Overview
The total value of global venture capital-backed fundraising rounds in November dropped substantially year on year, according to S&P Worldwide Market Intelligence, decreasing 66.7% to $20.50 billion. Similarly, the number of investment rounds plummeted by 38.5% to 1,289.
In November, ten companies were able to secure investments of at least $100 million, making it a month for mega-rounds. The technology, media, and telecommunications sector led the venture capital investment charge, accounting for 42% of the total capital raised. The healthcare and industrial sectors followed closely behind with 18.5% and 10.7%, respectively.
Namepicks
Wib
Last month, Wib, a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity startup, raised $16 million in funding. The round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, with participation from Kmehin Ventures, Venture Israel, and Techstars. Founded in 2021 by serial entrepreneur Gil Don, Ran Ohayon, and Tal Steinherz, Wib has a global presence with offices in Houston, USA and London, UK.
Following the funding round, Wib launched PTaaS (PenTesting-as-a-Service), an industry-first API designed to help organizations proactively meet the latest PCI-DSS 4.0 mandates for testing application security, APIs, and vulnerabilities in Business Logic.
We’ve always said that your defense should be informed by the offense, and with Wib’s world-leading team of API Penetration Testers, we’re uniquely positioned to provide validation of the security posture of APIs and the applications that use them from the same lens as the external attacker. Our goal is to make it safe to innovate and help our customers ensure the security, risk, and compliance of the API ecosystems powering their business.
Chuck Herrin, CTO of Wib
Wib has invested in a three-letter exact brand match domain name Wib.com. Three-letter .com domain names are considered valuable for a number of reasons. They are short, memorable, and easy to type, making them appealing for businesses looking to create a strong brand identity. Additionally, three-letter domain names are rare and often considered premium, which can make them more desirable and valuable to potential buyers. Those type of names are also versatile and can be used for a wide range of businesses, making them a good investment for those looking to acquire a valuable and versatile domain name.
Lilium
Lilium is a German aerospace company that is the developer of the Lilium Jet, an all-electric vertical take-off and landing jet with high capacity, low noise, and zero operating emissions. The company employs over 800 people, including 450 aerospace engineers and a leadership team with a wealth of experience. In November, Lilium raised $119 million in funding from investors such as Honeywell, Aciturri, LGT, Lightrock, Tencent, and B. Riley Securities.
The funds will be used to support the company’s operations, develop the Lilium Jet, and for general corporate purposes, such as paying suppliers and providing working capital.
The company has invested in the exact brand match domain name Lilium.com. Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs with large, prominent flowers. The term “lily” is derived from the Latin word for this type of flower, “Lilium” and symbolizes purity, innocence, and rebirth.
When using the name of a plant as a brand name and domain name, it’s a good idea to do some research to ensure that the plant you are considering has a positive connotation and is not associated with any negative ideas or concepts. It’s also important to make sure the name is easy to spell and pronounce and that it is not offensive or inappropriate in any way.
Zylo
Zylo, an Indianapolis-based SaaS management company, has raised $31.5 million in Series C funding. The funds will be used to accelerate product innovation and hiring, as well as to expand go-to-market and engineering teams in the Indianapolis area and to conduct hybrid hiring across the country.
Zylo capitalizes on the power of its four-letter.com CVCV domain name, Zylo.com. CVCV domain names (which stands for “consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel”) are desirable for brands due to their brevity, memorability, and versatility, making them valuable assets in any company’s digital portfolio.
Near
Near, a Pasadena, California-based data intelligence SaaS platform provider, has secured a $100 million funding round led by Blue Torch Capital. The company intends to use the funds to bolster its balance sheet and expand its strategic market position as it prepares to become a publicly traded company.
Founded in 2012 in Bangalore by Anil Mathews, Near now boasts operations in six cities—San Francisco, New York, London, Bangalore, Tokyo, and Sydney—with its headquarters located in Singapore.
Given its rapid growth and recognition, Near has capitalized on its success by upgrading its domain name in 2021 from Near.co to the more desirable Near.com.
A “.com” domain extension is the most widely-recognised and trusted, so having one can lend a company more credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of potential clients. Upgrading to a .com domain can also help a company protect its brand and prevent others from using a similar domain name, which can be important for preventing confusion and protecting the company’s intellectual property.
Speak
South Korean startup Speak, which uses AI to help people learn English, has raised $27m in Series B funding. The round was led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, and will be used to accelerate the development of new AI-powered conversational language experiences, expand to new regions and languages, and hire additional staff. Since launching in 2016, Speak has gained significant traction, with a double-digit million annual recurring revenue and almost 100,000 paying subscribers.
The company has managed to secure the exact match premium domain name Speak.com. One-word call-to-action domain names can be more effective at grabbing attention and persuading people to take action compared to longer or more complex domain names. They are often easy to remember and can be typed quickly, improving the user experience and making it more likely that people will visit the website.
Highlights
More than half of the companies on the list (427 out of 604) operate on the .com extension. .com is the most well-known and widely recognized domain extension, so using it can help a company establish credibility and increase trust with potential customers.
46 companies have chosen the .io extension, followed closely by the .ai extension with 35 users. Both extensions are often associated with technology and innovation, which can benefit companies in the tech industry or those who want to position themselves as cutting-edge or forward-thinking. On the other hand, .io and .ai are not as widely recognized as some other domain extensions, such as .com; they may be less familiar to potential customers and may not convey the same level of credibility. This can make it more difficult for people to find and remember the company’s website, which can negatively impact traffic and revenue. Both are also country domain extensions, which can come with significant risks for a business.
Five entries have selected to operate on a .app extension domain.
The .app domain extension is a new top-level domain (TLD) that is specifically intended for use with mobile applications. It was created to make it easier for users to identify mobile apps on the web, and to give developers and businesses a more secure and recognizable platform for hosting their mobile apps. It is managed by Google, and is the first TLD to require HTTPS encryption by default.
314 entries operate on exact brand match domains. An exact brand match domain name can protect the brand from trademark infringement and other abuses, as it can help to prevent competitors from “squatting” on the brand’s domain name. It also reduces the risk of customers being confused and inadvertently landing on a competitor’s website.
12 companies have chosen to include a dash in their domain name. Dashes in domain names can make them difficult to remember and can be a source of confusion. They can also make it difficult for users to type the domain name correctly in their address bar.
Other resources
- What Domain Extension is Best for a Startup?
- December 2022 Funded Startups and Their Domain Name Choices
- 5 Most Common Ways to Get Your Domain Name Strategy Wrong
- Digital Real Estate: The Power of Domains with Andrew Rosener
- The Power of Big Brands in Google Search Results: A Look at Alisopp’s Report
A premium domain name is a powerful tool for businesses looking to establish a strong and professional online presence. If you’re ready to upgrade your brand and boost your online presence, contact us for more information on our premium domain name options and how they can help your business succeed.
Previous Next