Excite
Excite is a legacy US web portal founded in 1995, now operated by IAC subsidiary Ask Media Group LLC, offering free consumer search, news, weather, and directory access with third-party (System1) search and display advertising as its sole monetization.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Excite does
Excite (www.excite.com) is a legacy web portal founded in 1995, currently operated by Ask Media Group LLC — an IAC (InterActiveCorp) subsidiary — under the Ask Applications, Inc. corporate umbrella. The portal provides free, self-serve access to web search, news, weather, sports, finance, entertainment, email links, and directory services aimed at general consumer users in the United States. Search functionality is fully outsourced to third-party provider System1 LLC, meaning Excite does not operate its own search engine; the homepage functions primarily as a content aggregation and directory layer linking to third-party services including Yahoo, Gmail, ESPN, and Yahoo Weather. The platform requires no account creation for basic access and is monetized exclusively through display and behavioral advertising served to portal visitors via pixels and JavaScript.
The underlying technology is a third-party-powered web search portal and content aggregation platform with no proprietary features disclosed and no in-house AI, API, or SDK surface. Distribution relies on residual organic search visibility and direct website traffic rather than paid acquisition. Excite was once the sixth most visited website globally in 1997 and famously rejected a $1.6 million offer to acquire Google's "BackRub" search engine — a decision that preceded its acquisition by Ask Jeeves (now Ask.com) and its eventual incorporation into IAC's media portfolio. As of the available data, the site remains operational but presents no disclosed product launches, integrations, AI capabilities, funding activity, or expansion initiatives, indicating a maintenance-mode asset within a larger conglomerate rather than an actively developed business.
Excite firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Excite
- Legal name
- Ask Applications, Inc.
- Website
- https://excite.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Excite is a legacy US web portal founded in 1995, now operated by IAC subsidiary Ask Media Group LLC, offering free consumer search, news, weather, and directory access with third-party (System1) search and display advertising as its sole monetization.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Excite industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Web Search & Content Portal
- NAICS
- Other Services Related to Advertising (54189), Advertising Agencies (54181)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media) (BPAFAAAA)
Keywords
Where Excite is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Excite business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising: Display and behavioral advertising served to portal visitors; third-party advertising via pixels and JavaScript implemented on web pages
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Excite product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Excite (www.excite.com) is a free consumer web portal offering web search, directory services, and a single-page gateway to content categories including email, news, weather, finance, sports, entertainment, and games. Search functionality is provided through a partnership with System1 LLC, while ancillary content is sourced through deep links to providers such as Yahoo, Gmail, and ESPN. The portal is free to users and monetized through display and behavioral advertising.
Product overview
Excite operates as a web search portal and directory service (www.excite.com), now owned and operated by Ask Media Group LLC (an IAC company). The classic Excite search engine provides web search, news, weather, finance, sports, and entertainment content through partnerships with third-party providers including System1 for search results. Excite Technology Services is a separate Australian technology services company providing digital forensic solutions to enterprise clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Excite Web Portal (www.excite.com) Free web search engine and content portal that provides search functionality (powered by System1 LLC), directory services, and a single-page gateway to email (Gmail), news, weather (Yahoo Weather), sports (ESPN), finance (Yahoo Finance), entertainment content, and games. Targeted at general consumer internet users in North America; no account creation is required for basic access.
Companies that use Excite
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Excite technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Excite partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- System1 LLCcoreExcite's web search services are provided through System1 LLC as a third-party provider. When users perform a web search on Excite, they are taken to a search results page owned and operated by System1, which is not controlled by Excite. Users should review System1's Privacy Policy for handling of their search data.
- IAC (InterActiveCorp)coreExcite was acquired by Ask Jeeves (now Ask.com) which is part of IAC (InterActiveCorp). The www.excite.com portal is currently operated by Ask Media Group LLC, an IAC company. IAC is a leading media and internet company.
- YahoominorExcite provides links to Yahoo services including email (Gmail), finance (Yahoo Finance), sports (ESPN), and weather (Yahoo Weather) from its portal homepage, creating content partnership relationships for complementary services.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Excite competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Excite social profiles
Digital presenceExcite financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Excite leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Excite funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Excite M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Excite
What does Excite do?
Excite (www.excite.com) is a free consumer web portal offering web search, directory services, and a single-page gateway to content categories including email, news, weather, finance, sports, entertainment, and games. Search functionality is provided through a partnership with System1 LLC, while ancillary content is sourced through deep links to providers such as Yahoo, Gmail, and ESPN. The portal is free to users and monetized through display and behavioral advertising.
Is Excite a public or private company?
Excite is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Excite founded?
Excite was founded in 1995. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Excite based?
Excite is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Excite make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising.
Does Excite have an API?
No public API is recorded for Excite.
What industry is Excite in?
Excite's product category is Web Search & Content Portal. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAA, Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media). Its NAICS code is 54189 and its SIC code is 7311.