The story
Kiss.com went online in 1994, beating Match.com to the web by months and making it arguably the first true online dating site. The pioneer never became the giant: it passed through acquisitions and was eventually folded into the Match empire, its domain living on as a redirect. First movers write history; second movers cash it.
What it did well
- Genuinely first, or close enough
- Proved the concept worked
- Web-history landmark
Why it faded
- Absorbed and retired
- Outexecuted by Match
- A footnote with a great trivia answer
