Yelp Inc.
A platform where everyday people post reviews of local businesses, Yelp lets users find and rate everything from restaurants and coffee shops to dentists and auto repair shops. It was born in 2004, when two former PayPal colleagues, Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons, launched a site in San Francisco to collect friends' recommendations, and the playful name came from the word "yelp" — a cry or shout of excitement. Yelp now serves reviewers and business owners in dozens of countries, turning casual dining opinions into a go-to guide for choosing where to eat, shop, and get services.