ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd, wɪð faɪnˈænʃəl bˈækɪŋ fɹʌm mˈaɪkɹəsˌɑːft, kˈoʊfˈaʊndɚ pˈɔːl ˈælən stˈɑːɹɾᵻd ɐn ˈiːkˈɑːmɜːs stˈɑːɹtˌʌp kˈɔːld mɜːkˈɑːɾə wɪð ɐ bˈɪznəs plˈæn dˈʌbd "wiː kˈɑːmɜːs".
In 2000, with financial backing from Microsoft, co-founder Paul Allen started an e-commerce start-up called Mercata with a business plan dubbed "We Commerce".