EShop Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Electronic commerce |
| Predecessor | Ink Development Corporation |
| Founded | May 10, 1991 |
| Founder | Arnold Blinn, Matt Kursh, Pierre Omidyar, Will Poole, Greg Stein |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Fate | Acquired by Microsoft |
| Headquarters | San Mateo, California , United States |
| Products | eShop Plaza (online merchant platform) |
eShop Inc. began as Ink Development Corporation, an American software firm established on May 10, 1991, in San Mateo, California. The founding team comprised Arnold Blinn, Matt Kursh, Pierre Omidyar, Will Poole, and Greg Stein. The company initially focused on creating software for Go Corporation's PenPoint OS before broadening its development efforts to include applications for Windows for Pen Computing and Magic Cap environments.
In 1993, the organization rebranded as eShop Inc. and redirected its efforts toward electronic commerce solutions aimed at the business-to-consumer sector. On November 7, 1995, eShop introduced eShop Plaza, an online platform hosting a variety of merchant storefronts.
Microsoft acquired eShop in June 1996 for less than $50 million, incorporating its technology into the Microsoft Merchant Server product. Following the acquisition, founder Pierre Omidyar received a payout exceeding $1 million and went on to establish eBay.