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challenging to keep track of
the players and what they are doing, especially when it's happening in a
space that is already a mystery to most on Main Street.
To help shed some light
on what is going on in this rapidly growing arena, we've started a
series of profiles of some of the major players in Web3. The series
began with an introduction to D3,
that was published just ahead of their annual Dominion
conference that was held in Las Vegas in January. That was
staged right after the 2025
ICA Annual Meeting at the same venue. While we were there we
took the opportunity to chat with several other leaders in the
Web3 space, including WebUnited
Co-CEO Lars Jensen and the company's VP for Business Development,
Kathy Nielsen. I was surprised to learn that WebUnited had come
up with a Web2/Web3 connection that was much simpler and
easier to use than I was expecting. That is an attribute that
everyone faced with new technology can appreciate, so we decided to take
a closer look at WebUnited in this installment of our series.
In addition to being
well-versed in Web3, Kathy is a highly respected Web2 veteran.
That makes her the perfect person to explain how WebUnited has
gone about bringing Web2 and Web3 together. Kathy told us,
"WebUnited was born from a collaboration between the
gTLD registry Shortdot
and the Web3 tech company, Freename.
As with most startups, products go through many iterations as
teams grow, build, and learn about their market and the many
possibilities it holds. It’s a natural tendency to try and do
it all at once, but sometimes, simple things are better."
"WebUnited’s product
for registrars and resellers is a really elegant solution
that gives Web2 domain registrants more options and utility with
their domain names," Kathy continued. "It allows a
Web2 domain name to be mirrored and used on a blockchain
- AKA Web3. This added utility for a DNS domain is in
addition to the existing uses we already have in Web2. Whether
the user is already a Web3 enthusiast or a Web2 user curious
about getting their feet wet in Web3, the ability to keep your
brand, your domain name and use it across the two
platforms is golden." |
Kathy
Nielsen
VP, Business Development
WebUnited |
"Domain management for both versions
of the domain remain at the user’s registrar/reseller with a
few new Web3 domain management options like pointing your domain to your
crypto wallet address. That is one of the simplest and most
common things to do because it can be used to to receive payments
and as a digital identifier in many Web3 applications (dApps
- distributed applications). Pointing a Web3-enabled domain to a
wallet allows you to replace a long, complicated crypto wallet
address with a simple, easy-to-remember name, just like a
domain replaces a string of numbers in a web address on Web2.
Sound familiar?"
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On March 3, 2025, WebUnited
announced a launch
partnership with popular registrar Domain
Cost Club and many more registrars are expected to
offer WebUnited's Web3 services as an add-option in their
domain registration path as they learn more about the
offering. About that, Kathy noted, "There is a lot of
enthusiasm, curiosity and questions! We all get so
busy it can be difficult to learn and keep up with the new space
and technologies of Web3. It’s particularly difficult
because it is still developing and moving very fast
- but a lot of the tech is improving every day with the
goal of making it more useful, secure, faster, and easier to use
for the average person."
"Even so,
most registrars and resellers understand the massive
opportunity," Kathy added. "They have the chance
to start participating now, providing their customers additional
capabilities and utility for their existing domains without
having to change their domain names and brands in order to
function in Web3. They understand that other non-domain
naming conventions can also be used as digital |
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identities in Web3, but
domain names have an advantage. They have the advantage
of over 30 years of operating on the DNS, trusted and
familiar with end users for navigation, and a well-known
purchase path with registrars and resellers. Plus,
they understand the value of first mover advantage." |
"Then, there is the
market data which is hard to ignore. Today, the Web3 market is
strong and growing exponentially. A 2025
study from Grandview Research predicts the market size is
projected to see substantial increases over the next 5 years, estimated
to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 49.3% (CAGR) until
2030. The Web3 market is young but growing very fast."
"Major investments are
flowing into Web3 companies, enabling the innovators and developers
with the resources needed to continue their work. They are tackling big
problems today so that the new era of the internet becomes not only as
easy to use but safer and provides individuals with more control and
ownership of their data than the centralized internet as we know it
today," Kathy said.
As Web3 is still a work in
progress, I had one remaining question. Having known Kathy for many
years and watched her flourish throughout her Web2 career, I wondered
what, from a personal standpoint, she saw in WebUnited and
Web3 that convinced her this was where the next chapter of her story
should be written.
|
In
2009 we
snapped this shot of
Kathy Nielsen speaking at the
Sedo Pro Forum in Key West, Florida. |
"I have always loved
technology and how it can improve the world around us,"
Kathy began. "As you know, I have also always been a strong
supporter and believer in the power of domain names and brands.
Back in 2016, a good friend and someone I respect, Lori
Anne Wardi, started talking with me about cryptocurrencies.
I started dabbling and got a wallet to just learn and keep up with
this new area in tech I found intriguing. Innovation and technology
were all around me."
"At the time I
lived near MIT in Boston and remember the first ever crypto ATM.
It was at a gas station just off the MIT campus, along the Charles
River, where I commuted daily to my Sedo office. For the past
9 years, I followed developments in crypto and blockchain
technologies, curious as to what and where it would all lead.
I never doubted the utility and potential of crypto currencies and
found the developments and use cases growing around it all
fascinating. I remember posting something for sale on CraigsList
many years ago, and they had the option for me to get paid in
cryptocurrency if the buyer wanted to pay that way. I
always checked that box - yes - in hopes someone would pay me in
ETH or BTC for that old |
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dresser or bike I was selling. I saw the
developments in the crypto space growing beyond payments,
and I began to understand how it was intertwined with Web3 and
that this would be a shift in the digital economy." |
"How did I
know that WebUnited was where I wanted to write my next chapter? I
saw the domain world starting to play in this new digital
economy and followed the different players, and listened to what they
were saying, and I was drawn to WebUnited for its intuitive approach to
giving existing domains more utility and the ability to work in Web3.
The fact that today, with WebUnited’s tech, I can easily mint my Web2
domain name on the blockchain and use it for my crypto wallet, or for a
Web3 email, or a Web3 website and my digital identity for dApps,
it made a big impression on me. It’s simple, it
future-proofs my domains, my brands, and I can use it today (plus more
in the future)."
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"I’d be
remiss if I didn’t mention that the two founders and co-CEOs
of the company made a great impression on me. Many of
your readers know Lars Jensen from ShorDot.
His extensive history and many successes in the domain industry
gave me confidence in WebUnited. When I had the opportunity
to meet and speak with Davide Vicini from Freename,
I was instantly impressed with his knowledge and background in
technology, business and finance. I also had the opportunity to
meet several others on the team that know Web3 like I know the
domain |
Lars
Jensen (left) and Davide Vicini
WebUnited Co-Founders and Co-CEOs |
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name industry. I could
see they had a very strong and knowledgeable leadership team and one
that I was excited to join!" |
Now that she is off
and running with the WebUnited team, Kathy knows she will have a very
busy year ahead. "No doubt! We’ve got new partners signed and
in their implementation phase so you’ll hear more about them in the
weeks and months ahead," Kathy said. "We’ll be at ICANN
Seattle, talking to as many registrars and resellers as we can.
These in person opportunities to meet and talk domains are
invaluable and an easy way for potential partners to learn more about what
we do and how we can help them expand their existing domain name business
into the next era of the internet, Web3." |
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