3 of 4
BACKNEXT
Oodle
Oodle

Oodle launched five years ago as a standalone website for classified ads, selling everything from pets to cars to homes. In a world dominated by Craigslist, that's an uphill slog.

Meanwhile, Facebook launched its own classified section, called Marketplace, in May 2007. But almost two years later, Facebook reached out to Oodle founder Craig Donato for help running the site.

"To do listings right takes a ton of infrastructure, so [Oodle] now powers Facebook Marketplace," Donato says. "We get rid of the anonymity. The people on these listings have an identity and a connection to possible buyers."

Individual users can buy and sell for free on Facebook Marketplace, but businesses -- for example, a car dealership -- can also post, for a fee. Donato declined to say how much those posts cost.

Oodle still maintains its own site, and when a user posts an ad, it appears on hundreds of media and publishing sites. Donato says Oodle is the fastest-growing classified ads network, and the company is "very close" to turning a profit.

"There's a very social aspect to classified ads, so we've done quite well," Donato says. "Facebook helps lend a degree of trust."

NEXT: Zynga

Last updated July 22 2010: 4:02 PM ET
More Galleries
10 of the most luxurious airline amenity kits When it comes to in-flight pampering, the amenity kits offered by these 10 airlines are the ultimate in luxury More
7 startups that want to improve your mental health From a text therapy platform to apps that push you reminders to breathe, these self-care startups offer help on a daily basis or in times of need. More
5 radical technologies that will change how you get to work From Uber's flying cars to the Hyperloop, these are some of the neatest transportation concepts in the works today. More

Special Offer

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.