Internet Brands

Internet Brands is a privately held American digital media and internet-services company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Its businesses combine online publishing, consumer communities, e-commerce, marketing services, professional software, and software-as-a-service products. Rather than presenting one general-purpose consumer platform, the company has built a portfolio of properties aimed at particular audiences and commercial sectors, especially health care, legal services, dentistry, automotive, travel, and home-related markets. The company began in 1998 as CarsDirect.com, a venture launched through Idealab. Its original proposition was to simplify car buying by allowing consumers to obtain vehicle information and purchasing assistance online without the traditional haggling process. The company later broadened its activities through acquisitions and changed its corporate name to Internet Brands in 2005. It became a public company in 2007, but was taken private in 2010 when Hellman & Friedman acquired it. KKR acquired the company from Hellman & Friedman in 2014 in partnership with chief executive Bob Brisco and the management team. Internet Brands' largest current businesses are concentrated in health and legal services. In 2017, it acquired WebMD and Medscape in a transaction valued at approximately $2.8 billion. Those businesses provide consumer health information, professional medical reference content, continuing education, clinical information, and related digital services. The WebMD organization subsequently expanded through acquisitions including Frontline Communications, Jobson, Aptus Health, StayWell, Krames, Coliquio, ADDitude, The Wellness Network, Mercury Health Care, and Jim.fr. Internet Brands also acquired Limeade and Grupo Saned in 2023, and acquired the operating assets of Healthwise in 2024, extending its health-information and digital-wellness capabilities. Its legal division includes FindLaw, Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, and Nolo. These properties serve both consumers seeking legal information or professional help and lawyers seeking marketing, directory, practice-development, and client-acquisition services. The company's Martindale and Avvo businesses were collectively rebranded Martindale-Avvo in 2018. Internet Brands completed its acquisition of FindLaw from Thomson Reuters in December 2024. The company also participates in dental technology through Henry Schein One, a joint venture formed with Henry Schein in 2018. The venture combines dental software and internet businesses and has expanded through acquisitions such as Lighthouse 360, Dentally, and Jarvis Analytics. Internet Brands further expanded its advertising technology capabilities through the 2021 acquisition of PulsePoint. Historically, the consumer internet division operated a broad collection of websites, including forums, social networks, blogs, wikis, travel resources, enthusiast communities, and vertical information sites. Properties associated with the wider portfolio have included CarsDirect, HealthBoards, Fodor's Travel, Wikitravel, FlyerTalk, Corvette Forum, and other specialized communities. The company's business model has generally emphasized targeted audiences, organic search traffic, advertising, lead generation, subscriptions, software, and professional services. Internet Brands' website reports a global workforce of more than 7,000 people. Its present identity is therefore best understood as a portfolio operator and acquirer of vertical digital businesses rather than as a single consumer-facing website.

Internet Brands was founded in 1998 as CarsDirect.com through Idealab, the technology business incubator. Its initial business addressed online automotive retail and consumer information. The company promoted a simplified, no-haggle approach to car buying and developed a recognizable presence in the automotive market. Roger Penske invested in the company in 2000 and joined its board, while the CarsDirect brand also served as title sponsor of the 2000 CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR Winston Cup event. Time magazine later included CarsDirect among its 50 best websites in 2002. The business gradually moved beyond automotive commerce. It acquired or developed online communities, enthusiast forums, consumer-information sites, and vertical media properties. In 2004 it acquired a Chevrolet Corvette enthusiast website, and in 2007 it acquired Corvette Forum. By the time of its 2009 public-company filings, the consumer internet division operated more than 95 websites in seven categories and attracted more than 62 million unique visitors per month. The portfolio included forums, blogs, wikis, social features, user-generated content, and specialized information resources. Advertising and lead generation were important revenue sources, with filings indicating that a substantial majority of revenue came from advertising accounts, many of them small and medium-sized businesses. The company adopted the name Internet Brands in 2005 and held an initial public offering on Nasdaq in November 2007. Its shares were later included in the Nasdaq Internet Index in March 2010. In September 2010, Hellman & Friedman agreed to acquire the company for approximately $640 million. The transaction took Internet Brands private and ended its Nasdaq listing. The acquisition strategy continued under private ownership. Internet Brands acquired AllLaw.com and AttorneyLocate.com in December 2010 and entered the legal-services market more deeply. Its ownership of Martindale developed from a 2013 joint venture with LexisNexis, while the Martindale business itself had a much older publishing history. In 2014, KKR acquired Internet Brands from Hellman & Friedman for approximately $1.1 billion, partnering with chief executive Bob Brisco and the management team, which retained a minority interest and continued operating the business. In 2016, Internet Brands acquired Fodor's Travel and combined it with travel properties including Wikitravel and FlyerTalk. It also agreed to acquire Demandforce from Intuit in 2016. Healthcare became the company's largest strategic area. In 2017, Internet Brands acquired WebMD and Medscape in a transaction valued at approximately $2.8 billion. WebMD's consumer health-information products and Medscape's professional medical resources became central components of the portfolio. Subsequent acquisitions broadened the health division: Frontline Communications and Jobson were acquired in 2018; Aptus Health was acquired from Merck in 2019; StayWell, Krames, and Germany-based Coliquio were acquired in 2020; ADDitude and The Wellness Network were acquired in 2021; and Mercury Health Care and France-based Jim.fr were acquired in 2022. In 2023, Internet Brands acquired Limeade, a digital health and wellness platform, and Grupo Saned, a Spanish health and medical-information company. In 2024, WebMD acquired Healthwise's operating assets. Internet Brands expanded its professional-software footprint through dental technology. In 2018, it and Henry Schein established Henry Schein One, combining dental software and internet businesses from both companies. Henry Schein One subsequently acquired Lighthouse 360 in 2019, Dentally in 2020, and Jarvis Analytics in 2021. Internet Brands also acquired PulsePoint in 2021, adding a programmatic advertising technology business. The legal division has included FindLaw, Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, and Nolo, serving consumers, attorneys, law firms, and legal advertisers. The Martindale and Avvo activities were collectively rebranded Martindale-Avvo in 2018. In October 2024, Thomson Reuters announced the sale of FindLaw to Internet Brands, and the transaction was completed in December 2024. The company's history has also included disputes involving community governance and software competition. A 2009 vBulletin pricing change prompted user criticism, while litigation against the XenForo team concerning alleged intellectual-property and contractual issues was dismissed in 2013. In 2012, Internet Brands became involved in litigation connected with a proposed community move from Wikitravel to Wikivoyage; the claims were dismissed by the United States District Court for the Central District of California. A separate 2013 jury verdict in Orange County Superior Court awarded Greenlight Financial Services $750,000 in lost-profit damages after finding that Internet Brands had breached a settlement agreement. Internet Brands remains a private portfolio company with substantial operations in health, legal services, dental software, advertising technology, and consumer-focused vertical media.

1. 2024FindLaw acquisition is completed

   Internet Brands completes its acquisition of FindLaw from Thomson Reuters.

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2. 2018Henry Schein One is formed

   Internet Brands and Henry Schein combine dental software and internet businesses in a joint venture.

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3. 2017WebMD and Medscape join the portfolio

   Internet Brands acquires WebMD and Medscape in its largest reported transaction.

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4. 2014KKR acquires Internet Brands

   KKR acquires the company from Hellman & Friedman in a transaction reported at approximately $1.1 billion.

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5. 2010Internet Brands becomes privately held

   Hellman & Friedman agrees to acquire Internet Brands for approximately $640 million, leading to delisting.

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6. 2007Internet Brands completes its IPO

   The company goes public on Nasdaq and also acquires Corvette Forum.

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7. 2005Corporate name changes to Internet Brands

   The company adopts the Internet Brands name as its activities broaden beyond automotive.

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8. 2000Roger Penske invests in the company

   Roger Penske invests in CarsDirect.com and joins its board.

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9. 1998CarsDirect.com is founded

   The company is launched through Idealab as CarsDirect.com, focusing on online automotive information and no-haggle car buying.

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A diversified operator and acquirer of vertical digital media, professional-services platforms, online communities, and industry software businesses.

• WebMDConsumer health information

  WebMD provides consumer-oriented health information, symptom and condition resources, wellness content, and related digital services. It is one of Internet Brands' largest businesses and forms part of the company's broader health-information operations.

• MedscapeProfessional medical information

  Medscape serves physicians and other health professionals with medical news, clinical reference material, education, and professional information. Its acquisition placed a major professional medical publishing and digital-service platform within Internet Brands' health division.

• FindLawLegal information and marketing services

  FindLaw provides online legal information and services for consumers and professional marketing tools for attorneys and law firms. Internet Brands completed its acquisition of the business from Thomson Reuters in 2024.

• AvvoLegal directory and consumer services

  Avvo is a legal-information and lawyer-directory platform connecting consumers with legal resources and attorneys. It is part of Internet Brands' legal-services portfolio and was later associated with the Martindale-Avvo branding.

• Martindale-HubbellLegal directory and professional services

  Martindale-Hubbell is a long-established legal directory and professional-services brand serving attorneys, law firms, and consumers. Internet Brands' ownership of the business developed through a joint venture with LexisNexis in 2013.

• NoloLegal information and self-help

  Nolo publishes legal information and self-help resources for consumers and small businesses. It complements Internet Brands' directory, lead-generation, and professional legal-marketing properties.

• CarsDirectAutomotive e-commerce and information1998

  CarsDirect originated as the company's founding automotive business and focused on online vehicle information and purchasing assistance. Its original no-haggle proposition helped establish the company's consumer internet model.

• Henry Schein OneDental practice software2018

  Henry Schein One is a joint venture combining Internet Brands' and Henry Schein's dental software and internet businesses. Its products support dental practices and related administrative, patient-engagement, and practice-management activities.

• PulsePointProgrammatic advertising technology

  PulsePoint is a programmatic advertising technology business acquired by Internet Brands in 2021. It supports digital advertising and audience-targeting capabilities within the company's wider media and marketing-services portfolio.

• 2000CarsDirect.com 400 sponsorship

  United States

  CarsDirect.com served as title sponsor of the 2000 CarsDirect.com 400 NASCAR Winston Cup event, using a major motorsport property to increase awareness of online car buying.

  Outcome. The sponsorship provided national visibility for the young online automotive brand; no specific campaign performance figures are reported in the cited material.

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• 2024Acquisition of FindLawM&A

  Internet Brands continued consolidating legal-information and attorney-marketing services.

  What changed. The company acquired FindLaw's online legal-information business from Thomson Reuters; completion was announced in December 2024.

  Aftermath. FindLaw became part of Internet Brands' legal division alongside Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, and Nolo.

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• 2018Formation of Henry Schein OneM&A

  Internet Brands and Henry Schein each held dental software and internet assets that could be combined into a broader practice-technology platform.

  What changed. The companies formed a joint venture and contributed their dental software and internet businesses.

  Aftermath. Henry Schein One expanded through acquisitions including Lighthouse 360, Dentally, and Jarvis Analytics.

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• 2017Acquisition of WebMD and MedscapeM&A

  Internet Brands sought to expand its presence in digital health and professional medical information.

  What changed. The company acquired WebMD and Medscape in a transaction reported at approximately $2.8 billion.

  Aftermath. Health became Internet Brands' largest strategic business area and was subsequently expanded through numerous acquisitions.

  Transaction value. $2.8 billion (2017)

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• 2012Wikitravel community dispute and litigationControversy

  Internet Brands opposed efforts by Wikitravel community members to move their editing activity to Wikivoyage and brought claims against two users. The users and Wikimedia Foundation characterized the litigation as an attempt to deter lawful community activity. The claims were dismissed in federal court.

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• 2009vBulletin pricing and user-access controversyControversy

  A change to vBulletin's pricing structure led to complaints from registered users. Reports alleged that some critics were banned from official forums and denied support or updates despite holding valid licenses. Internet Brands defended its position, while subsequent reporting challenged parts of the company's account.

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• 2024Internet Brands completes acquisition of FindLaw

  Internet Brands completed its purchase of FindLaw's online legal-information business from Thomson Reuters.

  M&A
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• 2024Internet Brands acquires Healthwise operating assets

  WebMD acquired the operating assets of Healthwise, a provider of patient health-education materials.

  M&A
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• 2023Internet Brands acquires Limeade and Grupo Saned

  The acquisitions expanded Internet Brands' digital health, wellness, and medical-information operations.

  M&A
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• 2021Internet Brands acquires PulsePoint

  The company acquired PulsePoint, a programmatic digital advertising technology business.

  M&A
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• 2018Internet Brands and Henry Schein form Henry Schein One

  The companies created a joint venture combining their dental software and internet businesses.

  M&A
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• 2017Internet Brands acquires WebMD and Medscape

  Internet Brands acquired WebMD and Medscape in a transaction reported at approximately $2.8 billion, creating its largest health-information business.

  M&A
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• 2012Internet Brands litigation over Wikitravel community activities

  Internet Brands pursued claims against users involved in plans to move Wikitravel editing activity to the Wikimedia Foundation's Wikivoyage project. The claims were dismissed by a federal court.

  LawsuitOther
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• 2010Internet Brands litigation involving XenForo

  Internet Brands sued the XenForo team over alleged copyright, contract, and unfair-business-practice issues relating to vBulletin; the case was dismissed in 2013.

  Lawsuit
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• 2009Internet Brands changes vBulletin pricing structure

  A pricing change for vBulletin generated criticism from licensed users, including complaints about forum bans and access to support.

  PricingOther
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1. Internet Brands
2. Internet Brands official website