The Problem We Saw
As the digital economy exploded, a premium domain name became the new-age equivalent of prime commercial real estate. For founders, investors, D2C brands, SaaS players, and marketplaces, the right name wasn’t a luxury — it was identity, trust, SEO equity, and global market access in one stroke.
But the domain market itself was chaotic:
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Prices varied wildly — the same name could go for $500 or $50,000.
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Premium names were hoarded behind opaque brokerage layers.
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Very few players treated domains as real digital assets.
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In India, almost no one understood domain investing as an asset class.
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Founders had no structured or credible entry point.
We saw a massive gap: this market needed discipline, transparency, and real deal-making rigour — the kind investment banks and M&A firms bring to conventional asset classes.
That insight became the foundation of AffordNames x Namaxis.
Our Mission
We set out to build something small, sharp, and global:
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Make domain investing accessible and data-backed.
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Help startups and companies secure strategic digital assets.
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Create a credible ecosystem for digital-asset investing in India.
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Blend consulting with digital M&A, PMI, and brand strategy.
We wanted to show that domain assets could be valued, pitched, transacted, and integrated with the same seriousness as any business acquisition.
How It Began
I, Saurav Shekhar (IIT BHU), met Neha Gupta (IIT Roorkee) & Ankit Jain (IIT Madras) at the Yuva Prerna Entrepreneur Summit in Uttarakhand.
We shared a curiosity for unconventional digital assets and decided to build something real — lean, bootstrapped, and execution-first.
We pooled $100K of our own savings, added a small round from close investors, and set up:
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AffordNames (proprietorship for domain assets)
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Namaxis Pvt. Ltd. (our consulting + strategic partner arm)
We became registered resellers with:
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GoDaddy
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Sedo
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DropCatch
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DAN.com
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Escrow.com
This allowed us to operate with legitimacy, compliance, and transparent deal flow across 1,000+ TLDs.
What We Built
1. A $100K Domain-Focused Digital Asset Pool
India’s first fully-transparent, structured micro digital asset pool.
2. 80+ Global Clients
Across the US, China, Canada, Singapore, Middle East, and Europe.
Typical engagement length: 3–6 months.
3. A Hybrid Between a Digital M&A Desk and a Consulting Firm
We offered a unique combination of:
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Digital M&A target sourcing
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Domain/IP acquisition strategy
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Post-merger integration (PMI)
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E-commerce & SaaS growth consulting
Our differentiator: we were operators, not just advisors.
4. A Global Domain Portfolio
We built, operated, leased, and sold premium domain names across sectors like EV, fintech, SaaS, DTC, healthtech, and logistics.
5. A Serious, Data-Led Domain Brokerage Practice
We sold or leased 70+ premium names using processes inspired by Investment Banking.
How We Sold Domains: The Investment Banking Way
We treated domain deals like mini M&A transactions.
Investment Memorandums (IMs)
For high-value names, we built short IMs containing:
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Domain age
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SEO metrics
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Backlinks & authority
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Comparable sales
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Industry use cases
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Why now / Why this asset
Valuation Models Based on Precedent Transactions
Using NameBio, GoDaddy auction histories, Estibot patterns, and market comps.
Targeted Pitches
Curated founder lists, corporate buyers, PE/VC-backed startups, and domain funds.
Structured Closures via Escrow
Every cross-border deal was routed through Escrow.com, mirroring M&A-grade process integrity.
This approach separated us from domain traders — we were doing digital deal-making.
Selected Closed Deals
| Domain Name | Buyer / Counterparty | |
|---|---|---|
| Yooya.com | Yooya.co (China) | |
| BullionBank.com | Bullion Star Pte Ltd (Singapore) | |
| Petmax.com | Petmax (Canada) | |
| Kraftronic | German manufacturing Co |
Other Notable Clients
Moosetools,
Ketotogo,
NotifAI,
LivingHoney,
Itrus,
Biotum,
CircleAndLine.com,
PlasticEnergy.com,
DigitalBadges.com, ChatterBooth.com, CoCampus.com, DFSproductions.com, Weirdx.com, Mdsgn.com, FootPound.com, TrendFm.com, FluJabs.com, IkraMarket.com, TrustedTaxi.com, JojoTheClown.com, BBQStores.com, SQLStudios.com, BridgeTravels.com — and 70+ more.
Consulting + Digital M&A Work
Together with Namaxis, we ran a boutique consulting practice parallel to the domain desk.
We worked with 80 clients globally across:
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SaaS
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E-commerce
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Consumer brands
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Healthtech
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Education
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Logistics
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AI tools
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Digital agencies
Our core offerings included:
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Digital M&A research & target sourcing
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Domain/IP portfolio strategy
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Post-merger integration (PMI)
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GTM & brand positioning
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RevOps & funnel optimization
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Shopify/DTC growth sprints
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Pricing, unit economics, and CAC-LTV diagnostics
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Founder’s Office execution support
This “consulting + M&A + operator” blend became our signature.
How We Worked
We combined structured analytics with ground-level hustle:
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Auction & backorder operations through DropCatch & NameJet
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Trend-based investing (Web3, EV, health, SaaS)
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Geographic arbitrage — buying in India, selling globally
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Brandability scoring models
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Direct founder outreach
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Building an internal ML-based domain recommender
We scaled a 10-member remote team handling acquisitions, research, pricing, ops and client service.
The Exit
COVID changed the liquidity cycle for digital assets.
Mid-tier domains became slow to move, corporate budgets tightened, and we made the disciplined decision to wind down gracefully, protect capital, and redeploy energy into new ventures.
The consulting wing transitioned into broader digital strategy work; the asset pool was liquidated conservatively.
Reflections
This journey fundamentally shaped how I think as a founder and operator:
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Markets can be chaotic, but discipline always compounds.
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Small asset classes behave irrationally — liquidity and sentiment drive everything.
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Professionalizing messy markets unlocks asymmetric strength.
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Investment banking principles work everywhere:
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Valuation
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IMs
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Structured closures
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Process integrity
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We didn’t just buy and sell domains or run consulting projects —
we learned how to price, pitch, acquire, integrate, and operate digital assets like real businesses.
And that mindset now shapes how I approach venture building, strategy, and M&A today.
In popular Media:
Our team participated in Indian Domain Summit, Amritsar Edison, as attached –
Indian Domain Summit – Amritsar Edition | April 27, 2019
Interview with Neha Gupta & Saurav Shekhar, Founder of Namaxis Pvt. Ltd.
AffordNames Infographics:
Client Testimonials:
Escrow:
