Uniregistry

Uniregistry emerged from the extensive experience of its founder, Frank Schilling, a prominent figure in the domain name investment world. Officially founded in 2012 and headquartered in the Cayman Islands, the company was Schilling's strategic move to build a comprehensive platform catering to the needs of professional domain investors. Having started investing in domain names around the turn of the millennium and building a significant portfolio, Schilling identified a gap in the market for a registrar and marketplace built by investors, for investors. This vision materialized with a $60 million personal investment to apply for 54 new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and establish a vertically integrated operation.

The company operated a dual-faceted business model, functioning as both a domain name registry and a retail registrar. As a registry, Uniregistry owned and managed a portfolio of new gTLDs, such as .link, .game, .photo, and .cars. Revenue was generated by wholesaling these domain extensions to other ICANN-accredited registrars worldwide. The other side of the business was its registrar and marketplace, which provided services directly to end-users, with a strong focus on the domain investor community. This division offered specialized tools for registering, managing, and selling large portfolios of domain names, a service born from Schilling's own requirements as a major portfolio holder. The platform was designed from the ground up to be a clean, fast, and user-friendly alternative to existing registrars, featuring bulk management tools and a dedicated aftermarket sales platform, the Uniregistry Market.

A significant milestone in the company's journey was its acquisition by GoDaddy. In February 2020, GoDaddy announced it was acquiring Uniregistry's registrar and marketplace businesses, along with Frank Schilling's personal domain portfolio of over 350,000 names, for a reported aggregate price of approximately $196.9 million. The deal did not include Uniregistry's gTLD registry business, which Schilling continued to operate. The acquisition was a strategic move by GoDaddy to reinforce its commitment to domain investors, integrating Uniregistry's well-regarded platform and tools to enhance its own offerings for that specific client segment. Following the sale, the Uniregistry registrar brand continued to operate, now under the GoDaddy umbrella.

Keywords: domain registrar, domain marketplace, Frank Schilling, gTLD, top-level domains, domain investing, domain portfolio management, ICANN accredited, domain name sales, GoDaddy acquisition, domain name registry, aftermarket domains, domain tools, bulk domain management, .link, .game, .photo, .cars, Name Administration, domain brokerage