Groupon was not founded on the idea that propelled them to success (assuming Groupon still counts as a success). The site grew out of ThePoint.com, a group fun

Groupon was not founded on the idea that propelled them to success (assuming Groupon still counts as a success). The site grew out of ThePoint.com, a group fundraising site. They took the expertise they had building that platform - for years - and then applied it to coupons. There have been a zillion iterations on coupon sites. Some of them probably came close to Groupon's basic model. The idea was not really the main thing.