Thoughts

Andrew Miller

August 18, 2024

The “Champion”

As someone who has made a 26 year (and counting) career investing in and advising on the most valuable category defining and exact match .com domain name assets, I have had my share of deals involving some of the most powerful and amazing brandable and words. For this week, I wanted to write about one of the most important factors in driving the most valuable domain transactions, and in preparing to do so, it dawned on me how this concept is represented by such a massive word; Champion. In fact, Champion*com is the domain name for an iconic brand, a market leading sports apparel company that has been successful for decades. I then went to Dictionary*com (another priceless brand) and looked up the word Champion, knowing it has dual meanings, both which speak volumes. We all know what the term means from a sports or competition standpoint, and we have had more of them in my Boston than any other city. The other meaning is “a person who fights or argues for a cause.”I have often said that domain names are rarely sold to the company that you or I believe should buy it. It is just not how it works. However, I can say with conviction that most of the domain name transactions that I have overseen as an owner, investor or advisor, have had a true champion on the buying company’s side. This is someone internally who knows exactly why they want the domain, what they will use it for, and how valuable it will be in that use case and how much enterprise value it will create. These folks often are the catalyst to a deal. I have done Random Thoughts podcasts with larry fischer on our Home*com and Chat*com record deals, both 8 figure transactions, both with internal champions. Last week, I mentioned that we Hilco Digital Assets recently closed an all time mega deal (more on that one after 9/15) and are in late stage negotiations on others that will be some of the most signficant ever. In 100 percent of these, there are champions advocating inside their own companies. I often teach my team to work hard to find and help empower these champions.

Atom.com will be the Champion

The momentum at Atom.com is ongoing, with a record month of July for the company. The team continues to innovate the domain and brand marketplace space and I am proud to be an investor and Board Member.

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