Selling a Domain – How We Connect with End Users

December 16, 2013/by Alan Dunn

What I love about this industry is everybody has their own niche. Whether its GoDaddy’s including only products they own in the shopping cart, SEDO’s international marketplace reach, Namejet’s golden expired inventory from Network Solutions or any number of other companies who have significant advantages of their own right.

When I joined Domain Holdings it was a decision that took a while to make. Working from home was a luxury I loved but deep down I also wanted to be part of something bigger. After a couple cruises, many nights out, a DomainFest conference, a Traffic conference and Jason and John’s consistent harassment I finally caved in. It was one of those few decisions in life you don’t regret.

Over the last year Domain Holdings has had some tremendous growth both in our brokerage division and our technology side. We have been pretty quiet on the PR side of things due to a large string of NDA’s on sales and a simple focus on building something much bigger. There are so many great things happening here I wish we could share with you but you’ll just have to wait. 2014 will be a huge year for us, our employees, our shareholders and our customers.

Our most visible asset is our brokerage division and with very good reason. Not many people can provide the level of service we can for premium domains and it’s something we continually invest in and refine.

When the company was founded a few years ago the vision of the brokerage team was not to sell massive amounts of domains through a marketplace, run auctions or compete in the drops. We had one simple goal – Build the greatest outbound brokerage team ever.

Today we have an extremely smooth process and our success over the past year has proved time after time that our customers truly value how we are different from other brokerages.

As we go into 2014 and you are thinking of selling (or buying) domains then I think its important to highlight the many things that make us the best choice in the industry.

Collective Wisdom

Do you know that every time we consider representing the exclusive right to sell a premium domain we have 14 people sit around and talk about potential companies who may be interested in the name?

This group of people includes John Ferber, Chad Folkening, myself, all of our brokers and more. We never make a single phone call or contact a prospective client until we have this meeting.

We also have built our own proprietary collective wisdom technology to get those people’s appraisal opinions in an unbiased fashion + our own unique proprietary software which uses tens of thousands of historical transactions and some of our own proprietary factors to determine the probability of a domain name selling at a specific asking price. This is so much more than an appraisal – it actually helps define the probability of selling a domain at a specific price point.

Why is this so important?

Simple. Knowledge is power. There are so many people with industry experience here it would be nothing short of unacceptable if we didn’t embrace that. You deserve nothing less.

Dedicated Outbound Brokerage

Once we define potential candidates we make the effort to contact them. We will never list your names in a marketplace and just let you know when somebody randomly finds your name in a sea of domains. We have invested in multiple lead generation people, numerous applications and have even built our own technology to help find prospects who have a high probably of interest in your domain. This is above and beyond our large list of end users and clients who we already have relationships with.

Custom End User Reports

Have you ever listed your name with a broker and then 90 days later wonder what outreach they did? With us you never have to worry about that. We will provide you with a complete list of all the companies we have reached out to and even include their responses.

Competitive Commission

Why pay 20% commission for listing your name on a marketplace when you can pay less and have a team of dedicated brokers calling end users for you? Our commission is highly competitive and you end up getting much more for your money.

Custom Landing Pages

Would you like a Custom for Sale landing page for your domain? We often invest in custom landing pages for super premium domains listed exclusively with us.

Over 10 Languages

Our brokerage team consists of industry professionals who speak over 10 languages fluently including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Mandarin, Canadian and more.

FREE Escrow

All transactions using our purchase and sale agreement come with free escrow through our Domain Holding’s escrow service.

These are just 6 of the many reasons we pride our brokerage division but the most important statistic in my mind is the percentage of sales we have to end users.

Whether it’s August.com, CID.com, ContactUs.com (or any of so many more) we see our footprint in businesses all across the world. This dedicated outbound reach we provide is second to none and our brokers often work 7 days a week to help you find a buyer for your domain.

Are We for Everyone?

We certainly say no more than we say yes but there is logical reasoning beyond this. It wouldn’t be fair to those who own premium domains (nor to our brokers who work on commission) to allocate time to anything less than a great domain.

Our primary focus is to represent the best inventory available and if your domain or portfolio qualifies then we want you to know our resources are dedicated to you.

So if you have a premium domain with reasonable price expectations and want to engage a company who is 100% vested in finding an end user for your domain then you should contact us. We can never have enough inventory and are always hiring more people to help provide you the best service in the industry.

Domain Holdings is more than just a company. We are a team of industry professionals who care about you and your assets.

How to contact us – Email [email protected] or visit this page.

Numeric Domains, Chinese Culture and How You Can Profit From It

December 11, 2013/by Giuseppe Graziano

My fascination with numbers in Chinese culture started in front of a newspaper stand in Shanghai. I was about to purchase my first Chinese sim card associated to a phone number and the clerk presented me with a number of options. Oddly enough, I noticed that the numbers had different prices, with the numbers containing more 8s being priced higher.

I asked the reason why – my Chinese friend promptly explained to that the number containing more 8 were more expensive because considered lucky. Coming from Italy, which is a very superstitious country where we usually think about luck: “It’s not true – but I believe in it”, I resorted to paying the equivalent of $7 to get a phone number containing 3 consecutive 8s.

THE MARKET OF NUMERIC DOMAINS

Coming back to the domaining industry, Elliot Silver recently quoted in a recent blog post that the value of numeric domains seem to have peaked in the past few months. Almost every broker or aftermarket newsletter is now featuring premium numeric domains for sale at increasingly higher prices.

I think there are several reasons for this peak in value:

1. Liquidity

The ability to quickly cash in on an asset considerably increase its value. If you add to this the buzz about bitcoins and other forms of virtual currencies you understand why numeric domains are becoming so popular. There are only a few domains that have this attribute, namely LL.com, LLL.com and CVCV.com – with numeric domains being the more “appraisable” ones. The current market FLOOR prices (using very conservative values) for these type of assets are:

NN.com – $100k
NNN.com – $15k
NNNN.com – $2k

2. High Demand/Limited Supply

Numeric domains are sought after mostly by Chinese buyers – we can safely say that 80% of the players in this market come from China. The reason for this is because Chinese businesses have historically used numbers or pinyin versions of Chinese characters to brand their websites. English keyword domains are difficult to remember for native Chinese speakers, therefore most of the popular websites in China use numbers (eg 163.com) or pinyin (Baidu.com, Youku.com etc.). Add to this the limited supply of only 100 NN.com and 1000 NNN.com, then you can quickly understand the rising value.

3. Recent Transactions

We have seen quite an increase on the average price of numeric domains recently with some of the most notable transactions including:

The domain name 1001.com sold for $100,000.
Frank Schilling’s Name Administration sold 88888.com for $245,000.
114.com sold in early 2013 for 2.1 million dollars, getting in the top 5 disclosed transactions in 2013.
55.com to this date is the numeric domain sold at a highest price – $2.3 million in 2011.

MEANING OF NUMBERS IN CHINESE CULTURE

A couple years ago I had a conversation with one of my Chinese clients – when asked about his criteria to price numeric domains he said: “you should spend many more years in China to understand the meaning of Chinese numbers”.

Not discouraged by his statement and, feeling a bit like in the movie Lost in Translation, I made my own research. While it is impossible to cover the whole subject in a blog post, this is what I found:

LUCKY NUMBERS

0. The Number 0 (零 or 檸, Pinyin:líng or níng) is a whole number and it is also an even number for the money ends with 0.

2. The number 2 (二 or 两, Pinyin:èr or liăng) is most often considered a good number in Chinese culture. There is a Chinese saying: “good things come in pairs”. It is common to repeat characters in product brand names, such as double happiness, which even has its own character 囍, a combination of two 喜.

3. The number 3 (三, Pinyin: sān) sounds similar to the character for “birth” (生, Pinyin: shēng), and is considered a lucky number.

6. The number 6 represents wealth in Cantonese, this number is a homophone for (祿 Lok). 6 (六, Pinyin: liù) in Mandarin is pronounced the same as “liu” (溜, Pinyin: liù) and similar to “flow” (流, Pinyin: liú) and is therefore considered good for business.

7. The number 7 (七, Pinyin: qī) symbolizes “togetherness”. It is a lucky number for relationships. It is also recognized as the luckiest number in the West, and is one of the rare numbers that is great in both Chinese and many Western cultures. It is a lucky number in Chinese culture, because it sounds alike to the Chinese word 起 (Pinyin: qǐ) meaning arise, and also 气 (Pinyin: qì) meaning life essence.

8. The word for “eight” (八 Pinyin: bā) sounds similar to the word which means “prosper” or “wealth” (發 – short for “發財”, Pinyin: fā). There is also a visual resemblance between two digits, “88”, and 囍, the “shuāng xĭ” (“double joy”), a popular decorative design composed of two stylized characters 喜 (“xĭ” meaning “joy” or “happiness”). The number 8 is viewed as such an auspicious number that even being assigned a number with several eights is considered very lucky. To give you an idea about the obsession that Chinese have with the number 8, here are a few interesting facts:

Most airlines, including United Airlines, KLM, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific and Singapore airlines reserve their flight numbers starting with 8 for flights to Asian destinations, especially China and Korea.
A telephone number with all digits being eights was sold for USD $270,723 in Chengdu, China.
The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing began on 8/8/08 at 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 pm local time (UTC+08).
A man in Hangzhou offered to sell his license plate reading A88888 for RMB 1.12 million (roughly $164,000 USD).
The Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia each have 88 Floors.

Even the online poker and casino operator 888 Holdings (owner of 888.com) chose its brand carefully to attract Asian gamblers.

9. The number 9 (九, Pinyin: jiŭ, jyutping: gau2), was historically associated with the Emperor of China, and the number was frequently used in matters relating to the Emperor. It also symbolizes harmony.

UNLUCKY NUMBERS

4. The number 4 has such a negative implication that Asians in general, and in particular Chinese, go as far to have a pathological fear called Tetraphobia. The reason is because the number 4 has the same sound of the word “death” (死 pinyin sǐ). Due to that, many numbered product lines skip the “4”. In East Asia, some buildings do not have a 4th floor. (Compare with the Western practice of some buildings not having a 13th floor because 13 is considered unlucky.). In Hong Kong, some high-rise residential buildings omit all floor numbers with “4”, e.g., 4, 14, 24, 34 and all 40–49 floors, in addition to not having a 13th floor.

5. Five (五, pinyin: wǔ, jyutping: ng5) is associated with “not” (Mandarin 無, pinyin wú, and Cantonese 唔). If used for the negative connotation it can become good by using it with a negative. Also, any number of repeated 5s: “五” (wǔ) sounds like an onomatopoeia for crying, and is sometimes used in internet slang to express unhappiness.

(Source: Wikipedia).

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR NUMERIC DOMAINS?

Now you might be thinking – ok, this is interesting, but what are the real life application when buying or selling a numeric domain?

The general guidelines for pricing a numeric domain can be summed up in 8 lucky rules:

The less digits, the higher value. This is an obvious rule – there are only hundred NN.com versus a thousand NNN.com and so on. Therefore 75.com is more valuable than 750.com.
Numeric domains ending in zero have usually a higher value. The more zero’s at the end, the higher the value (i.e. 800.com is more valuable than 810.com etc).
Conversely, numeric domains beginning with a zero have usually a lower value. A domain like 065.com would usually bear less value than 650.com.
Lower numbers are usually more valuable than high numbers. The reason for this is the Benford’s Law (link) which explains how low numbers are more frequent than higher numbers in a variety of data sets like street addresses, stock prices, population numbers, etc. Therefore each domain starting with 1 is usually more valuable than a domain starting with 2; each domain starting with 2 will have a higher value than a domain starting with 3 and so on.
Numbers that appear in a sequence are usually more valuable than numbers with no specific order. For example 123.com is more valuable than 132.com or 231.com.
Pairs are considered lucky and therefore more valuable, i.e. 2233.com is more valuable than 2273.com or 3223.com
Any numeric domain containing a 8 has a higher value. The more 8s in the domain, the higher the value: 888.com > 788.com > 718.com > 712.com.
Domains containing a 4 have a lower value. Any 4 decreases the value of the domain up to 50-70% less than a similar domain without a 4 (eg. 672.com vs 674.com).

If you like to consult with us about how to invest in a numeric domain and what are the available opportunities on the market, just send me an email to [email protected]

Right now we have available one of the “luckiest” domains on the market, 80.com. And, if you are wondering about my US phone number, it contains three 8s as well 🙂

2014 Domain Market Predictions

December 9, 2013/by Alan Dunn

Wow. How time flies. It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve published anything online and this industry seems to have changed more over that time than the entire decade before.

A few years ago new GTLD’s were just a discussion, long tail exact match domains were getting big dollars, many domain owners would never sell, Lana Del Ray was just Rob’s daughter Lizzy, SEO was a sure thing and Brian from the Family guy was alive.

Today is a different story.

Google has changed the SEO landscape forever by introducing updates fondly named after cute animals (who now have Chucky like qualities when you think of them), almost 1,700 new GTLD’s have started rolling out, Lana Del Ray is a true rock star, killer premium domains are available and Brian from the Family guy is dead (for now).

As we enter 2014 I truly think we are going to see the best of this industry.

My predictions are numerous but I will provide a few that I would bet on.

Premium .COM Names Will Get Higher Values

Over the next year we will enter into a very defining period. One without much room for mediocrity as thousands of alternative options become available in the new GTLD market. The premium .com market will only get stronger.

New GTLD’s will be a Booming Success

You can’t ignore this. Some will fail, some will succeed but the learning curve for the registry operators to understand what works will be quicker than you think.

As a brand agency, domain investor or business owner what you need to do is understand the definition of a good domain name. Not many people can do this on scale in my opinion. As a very small industry my bet is there are less than 1,000 people in the world who can define what a great domain for investment is outside of the obvious mortgage.com or sex.com type names on any level of scale. It’s a rare talent which you must learn now. There will be millions of dollars made in the new GTLD market and many more millions lost but you can win all day long if you know what you are doing. Try to stay on the happier side of the fence.

Another Industry Changing Event Will Occur

When Frank Schilling introduced Internet Traffic it shook up the parking industry, when NameJet launched it shook up the auction industry. In 2014 my prediction we will see another huge shift of a service to an entirely new provider who has spent the time and money to innovate while existing companies sit around and talk about strategy. In fact, I already know what to place my bet on but that secret is under lock and key.

Rick Schwartz Will Make Another Big Sale

Two things are predictable with Rick. He will get mad at someone and he will have a BIG sale (we love you Rick)

The Boston Red Sox will Not Make the Playoffs

This is my article, we are Baltimore fans in the office and Elliot likes the Red Sox

Brands Will Be More Important Than Ever

Keyword domains have a place but when the monster of search (Google) is moving to a brand world and invested in the new GTLD’s then you better be hedging your portfolio on brands. A lot of people still work on the assumption that Google results will stay constant. Whether it’s 2014 or 2015 my bet is you will wake up one day and see .sexy, .web, .build, .guru and many other new extensions with very cool brands overtaking almost every search result. Embrace the change now or risk being a dinosaur in 24 months.

Personally, I can’t wait to see how 2014 plays out. This industry is full of incredible people who are risk takers, innovators and good hearted souls who deserve a chance at collective success. When I started in this industry around 1996 it was unknown and like the wild wild west. Around 2004 it started becoming more of a family with structure and conferences but even then many portfolios were built and many players already defined. This new window of time is an opportunity we have never had before on such scale and one where many stories will be written.

About 18 months ago I joined Domain Holdings and this has been a great 18 months. We have built an amazing book of business, have an incredible staff of people and are working on some really existing stuff for next year.

While the above predictions are mine and not representative of Domain Holdings (yes, we have lawyers also) I can say for everyone here that we wish each and every person in this industry a truly joyous holiday season, filled with memories and happiness to last a lifetime.

This industry is like one big family and from our family to yours …

Happy Holidays!

MX.com – a Domain Holdings Exclusive

October 28, 2013/by Alan Dunn

Domain Holdings Group, a world-class leader in premium domain brokerage and monetization, has announced an exclusive premium domain offering – MX.com.

“Two letter domain names like this tend to have the highest demand, the widest range of potential owners and fetch some of the highest prices in the industry”, says SVP Alan Dunn.

While most domain sales go unreported the industry has seen its fair share of reported 2 letter domain sales over the last couple years.

Facebook acquired FB.com for a reported $8.5 million, Yellow Pages purchased YP.com for $3.8 million and the IG Group upgraded to IG.com for $4.7 million a few months ago.

Household brand names continue to understand the importance of having a short domain and it’s becoming more of a common practice for companies to acquire these 2 letter domains.

Some other popular brands who own 2 letter .com domains include:

American Airlines (AA.com)
Bergdoff Goodman (BG.com)
Bell Helicopters (BH.com)
EA Games (EA.com)
Merrill Lynch (ML.com)
Procter & Gamble (PG.com)
Restoration Hardware (RH.com)
Sports Illustrated (SI.com)
TD Bank Financial Group (TD.com)

“This is a unique opportunity for any business to capitalize on and we are proud to have secured such a great name under exclusivity”, says Mark Daniel, Director of Business Development at Domain Holdings.

With businesses across the world looking for ways to expand their internet presence it is expected there will be no shortage of buyers for this name.

DH is no stranger to ultra premium domain names, represent many industry defining names such as Tax.com, Restaurants.com and Capital.com in the past. With a wealth of experienced brokers and a strong client base the domain name MX.com won’t last long at the current asking price.

Serious interested parties are encouraged to contact Mark Daniel, Director of Business Development, ASAP for more information. Email mark(at)domainholdings(dot)com, or call +1 561-634-7349.

About Domain Holdings

We’re Hiring!

September 8, 2013/by domainholdings

How would you like to earn over $100,000 a year?

Domain Holdings is a Market Leader in Premium Domain Name Sales and is expanding fast.

Over the next year the domain name industry will see hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment and this is your chance to be part of something great and earn a substantial income at the same time!

A BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY

The buying and selling of premium domain names is a billion dollar industry where names routinely sell in excess of $100,000 or more. As part of the Domain Holding’s brokerage team you will have unprecedented access to industry experience, knowledge and inventory only few ever get exposed to.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU MAKE?

Your income is only limited to your work. We do not put caps on your earnings potential and invest continuously in tools to help you earn more money. Domain Holdings is committed to providing our brokers the most comprehensive tools required to help you earn top dollar.

We have the best compensation package in the industry and provide many benefits other companies could only dream of.

BTW, did we mention our founder sold his previous company to AOL for $497 Million!

Yes, you will be rewarded with inspiration day after day also and that is free.

WHY DOMAIN HOLDINGS?

Domain Holdings is the industry’s leading Premium Domain Name brokerage firm with an industry reputation second to none for helping clients acquire and divest premium domains.

The collective industry experience of the founders and management are almost impossible to replicate and you will work alongside these industry veterans every day.

Imagine learning from the best and getting paid for it – At Domain Holdings you can do this!

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Are you a sales superstar with a successful track record?
Do you consistently exceed monthly sales quotas?
Can you build and maintain relationships?
Are you comfortable making 50-60 outbound calls a day?
Are you an expert communicator with ninja like computer skills?

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS

We understand this industry is small so no prior domain name experience is necessary but all successful candidates will have to possess at least the following minimum requirements.

2 years Outbound Sales Experience
Exceptional Computer Skills
Good Knowledge of Microsoft Excel
Professional Sales Approach
Understand the Meaning of the word TEAM
Basic Knowledge the Internet Exists

We also give special consideration to applicants who have endured painful learning curves from horrible bosses to understand critical tools such as:

Salesforce
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Excel
Google Docs
Post it Notes

On a human level it is very important to be a person of great moral character, have a good sense of humor and a burning fire to excel in life. There are lots of people we could hire but we are looking for the right people.

If you are a motivated self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced sales environment, enjoys South Florida living and desires to be a part of something great then Domain Holdings WANTS to hear from you.

Located directly on famous Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, Florida successful candidates will enjoy a challenging and rewarding workplace, unlimited sunshine and one of the best compensation packages in the industry.

Only 5 blocks from the Ocean, Domain Holdings offers a competitive base salary and commission structure along with Full Benefits (Health, Dental, 401K) and Stock Options following a 90-day introductory period. Other benefits include Free Healthy Gourmet Meals, Dog-Friendly Office environment, over 100+ Restaurants and shops within a 3 block radius of the office and more!

How to Apply

Please email your resume to [email protected] in a PDF format with the subject line “Hire Me Now!”. This is your chance to be a part of something great and we want to hear from you today!!

DomainPower Voted Best New Monetization Solution at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. 2012

October 10, 2012/by domainholdings

We are pleased to announce that Domain Holdings was recognized at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. 2012’s awards show with three different awards. Domain Holdings’ flagship Monetization Platform was chosen as Best New Monetization Solution by voters. Company Co-Founder Chad Folkening, a pioneer in the domain industry, was inducted into the Domainer Hall of Fame by his peers. Alan Dunn, hired in May of 2012 as SVP of Strategic Media, was awarded the Developer of the Year award.

Started in 2004, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is one of the longest running and prestigious domainer conferences, bringing together the top businesses and entrepreneurs in the domaining space. The annual T.R.A.F.F.I.C. awards have been a show staple since its inception in 2004 where it started with one award – Domainer of the Year – before growing to nine categories in 2012. In all, Domain Holdings was nominated for seven awards, including the newly added Broker of the Year Award (Joe Uddeme, Premium Domain Brokerage).

DomainPower – Best New Monetization Solution

DomainPower was re-launched in January of 2012 on the heels of a Series A round that was in large part dedicated to improving the platform’s technology. Using a monetization decision engine (MDE), the platform routes domain traffic to one of 40 different advertisers. Additionally, as data and conversions accrue the MDE will ultimately get smarter as to where to direct traffic. With talented technology team, analysts, sales and marketing, the platform is aiming to grow its advertiser coverage two-fold by December 2012.

Chad Folkening – Domainer Hall of Fame

Chad Folkening joined forces with John Ferber and the two co-founded Domain Holdings in July of 2010 with the idea of bringing a better overall domain monetization solution to the table.

Only two members are inducted annually. Past inductees include Frank Schilling, Mike Berkens, Domain Holdings Advisor in Residence Monte Cahn, Rick Schwartz, Howard Neu, Ron Jackson and more (see full list).

Alan Dunn – Developer of the Year

Alan Dunn joined Domain Holdings in June of 2010 as the SVP of Strategic Media. This award is truly a testament to his large body of work which was impressive prior to joining Domain Holdings. Dunn has a knack for understanding the fundamentals of online marketing and brand building. His talents are widely revered and we are happy to have him on board. He handles all premium development for Domain Holdings.

OTHER AWARD WINNERS INCLUDE:

Best New monetizing Solution – DomainPower.com (Domain Holdings)

Best Overall Domain Solution – Sedo.com

Best Domain Blog – DomainSherpa.com (Cyger)

The “We Get It” Award – SalesForce.com

Developer of the Year Award – Alan Dunn (Domain Holdings)

Broker of the Year – Dave Evanson (Sedo.com)

Sponsor of the Year – Escrow.com

Domainer of the Year – Frank Schilling

Domain Hall of Fame – Chad Folkenning, Michael ‘Mike’ Mann

Domain Holdings Group Named one of the “Hottest Companies in Florida”

June 6, 2012/by domainholdings

Domain Holdings has been named one of the Top 20 “Hottest Companies in Florida” for 2012 by Lead411, a three-year old award that recognizes companies in the Software, Wireless, Internet, Hardware or media verticals. In order to be considered for the award, companies had to have either grown revenues by 100% over the past two years or receive $1 million in funding in the last two years, in addition to be located in Florida.

What started with a list of 240 was narrowed to 20. Other companies on the list included Brokersweb, which was founded by Domain Holdings Board Member Matias De Tezanos.

“This is our 3rd Florida award. We are pleased with the recognition the Award has received over the past few years,” said Tom Blue, CEO of Lead411, “and we are very proud of the respected list of companies for the 2012 winners.”

Another company named to the list is BrokersWeb, founded by Domain Holdings Group board member Matias De Tezanos. Brokersweb, which has pulled down numerous awards since inception, has seen a 1,248% growth from 2008 to 2010.

Domain Industry Pioneer Monte Cahn Joins Domain Holdings Group

May 30, 2012/by domainholdings

Domain Holdings is proud to annouce that domain industry pioneer Monte Cahn has joined its team as an Executive in Residence and Advisor to the Board. In his new role, he will help shape the company’s growth and strategic direction while also taking a more hands-on role with the premium domain brokerage, domain auctions and domain monetization.

Currently, Cahn is the President and Director of RightOfTheDot, LLC, an Internet consulting and advisement firm, co-founded by him and domain industry legend, Mike Berkens. RightOfTheDot, LLC specializes in new and existing TLD consulting, board advisement, as well as other domain services sales, marketing and strategy. Currently the firm is helping companies maximize profitability and strategic direction for the new and existing gTLD program set to roll out later this year.

“I chose to invest and take an active role in Domain Holdings because I really believe in and respect the leadership, like the differentiating and leading technology offering, and know that my contribution can further the strategic direction and success,” Monte Cahn said, also noting that RightoftheDot, LLC has chosen Domain Holdings Group as one of its partners for providing premium domain sales and monetization for new and existing TLD clients.

Prior to starting RightOfTheDot, LLC, Cahn founded and was the CEO of Moniker.com in 1999, which he grew to become a Top 7 ICANN Accredited Registrar and a leading domain monetization company during his 10-year tenure. Cahn successfully brokered the historic sales of Wallstreet.com and Autos.com, recognized as the first $1 million and $2 million sales in the industry respectively. Cahn is also responsible for selling more than $300 million in domain names in the last 10 years, including seven-figure sales of Cameras.com, Dating.com, Photo.com, Bored.com, CreditCheck.com, as well as industry-leading sales of Slots.com for $5.5 million and others. Under Cahn, Moniker was widely considered the industry’s leading premium domain auction and brokerage company.

Cahn is also credited with starting the very first domain brokerage company in 1996. He pioneered and innovated what are now considered industry standard services, including: WhoIs privacy, domain escrow, domain appraisals, bulk domain management, domain security and theft prevention, stealth acquisitions and live domain auctions.

“Monte brings with him a range of knowledge dating back to the mid-90s where he was able to contribute services that widely shaped the industry and are still in use today,” Domain Holdings Co-Founder John Ferber said. “That type of forward thinking fits with our philosophy as we add to our brokerage and monetization services.”

About Domain Holdings

Domain Holdings is a world-class service provider in the buying, selling and monetizing of domain names. The company was co-founded by Chad Folkening, a longtime domain industry veteran, and John Ferber, co-founder of Advertising.com which was acquired by AOL for approximately $500 million in 2004, and whose collective online products and services have grossed more than $3 billion since 1996. DomainPower is an end-to-end domain monetization platform and marketplace. Like us on Facebook and Follow Us on Twitter.

DH Board Member cracks Inc 500 | 5000 Top 20

August 24, 2011/by domainholdings

What started in 1982 as a print publication, the Inc. brand has grown into one of the most trusted names for entrepreneurial and business resources in print and on-line. From industry insights to profiles of professionals, it spans the volatile domestic entrepreneurial landscape to educate and inspire like-minded individuals. Among its more recognizable honors are its annual Inc. 500 | 5000 awards, which celebrate the fastest growing companies in the United States.

About the time Inc. Magazine expanded its Inc. awards from 500 to 5000 in 2007, Matias de Tezanos was on the heels of another successful venture, selling advertising network ClickDiario.com to News Corporation. Drawing on his experience of building and selling the Spanish-speaking hotel reservation site – Hoteles.com – to travel giant Expedia in 2002, his success with ClickDiario.com was no surprise.

Now in 2011, de Tezanos has been named to the Inc. 500 | 5000 list for successfully leading the Miami-based BrokersWeb to become the fastest growing insurance company in the United States. Previously, de Tezanos’ BrokersWeb received local recognition as South Florida’s Fastest Growing Company by the South Florida Business Journal.

BrokersWeb operates 12 sites, offering both insurance and end-users options for advertising and plan comparisons respectively. Ranked No. 20 overall in the Inc. 500 | 5000 list, BrokersWeb has seen an 8,127-percent three-year growth, with $15.7 million in revenue in 2010.

Adding to de Tezanos’ honors was his inclusion in Inc.com’s Top 10 Latino and Hispanic Entrepreneurs list. Interestingly, his arrival in the insurance vertical was spawned in large part because of a non-compete clause that didn’t allow him to enter the Latin Market. “I knew nothing about insurance four years ago,” de Tezanos told Inc.com. “It’s growing even faster than I thought.”

Clearly, there is little he cannot tackle.

Domain Holdings raises $2.9M in Venture Capital Funding led by Valhalla Partners, Debuts Retooled Domain Development Platform

July 19, 2011/by domainholdings

Domain Holdings, an industry leader in domain lifecycle management and monetization, announced that it has launched its retooled domain development platform – DomainPower – on the heels of a $2.9 million Series A venture capital funding round from Valhalla Partners, WWC Capital and BrokersWeb Inc. Founder and CEO Matias De Tezanos, as well as other angel investors.

The newly launched platform is a complete rewrite of its predecessor Rapid Domain Builder, initially launched in November 2010. The rebranded DomainPower keeps its original intent as a turnkey solution for domain owners, offering vertical-specific frameworks for quick SEO-ready website development, site enhancement plug-ins and multiple revenue opportunities, all managed in one location.

“We are excited to come out of stealth mode with a new look to our award-winning platform,” Domain Holdings CEO Jason Boshoff said. “This gives users a powerful domain management and monetization solution that can help identify the overall status of a domain portfolio, recognize growth opportunities and, overall, offers easy management.”

The redesign’s primary focus was a new user interface, developing a larger selection of vertical-specific frameworks and adding domain portfolio management solutions. The newly launched UI features an upgraded dashboard, sortable by individual domain performance or a full portfolio performance overview, with real-time updates of site and portfolio statistics. Updates include revenue, traffic, traffic sources, keywords and other site vitals integral to the growth, health and maintenance of domains.

The funds raised will go to continued technological development for the DomainPower platform, including research and development of new revenue models for site users, as well as adding resources to optimize, analyze and help increase yield and domain value.

About Domain Holdings

Domain Holdings, a full-service domain lifecycle management company, is an industry leader in the acquisition, development, management and monetization of domain portfolios and premium web properties. The company was co-founded by Chad Folkening, a longtime domain industry veteran, and John Ferber, co-founder of Advertising.com which was acquired by AOL for approximately $500 million in 2004, and whose collective online products and services have grossed more than $3 billion since 1996. DomainPower is a comprehensive monetization and domain development platform, providing domain owners with a rev-share enhancement and website development solution.

About Valhalla Partners

Valhalla Partners is a partner and advisor to technology entrepreneurs in their quest to build world-class companies. Based in Vienna, Virginia, the firm’s management team has made more than 120 investments over the past twenty years and produced over $1 billion of investment proceeds. Valhalla prefers investments where the mission of the company is to innovate, challenge and fundamentally change the dynamics of new and existing markets. Investments by Valhalla’s team include Advertising.com, CareerBuilder.com, Clarify, EnterpriseDB, Epicor, Exchange Solutions, JumpTap, LeftHand Networks, Mobius, NextLink, Nirvanix, Progress Software, Proxicom, RealOps, Register.com, Riverbed Technologies, SafeNet, SEPATON, ServiceBench, SolidFire, TidalTV, Trilogy, and webMethods. Valhalla Partners brings the full power and network of its experienced team to every investment it makes, helping companies grow faster and smarter regardless of size or maturity.

For more information, go to www.valhallapartners.com.

About WWC Capital

WWC Capital is an investment banking and private equity firm dedicated to serving middle market companies in need of capital or advisory services. WWC has deep experience in the technology, government services, and new media sectors. Our professionals have extensive advisory and transaction experience in operating companies, investment banks and professional services firms. WWC principals have completed over 325 transactions totaling over $15 billion in value. WWC Capital is based in Reston, Virginia.

For more information, go to www.wwccapital.com.

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