What was Groupon originally called when it began in 2008?

Groupon was originally called The Point when it began in 2008.

Andrew Mason founded The Point as a website intended to help groups organize around collective action. The service was inspired by the idea that people could gain leverage by acting together, including through petitions, fundraising, and coordinated commitments.

The business later tested a simpler commercial application: offering a deal that would activate only if enough customers participated. This group-buying model became the foundation for Groupon, whose name combines “group” and “coupon.” The first Groupon deal was offered in Chicago in 2008.

The Point did not disappear immediately as a concept; it provided the original platform and idea from which the daily-deal business developed. Groupon’s later international growth made it one of the most visible examples of online group purchasing, although the company’s model evolved as consumer habits and digital advertising changed.