| | Markus Frind, CEO and Founder of PlentyofFish Media Inc., graduated in 1999 from British Columbia Institute of Technology with a diploma in Computer Systems Technology.[7] Over the next few years, he worked for several dot.com companies as the number of them in Vancouver began to wane. Markus ended up working at a company as a website and database administrator where he found and fixed errors.[8]
In 2003, Frind had to learn ASP.NET and to better learn the language, he built a dating website. The free dating website quickly grew in Canada and then spread, via word of mouth, to the U.K., Australia, and the United States.[9] To keep the site free, Plentyoffish began using AdSense to generate revenue. The first cheque arrived in July 2003 and was for $1,100 USD.[10]
In 2004, PlentyofFish became a full-time business for Frind.[11] He ran the site independently until 2007, when he began hiring other employees at his new Vancouver headquarters.[12] In August, 2009 PlentyofFish was featured in a music video for the song "Available" by Flo Rida and R&B Sensation Akon. In 2009, PlentyofFish also launched a contest with Lady Gaga allowing single members to go together and meet the singer during her "Fame Monster" tour.
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