.org,
  11. ↑ "Team". www.alleninstitute.org. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  12. ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7208/is_200701/ai_n32220290/%5Bdead+link%5D
  13. ↑ http://www.methuselahfoundation.org/index.php?pagename=mj_donors_iframe&project=&commitmenttype=&sortby=country&sortdir=desc&project=&commitmenttype=&search=Search%5Bdead+link%5D
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