Tim Berners-Lee worked for the particle physics lab CERN, and he built the initial prototype for the web with their backing. CERN is based in Switzerland, but has researchers spread out all around the world. So when Berners-Lee and his boss pitched their idea for an Internet-powered hypertext system to the higher ups, their proposed utility for it was a giant directory of names of everybody that worked at or with CERN. A big list of phone numbers, updated frequently, and accessible anywhere. That was enough to get buy-in for the first version of the web.
