IKEA was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad in Älmhult, [[Sweden]]. The company name combines its founder's initials (IK) with those of Elmtaryd (E), the family farm where he grew up, and Agunnaryd (A), his village in Småland. The company's unique structure involves INGKA Foundation (based in the Netherlands) as the parent company, and Inter IKEA Systems B.V. as the franchise owner. While it began as a mail-order business selling small household items, Kamprad transformed it into a furniture retail giant. The company is currently not publicly traded and remains controlled by various entities within the Kamprad family through a complex corporate structure, including foundations and holding companies. Due to its private ownership structure and foundation-based control, it doesn't have traditional outside investors in the conventional sense.