Geni

Geni.com operates as a commercial genealogy and social networking platform with a mission to construct a definitive, unified family tree for the entire world. Founded in June 2006 by David O. Sacks and Alan Braverman, the company emerged from the minds of former PayPal executives aiming to apply a collaborative, social-networking approach to family history. Sacks, who served as PayPal's founding COO, brought significant experience in building and scaling digital platforms, a journey that later included founding Yammer, which was acquired by Microsoft. This background in creating successful tech ventures shaped Geni's foundational strategy.

The core of Geni's platform is its collaborative "World Family Tree." Users begin by building their own private family tree for free, adding relatives and inviting them to contribute. The system then works to find matches between these individual trees and existing profiles. When matches are confirmed, trees are merged, progressively integrating into a single, comprehensive global tree that contained over 200 million profiles by early 2025. This model targets both casual users interested in their immediate ancestry and expert genealogists seeking to connect to the broader human family tree. While the platform's focus is on collaborative tree-building rather than hosting vast databases of historical records, users can upload photos, documents, and even DNA results to enrich profiles.

The business generates revenue through a freemium model. While the basic tree-building service is free, the company offers a premium subscription, Geni Pro, which provides users with enhanced research and matching tools. Over its private history, the company raised a total of $16.5 million in venture capital from investors including Founders Fund, Charles River Ventures, and Valor Equity Partners. A significant milestone occurred in November 2012 when Geni was acquired by MyHeritage, a major player in the family history industry. Following the acquisition, Geni continues to operate as a separate brand based in California, with its team and founder David Sacks joining the MyHeritage board, solidifying its role as a key component in the broader genealogy market.

Keywords: genealogy, family tree, social networking, collaborative genealogy, David O. Sacks, World Family Tree, ancestry, family history, MyHeritage, freemium, SaaS, collaborative platform, lineage, ancestor database, genealogical research, genetic genealogy, digital family archive, family social network, historical population studies, Geni Pro