Andrew Mason at Startup School SV 2014

Launched by Eric Lefkofsky, Groupon evolved from the struggling The Point platform into the world's fastest-growing company after achieving rapid product-market fit with its daily deal model. Despite facing intense global competition and receiving lucrative acquisition offers from Yahoo and Google, the board rejected these opportunities to prioritize independent growth, a strategic decision that Lefkofsky later viewed as superior to the short-term pressures of the company's subsequent IPO. Reflecting on these experiences, Lefkofsky now applies a disciplined, values-first operational framework to his new venture, Detour, emphasizing long-term conviction over immediate data-driven compromises.