BarterTrust.com

About BarterTrust.com

Founded in 1999 and based in San Francisco, BarterTrust.com, also known as Internet Barter Inc., emerged to move the traditional one-on-one bartering market to a global, web-based platform. The company's strategy centered on introducing a virtual currency to facilitate trades, allowing a broader range of businesses to participate in the barter economy. It targeted the substantial barter market, which was valued at $16 billion in the US and $64 billion worldwide in 1999.

The firm's business model revolved around creating a multilateral exchange system where affiliated clients could trade goods and services. This system was designed to help businesses increase their client base and purchasing power by utilizing their own products as a form of payment, thereby optimizing their operational performance. BarterTrust.com enabled a growing network of over 7,000 businesses to trade with one another. The company's platform promoted members' products and services, allowing them to generate a balance that could then be used to purchase goods and services from other members within the network.

BarterTrust.com experienced a period of rapid expansion, fueled by investor interest and a strategic acquisitions plan. Within just eight months of incorporation, the company executed numerous acquisitions of locally operating barter companies in the US, as well as two in Canada and one in Australia, quickly becoming the largest barter company in North America and later, worldwide. This high-growth phase saw the company scale from 17 to 220 employees. The company's operations were supported by a secure, banking-grade internet presence and a 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC). One of its institutional investors was eFund.