Overview

Last year, global venture investment totaled $643 billion, up from $335 billion in 2020, according to Crunchbase data. Fintech fundraising shattered multiple records, according to CB Insights’ 2021 State of Venture Report, with $132 billion raised. Fintechs received $1 out of every $5 invested by venture capital companies.

Last month’s fundraising was dominated by Chinese startups, with a display driver business and an EV battery producer both getting nearly $1 billion and six more raising over $100 million.

We’ve gathered a list of 899 companies that received investment in December, paying attention to the names and domain extensions they chose for their online presence. Let’s explore some of the best names in this selection.

Namepicks

Abillion

Abillion is a digital platform that helps people all around the globe find and make more sustainable decisions. It was founded in 2018 by CEO Vikas Garg. In December, the startup raised $10M, bringing its funds to $17M over five rounds. 

Abillion is operating on the exact brand match Abillion.com domain name.

Addi

Addi is a Columbia-based fintech startup that provides credit and banking solutions. In December, Softbank and GIC led a $200M funding round to support Addi’s expansion in Latin America.

Addi has chosen a domain name that corresponds to their global ambitions and communicates their vision – Addi.com.

Cars24

Cas24 is an eCommerce platform for pre-owned autos. The startup closed a $400M December funding round at a $3.3 billion valuation.

Cars24 is operating on the exact brand match domain name cars24.com. Here is an article to help you better understand how to use numbers in brand names. 

Cerebral

Cerebral provides mental health services. Last month, the startup raised $300M, backed by Softbank and other well-known investors.

Cerebral has invested in the exact brand match domain Cerebral.com. Obtaining a short and memorable.com domain name, such as a dictionary term, is a critical first step in the process of building a worldwide brand.

Fireblocks

Fireblocks is a digital asset security platform that helps financial institutions protect digital assets from theft or hackers.

Fireblocks has selected an exact brand match .com domain name for their address on the web. There are many benefits of using such a solid top-level domain. Having a website with a .com domain improves reliability and credibility, and it will also encourage reputable companies to link to your site.

Genesys

Genesys is an American software company that sells customer experience and call center technology. In December, the company raised $580M, setting a $21 Billion valuation.

Genesys has invested in the exact brand match domain name, Genesys.com. A short and memorable .com domain name has always been the way of global brands since the introduction of the internet. Genesys.com was registered in 1997.

Monzo

Monzo is a British digital bank founded in 2015 by Tom Blomfield, Jonas Huckestein, Jason Bates, Paul Rippon, and Gary Dolman. The startup initially launched as Mondo but, in June 2016, rebranded to Monzo, acquiring the exact brand match domain name Monzo.com in June 2019 (upgrading from GetMonzo.co.uk).

SellerX

SellerX is a European aggregator of e-commerce businesses. The startup raised $500M in December. 

SellerX operates on SellerX.com. Investing in a .com domain name that matches their brand name ensures their brand is secure online and makes it easy for their customers, business partners, and investors to reach them.

VOI

VOI is a micro-mobility startup. The company owns, operates, and manages electric scooters for urban commuters.

The startup owns the exact brand match domain VOI.com, which redirects to VoiScooters.com. Most successful global brands use the power of domains and maintain portfolios of names that serve different purposes – to protect their brand, as part of marketing campaigns, sub-brands, or products, to appeal to specific audiences, and many others.

ZTO Freight

Founded in 2002, ZTO is a Chinese corporation that integrates express, logistics, and other industries. The company has registered trademarks such as “中通®” and “zto®.” 

ZTO has registered the exact brand match, valuable three letters domain zto.com. Over 60% of those names are owned by global brands and will likely not become available in the decades to come.

Highlights

The majority of the startups in our list have chosen to use the .COM extension (631 out of 899). The.com domain name extension is used by more than half of all websites on the internet, thus making it the most natural choice for users to type in when it comes to domain names.

470 companies operate on exact brand match domain names, thus making the most out of their marketing across channels and avoiding security risks.

.IO is used by 72 entries. .io is the extension for the British Indian Ocean Territory. It has gained popularity with startups in recent years, even though, according to many, it faces an uncertain future.

.AI has been used by 30 startups. Tech startups have widely adopted the .AI extension as it is associated with a popular technology term (Artificial Intelligence) and offers a lot more availability than other TLDs.

28 entries have secured domains ending on .CO., introduced in 1991 and initially registered for Columbia. It’s been later transformed to cc generic TLD name.

There are benefits of using domain name extensions like .AI and .CO in creative way – availability and cost, to mention a few. There are, however, many risks too when using country extensions so entrepreneurs should be cautious.

6 startups use .BIO extension. .bio is a relatively new top-level domain (TLD) that can be used as a URL extension for many different industries, sciences, and studies.

34 entries use a dash. Dashes are often included with two-word brand names or added words when the business has to compromise on their domain if the exact brand match name is taken/not within reach. 

While we make every effort to ensure the data on our site is accurate, complete, and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its reliability. Our data is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, or other advice. We strongly recommend that you independently verify any information before relying on it.

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Other resources

• Is It Worth Paying for a Premium Domain Name?
• What Domain Extension is Best for a Startup?
• Digital Real Estate: The Power of Domains with Andrew Rosener
• Why Investing in Your Branding is the Best Strategy for Your Business

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How does your brand name match your company vision? What new horizons can a better name open? Get in touch if you feel your brand deserves a better name, we are always happy to help.

branding choices december domain name domains funded naming startups