Hostgator was founded by Brent Oxley in his college dorm back in 2002. The Gator grew from a one-man operation to one with hundreds of employees over the years; and was ranked 21st on Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company in year 2008, 239th on Inc. 5000 in year 2009. The company was sold to Endurance International Group (EIG) for, unofficial figure, $225 million in 2012. EIG also owns a number of other well-known hosting brands, including BlueHost, iPage, FatCow, HostMonster, and so on.