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An equity investment pays off
An equity investment pays off

Mint.com
Launched:
2006

Mint.com is short for "Money INTelligence," according to founder Aaron Patzer.

All the other connotations are a bonus.

"Mint is a place where money is made. Mint is also a term for top quality and condition, and mint is cool and refreshing," he says. "And the cool design scheme is green, just like money."

When choosing a name, the startup considered "Money Intelligence" and "MyMint," but the clear favorite was "Mint."

Great name. Nightmare domain to get.

"I spent many hours negotiating, mostly in the morning, to get the man in Boston who originally owned it to sell the rights to the domain to me," Patzer says.

As for the price tag? "Let's just say he received a healthy chunk of equity in exchange for the domain name." That paid off big time when Intuit bought Mint last year for $170 million.

The personal finance site pays homage to its name by incorporating it into its office décor. The walls at Mint.com headquarters are painted bright green, and conference rooms have names like "Mojito" and "Julep."



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