It took nine years, but Bitly turned short web links into a real company
https://www.recode.net/2017/7/12/15961306/bitly-spectrum-equity-acquistion-url-shortener-link-deal-mark-josephson
The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Bitly: How a Free Link Shortener Became a Real Business
https://medium.com/adventures-in-consumer-technology/the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-bitly-how-a-free-link-shortener-became-a-real-business-3d249f5da16b
Twitter Announces Bit.ly Killer
https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-announces-bitly-killer-2010-6