I said, "That's  you!?" He confirmed it was indeed and that he was teaming up with another revered industry pioneer, Hakan Ali, who co-founded InterNetX in 1998 (later sold to United Internet Group) and was also Managing Director at Sedo for several years to - in Hakan's own words, "reimagine domain management from the ground up." That's a tall order but with those two involved, my first thought was "if they can't do it, nobody can."

So what's so bad about the current state of domain management, especially on the registrar/reseller front, that would require a complete makeover? "Most existing systems were built in a time when there were just a few gTLDs," Hakan noted. "With the introduction of hundreds of new extensions, the systems have grown – along with all the legacy baggage that comes with it. This creates limitations: complex workflows, significant technical debt, slow response times. And this is where we come in. OpusDNS is API-first, fast and intuitive, with a modern dashboard free of legacy constraints and a flexible structure that adapts to multiple business models. Our goal is simple: remove obstacles and always put the customer first."

When I entered this business in 2002 a lot of investors opened domain reseller accounts that were offered be popular registrars. These allowed us to register domains for ourselves at a low wholesale price and operate a turnkey registrar under our own name to sell retail registrations at a price we set to others. That worked fine for several years but eventually the upstream providers raised prices and volume requirements so high it was no longer feasible to continue unless you had a huge portfolio of your own or a big client base. While OpenDNS provides a dramatically improved, modern platform, Robbie said they are bringing back one popular aspect from the "good old days."

"There’s no minimum size, inclusivity is very important to us," Robbie said. "We built OpusDNS for everyone: from ambitious startups managing a handful of domains to enterprises with portfolios in the millions. Our platform scales automatically, without artificial limits or barriers. Every customer deserves the same level of performance and reliability, whether they’re just getting started or leading the global market. After all, limits should only be challenged in the mind, not in the infrastructure."

Over the years, I've always looked at who is on a service provider's team as the product can only be as good as the people building and delivering it. In browsing through the OpusDNS website there is ample evidence that is a core principle of theirs as well with people like COO Marco Hoffman, Senior Advisor Thomas Mörz, Marketing Advisor Marie Lanyon and nearly 20 more familiar faces making it all happen.

Hakan told us, "It was essential for us to work with people who share our passion for our mission as well as identify with our values, all while having a tremendous amount of expertise in the domain space. "We were looking for personalities who work with passion, take responsibility, and have the drive to build something truly new. That’s why we deliberately assembled an international team – with backend specialists, infrastructure experts, front-end gurus, AI professionals, and colleagues who bring both registry and registrar (retail and wholesale) experience. We continue to look for people who want more than ‘just a job’, we’re seeking those who want to create something truly meaningful with us for the long term."

Of course, with people it starts at the top. I know neither Robbie nor Hakan is the type to talk about themselves, so I asked each of them what it was about the other than made that person the one they wanted to partner with. 

Robbie had this to say about Hakan, "I have known Hakan now for approximately 25 years. At first we were fierce competitors and over the years this evolved to respected competitors, then friends offline. Hakan was the heart and soul behind InterNetX and I sometimes watched from the sidelines in awe of his accomplishments. Through his time at Sedo, he brings an additional perspective – a deep understanding of how domain trading and market dynamics work. That makes us more versatile as a team and allows us to directly incorporate this knowledge into our product. For more than two decades, Hakan has gained a tremendous amount of knowledge that I knew would complement mine. Together we are stronger and together we can raise the bar in our views and thinking. Hakan and I share similar values in life and finding a partner that you can truly rely on is not easy. Lastly, his laugh is also super contagious which elevates the fun factor."

Hakan also jumped at the opportunity to comment on his partner. "Robbie is someone who understands the domain market like very few others. He doesn’t just bring decades of experience, he has also gained unique perspectives at different stages of his career – working with registrars, registries, and even building Hexonet as a startup. What I value most about him is his down-to-earth nature and, above all, the love he has for his family. He thinks big without ever losing touch – exactly the kind of partner I wanted to build something truly great with!"