Thoughts

Andrew Miller

November 17, 2024

A Beautiful Storm May Be Forming

It is such an exciting time of the year, and time historically, for the most valuable exact match and category defining domain names. Q4 and Q1 are always busy with buy and sell side transactions, but as I write this, this feels different. While it will be hard to exceed Q4 2023 when we at Hilco Digital Assets, despite a more challenging climate, oversaw 2 major domain transactions between Dec 15 and Xmas, I believe we will. Venture money is flowing again (we are partners and owners in VentureCapital*com and PrivateEquity*com), led by AI, healthcare, and innovative technology, interest rates are down, $BTC is materializing, and there is a renewed energy. 2025 will be chock full of IPO’s, and M&A. Will it hold up longer term, that is still TBD. This past week, Ark’s fund manager, the legendary Cathie Wood, spoke out stressing digital assets have great strategic importance for any business, https://lnkd.in/eE46pbQd. Hers was another testament to the immense importance of the most valuable category defining and exact match .com domain assets. We are in the middle of some late stage discussions and negotiations on several category defining or exact match domain transactions with leading companies and investors that are clearly realizing that the most valuable .com domains are mission critical to their business, email, marketing, funding, just as Rocket Companies, Amark, and OpenAI did on our Rocket*com, Gold*com, and Chat*com deals. respectively.

Exhibit A

Another example of this was detailed in a blog post by Elliot Silver on Friday about the risk of the .IO extension right now, but really, any TLD other than .com, https://lnkd.in/eQtiDZSa. I was quoted in this piece.

Our Domains

We own or are representing so many of the most premium generic, category defining domains on the Internet. Many are in serious discussions and once transacted, it is likely forever. These are game changing brands, assets, and opportunities. See HilcoDigital.com/domains

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