China search engine takes its name from a 900-year-old poem but its ambitions are ultramodern to become the Chinese-language equivalent of Internet search giant Google Inc.
Little known abroad, 5-year-old Baidu.com says it already is the world’s sixth most-visited Internet site, thanks to a strong following from China’s 100 million-plus Web surfers.
Now the startup founded by two Chinese veterans of American tech firms is preparing to follow Google’s example with an initial public offering in the United States, hoping to raise $45 million.
Google bought 2.6 percent of Baidu.com last year in a move that outsiders thought might lead to the American giant taking over the tiny Chinese startup.
Google’s influence shows, though, in Baidu.com’s spare white site that is nearly identical to the American firm’s.
By contrast, competitor 3721.com bought in 2003 by U.S.-based Yahoo! is a busier, colorful site with animated graphics.
Other early backers were U.S.-based venture capital firms including Draper Fisher Jurvetson and the investment arm of International Data Group.
