Welcome to Domain Movers, an exciting series on DotWeekly that keeps a close eye on corporate domain name transactions and reports them to you. Most of these transactions would go unreported otherwise. Let’s get to today’s list of domain discoveries:
Every.com has transferred out of CSC Corporate Domains and over to the new domain registrar of Amazon. The domain was owned by Digital Virgo Entertainment prior, since from at least around 2012. The domain/website does not currently resolve and whois is under privacy. As of right now, it doesn’t appear the domain changed ownership as it resides on a server that holds other Digital Virgo domains but the potential is there as the domain does not resolve and the transfer of registrars.
Mattel, Inc. has taken ownership of the domain name Sproutling.com, which is the main domain name behind a smart baby monitor product. Mattel acquired the company January 29, 2016. The company was founded in December 2012 and had $6.55M in funding at the time.
A bit of domain history behind it. Based on information I am seeing, IMO, Sproutling.com was warehoused by hidden Web.com company New Ventures Services after the domain reached or neared expiration in either late October 2012 or when they appear in public whois on March 8, 2013. A Chris Bruce appears in whois records when the domain transferred out of Register.com (A Web.com company) to DreamHost around March 11, 2013. Chris is Founder and CEO of Sproutling according to his LinkedIn profile.
So, Sproutling acquired the EMD about 3 months after being founded and publicly launched with it. Smart Move!!!
Intercom.com has been acquired by Intercom.io, a startup with over $100 Million in funding ($115.75M to be exact) which was founded in August 2011! The domain transaction appears to have taken place about April 5, 2016. The domain was owned by Daniel Herschlag, CEO of Intercom Online, LLC prior.
Intercom is a customer messaging platform. This is another example of a company “getting it” and switching to .com from a less known TLD like .io. So many companies miss important email communications because people simply assume your company owns the .com domain name! Branding is easier as well with .com and simply removes a distracting, extra effort of explaining “.io” instead of just saying .com!
I have reached out to the seller to see if he can share some details on the sale. Congrats goes out to Intercom!
VarkTV.com has been registered by a currently unknown corporate client of MarkMonitor.
Herc Rentals Inc. (a new division of Hertz) has registered the domain name HertzEquipRental.com. They already own HertzEquipmentRental.com.
Costco Wholesale Membership, Inc. registered the domain name CookingWithCostco.com
Herbalife International of America, Inc. appears to have registered BettingOnZero.com back in March 2016 in stealth mode, by registering the domain names at GoDaddy and putting them under privacy protection. They also registered the .net/org/info/us and have since transferred them to MarkMonitor under public whois. It is not uncommon for companies to hide domains at Dynadot, GoDaddy and more.
QVC, Inc. were the buyers of BeautyIQ.com, a domain name that I mentioned on October 21, 2016 that was acquired but the buyer was unknown at the time.
Sweetwater Sound, Inc. registered the domain names InstantDroneInsurance.com/net/info
Honeywell International Inc. has moved the domain name RMG.com from Honeywell to RMG Messtechnik GmbH based on whois records. Honeywell acquired RMG in 2009.
Marksmen has been busy helping clients acquire domain names! To.org is one they recently acquired for a currently unknown client. DrivenToDrive.com is another. Sixa.com was acquired for client Sixa.io in another EMD .com upgrade in today’s list! The domain Sixa.com had an offering price of $14,530 based on what I could tell and would be a great purchase price for Sixa Inc if they acquired it for that amount!
.io lost one of their biggest posterchilds (…children?) with the move of intercom.io to intercom.com