Bangalore: Facebook, the largest social network in the world, is to file IPO papers after dodging the option of going public since its conception in 2004.

Starting out as TheFacebook-- a site for Harvard’s students to connect, Facebook soon became well known and grew beyond the university, and with growth, it attracted investors and offers of acquisition. According to the business and financial research firm, PrivCo, these are the companies that once wanted to buy Facebook.

1. Friendster: Being the first social network in the world created in 2002, it was interested in making a purchase of Facebook in August 2004, for $10 million. Facebook rejected the deal, and Friendster later redesigned itself as a social gaming site. Another undisclosed financier company in New York also made an offer to buy Facebook the same year, for the same amount.