SnapNames

SnapNames operates as an online marketplace specializing in the resale and acquisition of domain names. The company was co-founded in 2000 by Raymond King and Ron Wiener. The founding idea originated from King's personal experience of writing a script to monitor and acquire a domain name for himself the moment it expired. This initial success led to the creation of SnapNames, first to help corporate clients prevent the accidental loss of their domain names, and later expanding to serve individuals seeking to acquire expiring domains. After his tenure at SnapNames, King founded AboutUs, Inc. and Top Level Design, LLC, a company that applied for several new top-level domains. Wiener, who served as Chairman and CEO, went on to found and lead several other businesses.

The company's business model is centered around online auctions for domain names, including those that are expiring, being deleted, or privately owned. Clients can backorder a desired domain name, which means SnapNames will attempt to secure it if and when it becomes available. If only one person backorders a name, they win it for the minimum bid price. However, if multiple parties express interest, the domain goes to a private, three-day auction where the highest bidder wins. This service allows individuals and businesses to acquire valuable or brandable domain names that were previously registered. SnapNames generates revenue from the successful sale of these domains through its auction platform and charges a fee for backorder services.

Over the years, SnapNames has undergone several ownership changes. It was acquired by Oversee.net in 2007 before being sold to the Luxembourg-based holding company KeyDrive S.A. in 2012. This deal, which also included the registrar Moniker, made KeyDrive the world's sixth-largest ICANN-accredited registrar at the time. In March 2014, Web.com Group, Inc. acquired SnapNames from KeyDrive for $7.4 million in cash. The acquisition was intended to complement NameJet, another domain auction platform that Web.com co-owned. SnapNames now operates as a subsidiary of Newfold Digital, which was formed after a merger involving Web.com. The platform has exclusive partnerships with numerous registrars, providing its users with access to a vast inventory of over 30 million domain names annually.