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February 11, 2020

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Here's the The Lowdown from DN Journal,
updated daily
to fill you in on the latest buzz going around the domain name industry. 

The Lowdown is compiled by DN Journal Editor & Publisher Ron Jackson.

GoDaddy Makes Blockbuster Acquisition of Uniregistry's Registrar & Market and  Frank Schilling's Domain Portfolio 

In our annual State of the Industry Cover Story published two weeks ago, one of the most frequently made predictions by our panel of experts was that we would see much more consolidation in the industry in 2020. That point could not have been hammered home harder than it was today when GoDaddy announced a jaw-dropping deal to acquire Uniregistry's registrar operations, their domain marketplace and Uniregistry Founder Frank Schilling's entire Name Administration domain portfolio of more than 350,000 domains. GoDaddy also acquired Brandsight in the transaction, an add that will help them better support enterprise-level customers. The price paid for those assets was not revealed.

Schilling, a domain industry pioneer who was profiled in two DNJournal Cover Stories, one in 2007 and another in 2012, will retain Uniregistry's new gTLD registry operations that includes 26 TLDS as well as the backend platform serving those extensions and others. So, Schilling will remain an active participant in the industry after the deal with GoDaddy closes in Q2-2020 if all goes as planned. 

For Uniregistry customers, things will continue as they are now with no major staff or operational changes expected over the balance of the year as the two firms work through what is expected to be a smooth transition. 

 

Frank Schilling
Uniregistry Founder 

Paul Nicks
GM & VP, Aftermarket, GoDaddy.com

GoDaddy Vice President Paul Nicks, noted "Uniregistry is unique in that domain investors built it from the ground up so their products and services have always catered to the domain investor community, This acquisition reinforces GoDaddy's commitment to domain investors. Combining Uniregistry's solutions and incredible knowledge with our platform will help investors succeed and advance future innovations for them."

Nicks was also excited about acquiring Schilling's domain portfolio, adding, "Frank is one of the smartest and savviest investors, and his portfolio shows that knowledge and acumen. We can't wait to bring these to market for our customers with competitive prices."

After new GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani delivered the keynote address at the 2020 NamesCon Global conference on January 30, I wrote that he had made a very strong personal commitment to championing the

domain investor/developer community that I felt was extremely good news for our industry going forward. GoDaddy's purchase of Uniregistry quickly underscored that (as does Paul Nicks' decision to serve the community as a Board Member of the Internet Commerce Association, the non-profit organization that protects domain registrant's rights). The company has the money and the marketing skill to dramatically elevate recognition of what we do in mainstream business circles, and to portray it in a more accurate light than has often been the case among those with little understanding of the business.

Frank Schilling, who built Uniregistry to be a custom-tailored platform to meet the needs of domain investors and developers is also confident that GoDaddy is the right company to carry what he and his team created forward. Schilling said, "One of the mantras we repeat around the Uniregistry office is that we dream about building a company of permanence and value. When I started speaking with GoDaddy, it became clear how passionate we both are about our customers and this industry. I realized the best way to fulfill our mantras and dreams was to join with Godaddy. I'm so proud of the team we've put together. It is incredibly rewarding to give them the opportunity to scale our solutions with GoDaddy's customers. The years ahead will truly be awesome!"

(Posted February 11, 2020)  

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