Name Terrence Zehrer | ||
Terrence "Lee" Zehrer, AKA "Teri" (born June 3, 1947 in Sauk Centre, Minnesota) is an American entrepreneur and internet pioneer, and the founder of one of the first online dating services, Kiss.com, and a philanthropist.
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Biography
Lee was raised on a dairy farm in rural Minnesota before entering the Navy and serving a tour of duty in the Vietnam War. Upon returning to the states, he enrolled in St. Cloud State University and received a B.S. in Business Finance. Lee is also a brother of American film and television director, Paul Zehrer and the uncle of Kansas City Royals pitcher Zach Peterson. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
Kiss.com/Udate
Lee registered the domain name Kiss.com in 1994, prior to competitor Match.com which was registered in 1995. Founded in 1994, Kiss became one of the first picture personals sitse to reach a million registered members and saw 400 percent revenue growth in 1999. In 2001, Kiss.com merged with UK dating company, Udate.com, in a deal worth $17.7 million in common stock and cash. After the acquisition, Lee sat on the board of directors for the conglomerate until in 2003, IAC/InterActiveCorp acquired Udate/Kiss in a deal worth approximately $150 million. Kiss.com has since dissolved as a part of IAC's personals business which includes Match.com and Chemistry.com. Lee currently holds a position on the board of directors for the internet company, eVenues.com, and is an advisor for many other startup businesses.
Philanthropy
Lee now is a philanthropist, investor and business advisor. He is a large contributor to the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Methuselah Foundation.