25 ms·

Pre-branded domain names for startups

389 points by ollie 15y ago

todsul 15y ago
My goodness! A startup with a purpose, a product, an interesting business model... and no ads. Is this a freakin' mirage? Love the fixed $250 price. Great work guys.
arkitaip 15y ago
This could be an interesting tool - along with Unbouce, LaunchRock or KickoffLabs - when doing MVP web sites.
heyadayo 15y ago
I like this a lot. Sometimes you can spend 3-20 hours trying to figure out a name, domain, and branding. I'd pay a couple hundred bucks to skip that step. I wish this existed all those previous times I was stuck grinding on names!
- ljf 15y ago
  There is no name here that suited what we were looking for, but it has the potential to save you loads of time, plus the logo costs. If I was starting out something new I'd def check here, and use this as a starting point, use the logo to start a basic site, get a letter head made and some business cards done - bang, hours save, cost of a decent logo save, headaches saved. Plus, you can change your name when ever you like - people get so overly stressed about names, as though the .com is the most important thing.
MattBearman 15y ago
I'm just impressed to see a decent sounding, 5 letter .com domain for $250 (Vueta) - tempted to snap that one up myself.
- ljf 15y ago
  Plenty of great short domains on other extensions - I got whi.im and om.gd for a couple of projects I am working on. Issue is whether the people who need to know, know that .im or .gd are domain extension - or if it will just confuse them and send them to whiim.com (which we don't own).
e1ven 15y ago
This is a really great idea. One of the things which young startups often spend too much time on is picking a perfect name + brand. This is a great way to get started. You can always iterate later if necessary, but this gives you something to use NOW, and put the discussion away and get back to real work. Also, I love the layout. Very straightforward. I currently subscribe to the http://justdropped.com/ http://justdropped.com/ mailing list which has daily domain names that he buys as they expire.. I could see something similar for your site, but with logos attached. Also, a NewsLetter would be a great way for me to keep up with the (weekly?) new designs you add to the store. Keep it up!
- nanijoe 15y ago
  If you need something to use right away and just get back to work, you can just head over to nameboy.com (or one of countless such sites), find a name thats not taken, then register it. There..thats 30 minutes to save you over $200
- stylate 15y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. A newsletter of some sort is next on the feature list.
- dotty 15y ago
  Great idea for them, yes. For us? Awful. Most of the time I bet the logos (which are ok but a bit generic) won't match what you have in mind for your site. These people are no better than domain squatters - they're an unnecessary tax on startups. A number of times now I've abandoned ideas after being unable to find a domain name as they're all taken by squatters, it's saddening :(
  - ljf 15y ago
    From all the possible names and extensions that are available, you've been unable to find anything that fits? And it was the lack of suitable URL that led you to abandon these ideas? A URL alone does not makes a site or a success.
  - Isofarro 15y ago
yuvadam 15y ago
Most of these domains are names of types you can easily find using tools like nametoolkit, and purchase for $10. Nonetheless, this is a superb idea, which can become easily profitable.
Hrundi 15y ago
There are some lovely domains in here. Very cheap in comparison to their worth! It sucks that when this post becomes more popular, most of them (if not all) will be taken. Serves me right for having worked almost 4 years for a very large mobile games developer here in Argentina and having seen 40% of my paycheck being eaten away by inflation in the last few years. I simply can't afford these domains, I would have loved to have them turned into full blown sites, just for fun! Congratulations to the people that purchase them... please treat them nice :)
dramaticus3 15y ago
WineCoffer sounds like Wank Offer
acabal 15y ago
Looks like a great idea, very clever, but I'm not sure about the pricing. I would love to use something like this as a small developer, but $250 is a bit much for a domain and a logo given my small-time budget. On the other hand, companies with a larger budget would probably just have something like this done in-house. So I guess I'd ask: who do you see being the target market here?
- Hrundi 15y ago
  I see HN as the ideal target market. I'm sure this submission didn't occur spontaneously and there are many people in HN who can afford $250 for a seemingly good value. I'd be surprised if most of the domains are not sold quickly.
  - iamben 15y ago
    IMO, some of these domains are probably worth more than $250 anyway.
    - dotty 15y ago
      Huh? A domain is worth around £10, not $250, not £1000 and definitely not $15,000+.
      - sycr 15y ago
        Worth and cost are not the same.
        dotty 15y ago
        Very true, but when it comes to a domain, to have a fair and equal system - they must be the same.
      - ed209 15y ago
        I don't think you understand. By your logic, everything should be equally priced based on its constituent parts, totally ignoring availability, desirability, demand and countless other factors. Are you seriously saying that if you owned the domain name coke.com and the domain name jkkjs7e98wesj.com that you'd sell them to me for £10 each?
shimsham 15y ago
unfortunately a logo and 2-syllable odd-sounding name don't make a brand. however, as a cost-effective way to get a name and image, it's relatively pragmatic, especially for those who need it NOW.
- stylate 15y ago
  We are trying to add to the lean startup ecosystem, not replace $xx,xxx keyword domains that venture-backed startups can afford.
  - shimsham 15y ago
    lean startup ecosystem = not paying for things you don't need. plain language wins over every time. if a new business with little money needs a name and a logo for a fixed price, this can make economic sense. branding considers the audience and not the founders.
jasonkester 15y ago
This is domain squatting pure and simple. Just because it's dressed up with a pretty design doesn't change the fact that these guys are the exact sort of bottom feeders that we should be blackballing from our industry. Flagged.
- ollie 15y ago
  I'm not sure it's as evil as you make it out to be. It's certainly not clear-cut domain-squatting. They're adding value to a domain & selling it at (what I believe to be) a reasonable price. They're clearly investing time coming up with ideas for domains that they can create decent logos for. You would easily pay $500+ for a 'good' logo.
  - jonnathanson 15y ago
    Domain squatting with fancy window dressing is still domain squatting. I'll admit, however, that this is a very clever form of domain squatting. I begrudgingly admire the player here, even if I hate the game. This is sort of like the domain-squatter's equivalent of department store mannequins: visual aids that help shoppers picture what the items could look like in practice, sparking their imaginations, and thereby convincing them to buy. In this case, the logos are really just giveaways to sell visually and tangibly what would otherwise be abstract names. Again: it's kind of a stroke of genius, but it's a stroke of genius in a questionable profession. So I end up with very mixed feelings here. Kudos to this guy for innovating, and for doing a good job at it. But I fear the rise of a second domain-squatting gold rush, when/if a bunch of squatters copy this model en masse and set up squat + design sweatshops to crank them out.
    - stylate 15y ago
      Domain squatting has a fairly specific legal definition. We aren't squatting. We actually came up with the idea after being frustrated by domain parking and squatters and frankly the whole domain industry.
      - 15y ago
tomblomfield 15y ago
I despise the blatant profiteering of domainers - they're sucking value out of a system that in some sense should "belong" to society, and providing nothing in return. But these prices aren't completely unreasonable, they come with (generally quite decent) logos, and they would save a startup countless hours of faffing over domains.
amouat 15y ago
Clever. Do you scale the prices with number of clicks?
- tptacek 15y ago
  It's flat pricing.
  - amouat 15y ago
    Seems it does state on the sidebar that all domains are the same price. I guess some people may see it as exploitative, but I would consider increasing the price of domains that a lot of people have clicked on and reducing the price of others.
paulnelligan 15y ago
I'm not sure I agree that this is such a 'superb idea' ... As a founder, I want to personalise my domain, and design, and that means coming up with different concepts, and searching whois until I find a good match that's available ... The design then has to represent what the product is about in a non-generic way ... The designs on this site are far too generic for my taste I can't imagine myself going to that page with a concept and saying 'AHA, that's exactly what I wanted' ... Possibly it could in reverse if someone is looking for inspiration for their next startup ...
- Robin_Message 15y ago
  I think that would make a great practice at idea generation and learning about brand awareness: get a list of these and try to decide what the named company does. Then compare with others. I'd be interested to see whether there are any names that totally dictate what the idea is.
- jaysonelliot 15y ago
  When you're at the beginning stages, trying to get something built and possibly seeking seed money, spending your time naming, designing logos, and branding is sort of like spending all your money on a nice office before you have a product. By all means, do the things you talk about when it's time--but that time is usually not at the beginning.
- llch 15y ago
  An idea for using this service is that you want to validate your idea through landing page as a MVP.
soyelmango 15y ago
Domain speculators selling at a fixed 'low' price.
ShawnJG 15y ago
while I am sure that someone out there can use the service, taking the time to come up with your own name and design should not be given up lightly. I do take issue with the "branding" implication that these domains purportedly have. Before starting my own company I spent years in an ad agency, and I can tell you that unless there is an unusual amount of serendipity involved you probably won't find a name and image that fits perfectly with your company goals and vision. A brand is a promise to the public which conveys your intent your services and your commitment to your product. Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Disney all do this very well for example. If you're not a designer I can see gaining design inspiration from this site. But in my opinion, take a little time try to come up with your own ideas to implement.
- ljf 15y ago
  I agree in some ways - but sometimes names can delay launches. I can see a small start up using this site to 'just get out there' - and worry about branding later. Depending on what you are doing you can change your name/brand later. Since /most/ start-ups fail, why not get to market quicker, with less cost, and less time/brain power wasted.
  - ShawnJG 15y ago
    Everything in balance. You definitely should not delay the launch of a product because you can't think of a name. But getting to market and changing your name/brand later defeats the whole purpose of branding. In fact it's the opposite of branding. For the latest example just think about Netflix and what they did by naming their DVD mailing service qwixster. That name change is arguably a colossally bad move. I'm not saying your design has to be perfect, you can always update the image like Howard Johnson did for their motel chain. I tend to think that small businesses make a huge mistake when they gloss over the branding/marketing work. I am not advocating the necessity of bringing in a huge ad agency and market research just to get a logo. Just put in a little effort, use the same ingenuity you use when you started your company and come up with a brand identity that ties into what you do. At the very least you can go to logo tournament and get a custom built logo starting at 250. It's the same amount as this service plus you have are reasonably high degree of customization. Your name and your logo will be the most visible part of your company. You want it to instantly signify all the best traits and qualities you have, even if it is just subliminally. Some of the best brands out there who do this well, can just with their logo conjure up a long list of attributes/adjectives in a potential consumer's mind. A super simple one is Rolex… It's just their name with a crown over it. Even if you did not know that they were a watchmaker, by looking at their logo you would assume that whatever they do it's of high quality befitting of royalty or at least made the connection with royalty in your mind. I just think there are many more options that for the same amount of money and minimal effort you can put together something that is closely related and much more beneficial than an off the rack name and logo solution.
dotty 15y ago
Ugh! These are just glorified domain sitters disguised as a trendy start-up. Please don't give these people your money - they ruin innovation by taking up massive amounts of domains then selling them for huge amounts. These people RUIN the internet.
- gizmo 15y ago
  Not huge amounts. $250 for a domain + logo is very reasonable.
- stylate 15y ago
  Very rarely will you find a domainer selling a .COM for less than $1000. If anything we are forcing down the price floor. Right?
  - profitbaron 15y ago
    I know a lot of domainers (who own thousands of domain names) and all of them will sell a .COM for less than $1000, just because its a .COM doesn't mean its instantly worth at least $1000. That's not to say they won't sell some domains for more than $1000 because, they own premium domains, as well as LLL.com's NNN.com's etc but your generalisation that a .COM is worth $1000 is wrong.
Finbarr 15y ago
I think this is really good for people in certain situations, e.g., you're going to pitch an important event with a new idea and you don't have a name or a logo. The design is nice and clean. My only suggestion would be adding share buttons.
jmitcheson 15y ago
I love it. It's like themeforest for startups. Don't listen to the haters. I have a lot of ideas I put on the backburner 'cause I'm busy with other things. The value in this isn't just the domain, it's the "packaging" of the entire first part of the process. I do this on themeforest too.. browse landing pages for one startup, but maybe buy a landing page that happens to be suited to another random startup idea, if I saw it. Good luck to you, sirs / madams.
- marcelvdg 15y ago
  Totally agree - I actually just lucked out and found a simple temp name for a startup I'm working on. Trying to find a name has been a pain, and now its sorted in 2 minutes. I won't use the branding, but FINALLY we have a domain. I'm sure they'll be sold out by the end of the day.
- pgstillsucks 15y ago
  No, please do listen to the haters. They may well explain to you how the system is so intratcably broken that it must cause cognitive dissonance if you believe in a free Internet. The DNS is not your friend. The sooner you recognize the lack of utility of globally unique names and the pound of flesh being extracted for this inane privilege, the sooner you will be on the side of the future. Yes, yes.. barriers to entry are always awesome for entrenched players. I'm not even slightly interested in how your name is your competitive advantage. If you believe this lie, I do not care about your success.
- pgstillsucks 15y ago
  No, please do listen to the haters. They may well explain to you how the system is so intratcably broken that it must cause cognitive dissonance if you believe in a free Internet. The DNS is not your friend. The sooner you recognize the lack of utility of globally unique names and the pound of flesh being extracted for this inane privilege, the sooner you will be on the side of the future. Yes, yes.. barriers to entry are always awesome for entrenched players. I'm not even slightly interested in how your name is your competitive advantage. If you believe this lie, I do not care about your success.
chrisconley 15y ago
It's a bit more expensive but there's also http://brandbucket.com http://brandbucket.com.
- sunir 15y ago
  Also excellent (I would claim more excellent) is http://brandstack.com/ http://brandstack.com/
  - zippykid 15y ago
    I agree. I bought ZippyKid.com from Brandstack last year. I would never have thought of it myself, even though all my initial customers had said how fast I was in responding to emails, and how much faster their sites were after they switched to me.
  - chipatpear 15y ago
    Also a fan; I've sent our clients their way before, and every time we got positive feedback! Simple interface, easy process - I'll continue to recommend!
jefft 15y ago
To me, this is idea is akin to having a 3rd year creative writing student write a love poem for your bride-to-be. Nicely designed site, though. Looks great.
- brohee 15y ago
  Dunno how to interpret that. Surely the love poem would come out better than if I wrote it... As I see it you get a working logo matched with a domain you like, even if it's not your final visual identity it's at least a start.
pitdesi 15y ago
Count me in the group that finds $250 to be a steal for this sort of thing. Your mission page is spot on. The amount of time/headache it takes to brand a startup should not be underestimated. I think that the logos are fine to get started quickly but probably would all need to be changed in the long run, but no big deal, you've provided a decent enough starting point where it doesn't look shitty atleast and can allow someone to build their product while still having a decent looking thing on their site. We spent several WEEKS of all hands on deck and lots of $$$ (Well over $10k for the domain name, banners, stationery etc) as a company rebranding from Transparent Financial Services (http://transfs.com http://transfs.com) to FeeFighters (http://feefighters.com http://feefighters.com). Had we started with something better than transfs from the beginning we wouldn't have had the problem (btw, it's still a pain in the ass because google apps doesn't let you change your name, so we still only have a duct tape solution where our google apps are still @transfs and I occasionally still send an email from @transfs - embarassing!). Plus, we lost all the google juice we'd built up over that time (which was considerable - TransFS was a PageRank 5 site and FeeFighters had none). At that point (post-funding), our time and pagerank were a lot more important than the money. More on our rebrand that might be useful to people (you now have to pay to see the video but can download the audio and read transcript for free): http://mixergy.com/sean-harper-feefighters-intervie/ http://mixergy.com/sean-harper-feefighters-intervie/
- gacba 15y ago
  Agreed. The time and money you can waste doing domain search and logo design far exceeds the $250 price they're charging. Having done this a number of times myself, $250 is a major bargain for something that is vetted and pretty much ready-to-promote. Looking through the brands, nothing really fits any of my current projects but I would definitely consider coming back to check again and again.
  - rhplus 15y ago
    That's exactly the problem with this service: nothing really fits any of your current projects. If none of them fit now, what are the chances they'll have something that fits in a week? A month? Looking at the list of domains on offer, half of them are 'empty vessel' nonsense words which could quite easily be generated with the same amount of personal effort using something like Wordoid[1]. The other half are nothing more than Monkey Tennis[2], i.e. word pairings thrown out there in the hope that someone else will build a product around it[3]. [1] http://www.wordoid.com/ http://www.wordoid.com/ [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_tennis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_tennis [3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS1le_8ZhOU&t=1m30s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS1le_8ZhOU&t=1m30s
its_so_on 15y ago
Now all we need is a place where you can put brandless but fully implemented tech solutions. e.g. "sms to e-mail technology". That brings us to the final piece of the puzzle: a site where you can invest in a "team" that has no idea and no technology. Then the guys who walk around with bags of money evaluating teams and business propositions will finally be able to just mix and match to whatever they want, thinking (as they already do) that they're the ones adding all the value. Which, to be fair, under capitalism they probably do.
kunley 15y ago
That's a symptom that startups possibly became a new fashion. Now the following is a bit offtopic, but the thoughts are what I have in mind for quite a time. Look how many startups are there around whose only purpose is to connect or extract information from other startups whose again are build on the top some previous startups. Where is a stop for this? Where's the creativity? Where's the thinking of making things that people really need? This looks like a rant but please think of it analytically: 1. People start to use product A because it fills some temporary niche. 2. The conditions of the niche vanish, but the product is still used, the user base grows because of inertia, marketing, whatever. 3. As the initial conditions dissolved the product A isn't exactly what people need at the moment, so there emerge products B & C built on the top of A with even more fragile conditions: only to support momentary lack of desired features in A. Any similarity with existing startup scene? Well, what if all these products were build based on some more unconditional needs of the users in the first place?
- garethsprice 15y ago
  "Where's the creativity? Where's the thinking of making things that people really need?" Startup owners are people that need things too - often really good customers to work with as they understand the time involved in building a product and will pay for services that save them time/money. If anything, startups selling to startups is fantastic news as: 1. It's creating an ecosystem of small, independently owned businesses - a vibrant self-contained economy. 2. Good marketing is selecting a niche that is small enough to compete in but large enough to build a profitable business. It validates that startups are a successful enough business model that there's enough people in that community to constitute a profitable niche market. 3. It doesn't matter if the need is not permanent - all customer needs are transient given a long enough timeframe. If I have a problem I'll pay to solve then I'm not thinking about whether I'll have the same problem in 10 years, just that I want it solved right now.
yahelc 15y ago
It looks like someone might have already nabbed unhacker.com: http://stylate.com/portfolio/unhacker-com/ http://stylate.com/portfolio/unhacker-com/
manuscreationis 15y ago
I'm so-so on this concept. I'm sure it'll be a reasonable success and generate you some cash, but on the other hand, seeing someone holding a creative grab bag of interesting domains and concepts that they're only hoping to flip for a profit makes me uneasy. There are a lot of clever, interesting names here though, and I can definitely see someone who has a concept without a a title seeing a lot of value in paying $250 for something like this. It's more than likely a hell of a lot cheaper than most domain squatters (which isn't exactly what i'd call this) would charge for the domain alone. My major fear - the owner of this content might find someone who uses a similar name as one of their concepts-for-sale, and attempt to sue them without being able to properly verify if said person actually ripped them off, or just themselves came up with the idea coincidentally. It's one of those slippery slope endeavors. I'm torn over whether I like "Feastable", "WhamBox", or "PixelKeg" the most. Definitely some great names here.
chaz 15y ago
Would love to see the Twitter name included as well. That's a must-have for some businesses. Otherwise, very nice site.
- icebraining 15y ago
  That's against the Twitter's ToS, under "username squatting" rules: http://support.twitter.com/articles/18311-the-twitter-rules http://support.twitter.com/articles/18311-the-twitter-rules
wildmXranat 15y ago
No! A $7.99 domain name and what looks like to me a $99 logo thrown is not a steal or a good deal. Let me come at this way: Can I get the domain off of you for %80 off the $250 price ? I presume that the answer is no, because it's a lipstick on pig product designed to glorify domain squatting. All the power to you for finding a niche market, but suckers be warned that it's highway robbery! edit: downvoted within 2 minutes of posting this without a reply. i guess you guys were looking for a AAA+++ , would buy again review. what a joke edit2: Sorry for coming off as harsh, but this sort of domain related shit has been plaguing the net for a long time
- ljf 15y ago
  True a $8 name - but times the (hu)man-hours to find a great one, and add a decent looking design. I've not had luck with either $99 logo designers, nor the logos they create - plus my time to brief them, provide feedback and pay them once 'something' is settled on.
  - wildmXranat 15y ago
    Thanks for addressing the comment. Still, the logo is shabby. you will most likely( I would ) get rid of it post-purchase just to get the good domain name. At that point I'm looking to spend some time and get it done properly.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      The logos on this site are uniformly better than the average "Show HN". Every one of them clears the bar of "presentable to early customers". Most clear the bar of "presentable to mainstream customers". None are distinctive, which is to say, none send the signal "we picked one of The Cool Designers and paid $10,000 for this logo". But virtually nobody needs that. Think whatever you want about these designs, but if you bring a prototype to market that looks like the typical "Show HN" because you're too cool to buy a cheap design, you'll suffer for it.
    - ljf 15y ago
      If you would replace the logo you are not their target audience. This is for plug and play people without the time or inclination to perfect something as minor (compared to actually launching and interacting with customers) as branding, just to get a product out there. If you were going to get another logo from the off I'm sure you could spend a few hours thinking of a great (available) name too.
ck2 15y ago
Risky business model since they aren't generic now. Though a reverse hijacking costs more than $250
phsr 15y ago
Instead of leaving the godaddy parked page, maybe you should put the logo on the page, with a "This domain is for sale at stylate.com" link
- ljf 15y ago
  Quite shocked they haven't - with a little strapline for each.
ta3892682334 15y ago
I like the concept but I'm not a fan of the domains you have now. Can I suggest you open it up to consignment for anyone with a domain? So you increase the value of my domain mydomain.com by giving it a brand / landing page and for that I agree to give you $250 or some percentage of the sale.
- paisible 15y ago
  +1 for this idea.. This should be on your list of things to do quickly !
- pseudonimble 15y ago
  Wouldn't that just be a straight up design/branding firm? It is far easier to pick a random name and match it with some random generic branding, than to be given MySpecificProduct.com and build a brand around that. Branding companies charge a lot of money because it (generally) takes a lot of time, effort and expertise to build good brands. There is also the fact that it would become a designer-client relationship than a merchant-customer one. Clients get to dictate what they want (to a certain extent), customers see what they are getting before they buy. What if they built a brand around MySpecificProduct.com and you didn't like it?
robjohnson 15y ago
This epitomizes what packaging and convenience to provide to a simple concept. Bravo!
- stylate 15y ago
  Thanks!
csomar 15y ago
I don't think it's good for startups. A startup is something that you spend time on, launch, test, connect... It needs more than a $250 logo, but a complete strategy for launching. But what about small web apps? This should work very well for them.
andrewcross 15y ago
Yes, you are paying a premium. Yes, they are making a profit on this. But hey, they are solving a pain point, why not charge? I just paid $1650 for a domain. That was a ton of money for me, but when someone already has it, you don't have a lot of leverage. If I was starting another company, I would use this in a second. fueza.com anyone?
par 15y ago
I think it's a very genuine idea. I don't think your intention is to squat on domains, I think it is to help people with the non-trivial process of finding names and logos. If nothing else, yours is just a great place for people to get ideas of their own. $250 is very reasonable.
lionhearted 15y ago
I think this is cool, and if I saw one that suited a project I was doing, I'd drop $250 for it no problem. You can't please everyone, but some people will think this is cool, and that's all you need.
joshuahays 15y ago
I'll visit the site if not to buy a logo, but a great place to start when thinking about a name for a startup. Good food for thought.
awolf 15y ago
I misread the price when I looked the first time. I thought it said $2,500. I didn't bat an eye. $250 it too cheap.
garethsprice 15y ago
The amount of controversy here means that you must be on to something. The absolute worst thing that can happen is that you show your idea to someone and they're totally indifferent. That some people love this and others hate it, and that you've generated hundreds of comments, shows that this is worth pursuing. Bookmarked for next time I get stuck thinking of names. My usual process is to think of an idea I think is great, spend 2-3 days thinking of names, set up a domain and landing page. Saving that 2-3 days for $250 is something I'd seriously consider. Often these ideas are impulses that consume me for a week or two, then I get bored of them or find someone else who's already doing a great job of filling the need. I would experiment with pricing - at $250 it's not an impulse buy. It is a fantastic price for someone who is seriously starting a company, but I have a hunch that people like me (who have a day job but regularly come up with ideas they love and obsess over for a week or two, that then fizzles out to nothing) is a larger market and has potential for repeat purchases. If you can tap into that you may find more revenue, cashing in on the empty dreams of dilettantes like me :)
klbarry 15y ago
Needs more choices :)
j45 15y ago
Cool idea. Sometimes you would be willing to pay $250 to just get started. If you have free time, do it yourself.
sweeper33 15y ago
I like this idea. I think for smaller companies that can't afford a graphic design artist and a whole kit for their company, this is an attractive, fairly inexpensive option. It also has a kick start element to it. At the beginning lots of companies spend time and effort on their branding when they should be concentrating on their product, marketing and growth. Pre-branded domains give them a starting point to jump off from and is a timesaver.
hsuresh 15y ago
You should seriously consider reserving handles on twitter and other services and providing it to the user of your service, else a squatter can easily register handles on these services for the domains you list on your website. I am not too comfortable with this service though, i don't like the thought of you squatting away hundreds of good startup names. Partly because the price point of $250 sounds very expensive to me, at least as someone sitting in India.
- Elepsis 15y ago
  Totally agree that they should be reserving handles on the major services. In addition, it doesn't look like they've registered the .net and .org versions of the domains, which also seems like a no-brainer.
lpolovets 15y ago
This is a terrific idea. Feature request: I'd love to subscribe to categories and get updates when you add new domains. E.g. "Please email me when you have a new domain related to health or hardware."
n8agrin 15y ago
I think this is great, if only because it shows you don't need to name your startup something that ends in -li, -ly, and -r.
sweeper33 15y ago
I like this idea. I think for smaller companies that can't afford a graphic design artist and a whole kit for their company, this is an attractive, fairly inexpensive option. It also has a kick start element to it. At the beginning lots of companies spend time and effort on their branding when they should be concentrating on their product, marketing and growth. Pre-branded domains give them a starting point to jump off from and is a timesaver.
jorkos 15y ago
This is an okay option but there are other ways to get good cheap domains. The main problem with these domains is that they have no history.
ahoyhere 15y ago
FYI: Brandstack.com has better logos. Speaking as a designer & a person who's hired logo designers, as well as somebody who bought a logotype off Brandstack.com. I didn't use the name/identity but used it for my next SaaS, Charm. That said - most people put too much weight on a name, but it's really important to be sure the name is A) memorable (this doesn't mean weird or unique), B) easy to spell and C) easy to Google. Names that are weird spellings or made-up words are NOT memorable, basically because they don't fit into a ready-made slot in the readers' head. (Plus if they are hard to spell, you're SOL.) It's far better to have a memorable name like "Charm" and then append crap to the end of the domain (e.g. CharmHQ.com) to ensure you can grab the domain, than it is to have a short, unique name where you get the regular name.com. This conclusion is based on my extensive reading of cogsci research about memory, word association, etc.
dmnd 15y ago
The moravo logo[1] is a blatant copy of the Aperture Science logo[2] with a couple of segments coloured Portal orange and blue. [1]: http://stylate.com/portfolio/moravo-com/ http://stylate.com/portfolio/moravo-com/ [2]: http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Aperture_Science http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Aperture_Science
- yock 15y ago
  And Picasa: http://picasa.google.com/ http://picasa.google.com/
missy 15y ago
The names of the domains are more creative then the logos.Most names sound like a mid size start up website but the logos very high quality clipart. I think they should create a tool that does this name and custom logo creation then doing it themselves. Dont see how they sell much
rottendoubt 15y ago
I think it's a great idea. They need way more domain names though (100x).
- stylate 15y ago
  Coming soon (like in the next 24 hours)
ereckers 15y ago
Quick question: why tags with no listings? ie. Health and Jobs. Did you create the tag list first?
- stylate 15y ago
  Some of the domains have sold out so we had blank categories. We will be releasing a new bunch in the next 24 hours.
wallawe 15y ago
Just in case someone wants one of your names but doesn't know of your site, it would be a great idea to have some quick info (link and price) under the 'get info' section of domain registrars like godaddy (since thats where the majority of people will be looking).
idoh 15y ago
They should make sure to grab the twitter user name too, that's an important part of branding. I noticed that some of the twitter user names for the brands are free - how long will that last?
davidtyleryork 15y ago
Genius
mechanical_fish 15y ago
This would presumably make a great party game for YC meetups. You deal out a card with the logo on it and then everyone in the circle has to describe what they think the company or product is. I'm trying to figure out what "TweetBump" is. The obvious answer is: It's Twitter, plus Bump. You wander around a party bumping phones with folks, and every time you do that both of you automatically Tweet "I bumped into [X] at [Awesome Location Y]". (No obvious business model, though. ;) (And I'm not a Bump user, so I wouldn't exactly be surprised to learn that the app has already supported this for years. ;)
jasonli 15y ago
Curious, how many domain names did you sell since posting on HN? (If you dont mind answering)
Skyhoper 15y ago
Had a similar idea with startup branding in a box. Currently not using HeyBTW with Heybtw.com, heyb.tw, @heybtw
yannick 15y ago
This is quite a good idea, and the site itself is very nice and easy to navigate. Congratulations. Seeing a domain name with an MVL (Minimum Viable Logo, haha) is really much better for imagining how strong it could be than just seeing it listed in text. However, I found the selection too limited. So I think an interesting model for you would become a marketplace: 1- invite squatters with domains to sell to post their names on your site 2- invite designers to freely create logos to un-logoed domains 3- sell this wider selection to your audience, sharing the revenue with both squatters and designers. Good luck - with more selection, I would easily find the service worthwhile at that price point.
wavephorm 15y ago
Now combine this with some programmably generated content with a landing page, just change out variables like "social", "local", "recommendations", and "analytics". And then fire off auto-generated submissions to Y-Combinator, TechStars, and a slide deck to Sequoia. You could condense the entire Silicon Valley startup funding scene into a single transaction.
spc476 15y ago
I picked one domain, parabis.com and typed that domain name into the address bar of my browser. It is for sale, but the asking price is $2,000. Odd that it's going for $250 at stylate.com.
- sbisker 15y ago
  Good old fashioned price discrimination? Why not try to sell a domain name to a struggling startup for $250 and the same domain name to a random BigCo for $2,000?
stylate 15y ago
Hey if you are looking for updates on Stylate.com, we just put up a twitter account---> @stylater
grannyg00se 15y ago
These are not branded domain names. They are brandable domain names with a sample logo. A logo is not a brand. The title here is misleading but the site does a good job explaining what they are offering. And I think that they are providing good value. When you are starting out the last thing you need to do is waste a lot of time and money on a name and logo. With this service, you just pick one and forget about it then move onto more important matters.
hartror 15y ago
Is anyone else looking at the names/logos and coming up with business ideas to fit? This is great!
Tichy 15y ago
The vuaro logo is amusing. Nothing communicates usability and ease of mind as well as a labyrinth :-) Other than that I am not that impressed, the logos look pretty generic/standard. Maybe that kind of thing could work for small businesses (like restaurants), though.
Maro 15y ago
If a hypothetical person (not a HN user) thinks of a domain name and find that these guys are squatting it, is not interested in the design, he'll be thinking they're domain squatting assholes. He'll be right.
fybren 15y ago
There's definitely a market for this, and it saddens me. Choosing a name is supposed to be difficult. You're supposed to brainstorm for hours, bounce ideas off your friends and second guess yourself. Having to go through this pain to get to the right name adds character to the business through authenticity. Choosing a name from a list of pre-created brands, clever or not, is a cop out. Best of luck, though. I'm sure you'll do well.
LogoBids 15y ago
A lot of people are talking about domain squatting. I own LunchMeet.com and paid 5 figures for it when at the time I intended to develop a startup. Now I want to sell it. Is it squatting if I am just trying to get my money back?
joeyespo 15y ago
Until these pre-branded domains are actually bought and used, it seems like such a waste. There have been so many domains I would have loved to purchase that are blocked by some "value-adding" gimmick. At first, it's interesting. But think about it. Pre-purchasing domains throwing a brand on top is really as bad as implementing a software/web application without doing any market research. Chances are it's really not what people want. Unlike dead software/web apps, however, these domain names become worse than useless by block others from making something great.
profitbaron 15y ago
I tried 5 of your domains and they all point to Godaddy parked pages. You should really place a lander on them - which shows the logo and either a link to purchase the domain or a contact form to get in touch. Personally, I would add something like http://themeforest.net/item/hanbai-multilanguage-domain-for-sale/151728 http://themeforest.net/item/hanbai-multilanguage-domain-for-... which only costs $5 but even a logo and a link would be better than a Godaddy parked page which your domains currently have.

389 points by ollie 15y ago

My goodness! A startup with a purpose, a product, an interesting business model... and no ads. Is this a freakin' mirage? Love the fixed $250 price. Great work guys.

arkitaip 15y ago

This could be an interesting tool - along with Unbouce, LaunchRock or KickoffLabs - when doing MVP web sites.

heyadayo 15y ago

I like this a lot. Sometimes you can spend 3-20 hours trying to figure out a name, domain, and branding. I'd pay a couple hundred bucks to skip that step. I wish this existed all those previous times I was stuck grinding on names!

ljf 15y ago
There is no name here that suited what we were looking for, but it has the potential to save you loads of time, plus the logo costs. If I was starting out something new I'd def check here, and use this as a starting point, use the logo to start a basic site, get a letter head made and some business cards done - bang, hours save, cost of a decent logo save, headaches saved. Plus, you can change your name when ever you like - people get so overly stressed about names, as though the .com is the most important thing.

MattBearman 15y ago

I'm just impressed to see a decent sounding, 5 letter .com domain for $250 (Vueta) - tempted to snap that one up myself.

ljf 15y ago
Plenty of great short domains on other extensions - I got whi.im and om.gd for a couple of projects I am working on. Issue is whether the people who need to know, know that .im or .gd are domain extension - or if it will just confuse them and send them to whiim.com (which we don't own).

e1ven 15y ago

This is a really great idea. One of the things which young startups often spend too much time on is picking a perfect name + brand. This is a great way to get started. You can always iterate later if necessary, but this gives you something to use NOW, and put the discussion away and get back to real work. Also, I love the layout. Very straightforward. I currently subscribe to the http://justdropped.com/ http://justdropped.com/ mailing list which has daily domain names that he buys as they expire.. I could see something similar for your site, but with logos attached. Also, a NewsLetter would be a great way for me to keep up with the (weekly?) new designs you add to the store. Keep it up!

nanijoe 15y ago
If you need something to use right away and just get back to work, you can just head over to nameboy.com (or one of countless such sites), find a name thats not taken, then register it. There..thats 30 minutes to save you over $200
stylate 15y ago
Thanks for the feedback. A newsletter of some sort is next on the feature list.
dotty 15y ago
Great idea for them, yes. For us? Awful. Most of the time I bet the logos (which are ok but a bit generic) won't match what you have in mind for your site. These people are no better than domain squatters - they're an unnecessary tax on startups. A number of times now I've abandoned ideas after being unable to find a domain name as they're all taken by squatters, it's saddening :(
- ljf 15y ago
  From all the possible names and extensions that are available, you've been unable to find anything that fits? And it was the lack of suitable URL that led you to abandon these ideas? A URL alone does not makes a site or a success.
- Isofarro 15y ago

yuvadam 15y ago

Most of these domains are names of types you can easily find using tools like nametoolkit, and purchase for $10. Nonetheless, this is a superb idea, which can become easily profitable.

Hrundi 15y ago

There are some lovely domains in here. Very cheap in comparison to their worth! It sucks that when this post becomes more popular, most of them (if not all) will be taken. Serves me right for having worked almost 4 years for a very large mobile games developer here in Argentina and having seen 40% of my paycheck being eaten away by inflation in the last few years. I simply can't afford these domains, I would have loved to have them turned into full blown sites, just for fun! Congratulations to the people that purchase them... please treat them nice :)

dramaticus3 15y ago

WineCoffer sounds like Wank Offer

acabal 15y ago

Looks like a great idea, very clever, but I'm not sure about the pricing. I would love to use something like this as a small developer, but $250 is a bit much for a domain and a logo given my small-time budget. On the other hand, companies with a larger budget would probably just have something like this done in-house. So I guess I'd ask: who do you see being the target market here?

Hrundi 15y ago
I see HN as the ideal target market. I'm sure this submission didn't occur spontaneously and there are many people in HN who can afford $250 for a seemingly good value. I'd be surprised if most of the domains are not sold quickly.
- iamben 15y ago
  IMO, some of these domains are probably worth more than $250 anyway.
  - dotty 15y ago
    Huh? A domain is worth around £10, not $250, not £1000 and definitely not $15,000+.
    - sycr 15y ago
      Worth and cost are not the same.
      - dotty 15y ago
        Very true, but when it comes to a domain, to have a fair and equal system - they must be the same.
    - ed209 15y ago
      I don't think you understand. By your logic, everything should be equally priced based on its constituent parts, totally ignoring availability, desirability, demand and countless other factors. Are you seriously saying that if you owned the domain name coke.com and the domain name jkkjs7e98wesj.com that you'd sell them to me for £10 each?

shimsham 15y ago

unfortunately a logo and 2-syllable odd-sounding name don't make a brand. however, as a cost-effective way to get a name and image, it's relatively pragmatic, especially for those who need it NOW.

stylate 15y ago
We are trying to add to the lean startup ecosystem, not replace $xx,xxx keyword domains that venture-backed startups can afford.
- shimsham 15y ago
  lean startup ecosystem = not paying for things you don't need. plain language wins over every time. if a new business with little money needs a name and a logo for a fixed price, this can make economic sense. branding considers the audience and not the founders.

jasonkester 15y ago

This is domain squatting pure and simple. Just because it's dressed up with a pretty design doesn't change the fact that these guys are the exact sort of bottom feeders that we should be blackballing from our industry. Flagged.

ollie 15y ago
I'm not sure it's as evil as you make it out to be. It's certainly not clear-cut domain-squatting. They're adding value to a domain & selling it at (what I believe to be) a reasonable price. They're clearly investing time coming up with ideas for domains that they can create decent logos for. You would easily pay $500+ for a 'good' logo.
- jonnathanson 15y ago
  Domain squatting with fancy window dressing is still domain squatting. I'll admit, however, that this is a very clever form of domain squatting. I begrudgingly admire the player here, even if I hate the game. This is sort of like the domain-squatter's equivalent of department store mannequins: visual aids that help shoppers picture what the items could look like in practice, sparking their imaginations, and thereby convincing them to buy. In this case, the logos are really just giveaways to sell visually and tangibly what would otherwise be abstract names. Again: it's kind of a stroke of genius, but it's a stroke of genius in a questionable profession. So I end up with very mixed feelings here. Kudos to this guy for innovating, and for doing a good job at it. But I fear the rise of a second domain-squatting gold rush, when/if a bunch of squatters copy this model en masse and set up squat + design sweatshops to crank them out.
  - stylate 15y ago
    Domain squatting has a fairly specific legal definition. We aren't squatting. We actually came up with the idea after being frustrated by domain parking and squatters and frankly the whole domain industry.
    - 15y ago

tomblomfield 15y ago

I despise the blatant profiteering of domainers - they're sucking value out of a system that in some sense should "belong" to society, and providing nothing in return. But these prices aren't completely unreasonable, they come with (generally quite decent) logos, and they would save a startup countless hours of faffing over domains.

amouat 15y ago

Clever. Do you scale the prices with number of clicks?

tptacek 15y ago
It's flat pricing.
- amouat 15y ago
  Seems it does state on the sidebar that all domains are the same price. I guess some people may see it as exploitative, but I would consider increasing the price of domains that a lot of people have clicked on and reducing the price of others.

paulnelligan 15y ago

I'm not sure I agree that this is such a 'superb idea' ... As a founder, I want to personalise my domain, and design, and that means coming up with different concepts, and searching whois until I find a good match that's available ... The design then has to represent what the product is about in a non-generic way ... The designs on this site are far too generic for my taste I can't imagine myself going to that page with a concept and saying 'AHA, that's exactly what I wanted' ... Possibly it could in reverse if someone is looking for inspiration for their next startup ...

Robin_Message 15y ago
I think that would make a great practice at idea generation and learning about brand awareness: get a list of these and try to decide what the named company does. Then compare with others. I'd be interested to see whether there are any names that totally dictate what the idea is.
jaysonelliot 15y ago
When you're at the beginning stages, trying to get something built and possibly seeking seed money, spending your time naming, designing logos, and branding is sort of like spending all your money on a nice office before you have a product. By all means, do the things you talk about when it's time--but that time is usually not at the beginning.
llch 15y ago
An idea for using this service is that you want to validate your idea through landing page as a MVP.

soyelmango 15y ago

Domain speculators selling at a fixed 'low' price.

ShawnJG 15y ago

while I am sure that someone out there can use the service, taking the time to come up with your own name and design should not be given up lightly. I do take issue with the "branding" implication that these domains purportedly have. Before starting my own company I spent years in an ad agency, and I can tell you that unless there is an unusual amount of serendipity involved you probably won't find a name and image that fits perfectly with your company goals and vision. A brand is a promise to the public which conveys your intent your services and your commitment to your product. Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Disney all do this very well for example. If you're not a designer I can see gaining design inspiration from this site. But in my opinion, take a little time try to come up with your own ideas to implement.

ljf 15y ago
I agree in some ways - but sometimes names can delay launches. I can see a small start up using this site to 'just get out there' - and worry about branding later. Depending on what you are doing you can change your name/brand later. Since /most/ start-ups fail, why not get to market quicker, with less cost, and less time/brain power wasted.
- ShawnJG 15y ago
  Everything in balance. You definitely should not delay the launch of a product because you can't think of a name. But getting to market and changing your name/brand later defeats the whole purpose of branding. In fact it's the opposite of branding. For the latest example just think about Netflix and what they did by naming their DVD mailing service qwixster. That name change is arguably a colossally bad move. I'm not saying your design has to be perfect, you can always update the image like Howard Johnson did for their motel chain. I tend to think that small businesses make a huge mistake when they gloss over the branding/marketing work. I am not advocating the necessity of bringing in a huge ad agency and market research just to get a logo. Just put in a little effort, use the same ingenuity you use when you started your company and come up with a brand identity that ties into what you do. At the very least you can go to logo tournament and get a custom built logo starting at 250. It's the same amount as this service plus you have are reasonably high degree of customization. Your name and your logo will be the most visible part of your company. You want it to instantly signify all the best traits and qualities you have, even if it is just subliminally. Some of the best brands out there who do this well, can just with their logo conjure up a long list of attributes/adjectives in a potential consumer's mind. A super simple one is Rolex… It's just their name with a crown over it. Even if you did not know that they were a watchmaker, by looking at their logo you would assume that whatever they do it's of high quality befitting of royalty or at least made the connection with royalty in your mind. I just think there are many more options that for the same amount of money and minimal effort you can put together something that is closely related and much more beneficial than an off the rack name and logo solution.

dotty 15y ago

Ugh! These are just glorified domain sitters disguised as a trendy start-up. Please don't give these people your money - they ruin innovation by taking up massive amounts of domains then selling them for huge amounts. These people RUIN the internet.

gizmo 15y ago
Not huge amounts. $250 for a domain + logo is very reasonable.
stylate 15y ago
Very rarely will you find a domainer selling a .COM for less than $1000. If anything we are forcing down the price floor. Right?
- profitbaron 15y ago
  I know a lot of domainers (who own thousands of domain names) and all of them will sell a .COM for less than $1000, just because its a .COM doesn't mean its instantly worth at least $1000. That's not to say they won't sell some domains for more than $1000 because, they own premium domains, as well as LLL.com's NNN.com's etc but your generalisation that a .COM is worth $1000 is wrong.

Finbarr 15y ago

I think this is really good for people in certain situations, e.g., you're going to pitch an important event with a new idea and you don't have a name or a logo. The design is nice and clean. My only suggestion would be adding share buttons.

jmitcheson 15y ago

I love it. It's like themeforest for startups. Don't listen to the haters. I have a lot of ideas I put on the backburner 'cause I'm busy with other things. The value in this isn't just the domain, it's the "packaging" of the entire first part of the process. I do this on themeforest too.. browse landing pages for one startup, but maybe buy a landing page that happens to be suited to another random startup idea, if I saw it. Good luck to you, sirs / madams.

marcelvdg 15y ago
Totally agree - I actually just lucked out and found a simple temp name for a startup I'm working on. Trying to find a name has been a pain, and now its sorted in 2 minutes. I won't use the branding, but FINALLY we have a domain. I'm sure they'll be sold out by the end of the day.
pgstillsucks 15y ago
No, please do listen to the haters. They may well explain to you how the system is so intratcably broken that it must cause cognitive dissonance if you believe in a free Internet. The DNS is not your friend. The sooner you recognize the lack of utility of globally unique names and the pound of flesh being extracted for this inane privilege, the sooner you will be on the side of the future. Yes, yes.. barriers to entry are always awesome for entrenched players. I'm not even slightly interested in how your name is your competitive advantage. If you believe this lie, I do not care about your success.
pgstillsucks 15y ago
No, please do listen to the haters. They may well explain to you how the system is so intratcably broken that it must cause cognitive dissonance if you believe in a free Internet. The DNS is not your friend. The sooner you recognize the lack of utility of globally unique names and the pound of flesh being extracted for this inane privilege, the sooner you will be on the side of the future. Yes, yes.. barriers to entry are always awesome for entrenched players. I'm not even slightly interested in how your name is your competitive advantage. If you believe this lie, I do not care about your success.

chrisconley 15y ago

It's a bit more expensive but there's also http://brandbucket.com http://brandbucket.com.

sunir 15y ago
Also excellent (I would claim more excellent) is http://brandstack.com/ http://brandstack.com/
- zippykid 15y ago
  I agree. I bought ZippyKid.com from Brandstack last year. I would never have thought of it myself, even though all my initial customers had said how fast I was in responding to emails, and how much faster their sites were after they switched to me.
- chipatpear 15y ago
  Also a fan; I've sent our clients their way before, and every time we got positive feedback! Simple interface, easy process - I'll continue to recommend!

jefft 15y ago

To me, this is idea is akin to having a 3rd year creative writing student write a love poem for your bride-to-be. Nicely designed site, though. Looks great.

brohee 15y ago
Dunno how to interpret that. Surely the love poem would come out better than if I wrote it... As I see it you get a working logo matched with a domain you like, even if it's not your final visual identity it's at least a start.

pitdesi 15y ago

Count me in the group that finds $250 to be a steal for this sort of thing. Your mission page is spot on. The amount of time/headache it takes to brand a startup should not be underestimated. I think that the logos are fine to get started quickly but probably would all need to be changed in the long run, but no big deal, you've provided a decent enough starting point where it doesn't look shitty atleast and can allow someone to build their product while still having a decent looking thing on their site. We spent several WEEKS of all hands on deck and lots of $$$ (Well over $10k for the domain name, banners, stationery etc) as a company rebranding from Transparent Financial Services (http://transfs.com http://transfs.com) to FeeFighters (http://feefighters.com http://feefighters.com). Had we started with something better than transfs from the beginning we wouldn't have had the problem (btw, it's still a pain in the ass because google apps doesn't let you change your name, so we still only have a duct tape solution where our google apps are still @transfs and I occasionally still send an email from @transfs - embarassing!). Plus, we lost all the google juice we'd built up over that time (which was considerable - TransFS was a PageRank 5 site and FeeFighters had none). At that point (post-funding), our time and pagerank were a lot more important than the money. More on our rebrand that might be useful to people (you now have to pay to see the video but can download the audio and read transcript for free): http://mixergy.com/sean-harper-feefighters-intervie/ http://mixergy.com/sean-harper-feefighters-intervie/

gacba 15y ago
Agreed. The time and money you can waste doing domain search and logo design far exceeds the $250 price they're charging. Having done this a number of times myself, $250 is a major bargain for something that is vetted and pretty much ready-to-promote. Looking through the brands, nothing really fits any of my current projects but I would definitely consider coming back to check again and again.
- rhplus 15y ago
  That's exactly the problem with this service: nothing really fits any of your current projects. If none of them fit now, what are the chances they'll have something that fits in a week? A month? Looking at the list of domains on offer, half of them are 'empty vessel' nonsense words which could quite easily be generated with the same amount of personal effort using something like Wordoid[1]. The other half are nothing more than Monkey Tennis[2], i.e. word pairings thrown out there in the hope that someone else will build a product around it[3]. [1] http://www.wordoid.com/ http://www.wordoid.com/ [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_tennis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_tennis [3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS1le_8ZhOU&t=1m30s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS1le_8ZhOU&t=1m30s

its_so_on 15y ago

Now all we need is a place where you can put brandless but fully implemented tech solutions. e.g. "sms to e-mail technology". That brings us to the final piece of the puzzle: a site where you can invest in a "team" that has no idea and no technology. Then the guys who walk around with bags of money evaluating teams and business propositions will finally be able to just mix and match to whatever they want, thinking (as they already do) that they're the ones adding all the value. Which, to be fair, under capitalism they probably do.

kunley 15y ago

That's a symptom that startups possibly became a new fashion. Now the following is a bit offtopic, but the thoughts are what I have in mind for quite a time. Look how many startups are there around whose only purpose is to connect or extract information from other startups whose again are build on the top some previous startups. Where is a stop for this? Where's the creativity? Where's the thinking of making things that people really need? This looks like a rant but please think of it analytically: 1. People start to use product A because it fills some temporary niche. 2. The conditions of the niche vanish, but the product is still used, the user base grows because of inertia, marketing, whatever. 3. As the initial conditions dissolved the product A isn't exactly what people need at the moment, so there emerge products B & C built on the top of A with even more fragile conditions: only to support momentary lack of desired features in A. Any similarity with existing startup scene? Well, what if all these products were build based on some more unconditional needs of the users in the first place?

garethsprice 15y ago
"Where's the creativity? Where's the thinking of making things that people really need?" Startup owners are people that need things too - often really good customers to work with as they understand the time involved in building a product and will pay for services that save them time/money. If anything, startups selling to startups is fantastic news as: 1. It's creating an ecosystem of small, independently owned businesses - a vibrant self-contained economy. 2. Good marketing is selecting a niche that is small enough to compete in but large enough to build a profitable business. It validates that startups are a successful enough business model that there's enough people in that community to constitute a profitable niche market. 3. It doesn't matter if the need is not permanent - all customer needs are transient given a long enough timeframe. If I have a problem I'll pay to solve then I'm not thinking about whether I'll have the same problem in 10 years, just that I want it solved right now.

yahelc 15y ago

It looks like someone might have already nabbed unhacker.com: http://stylate.com/portfolio/unhacker-com/ http://stylate.com/portfolio/unhacker-com/

manuscreationis 15y ago

I'm so-so on this concept. I'm sure it'll be a reasonable success and generate you some cash, but on the other hand, seeing someone holding a creative grab bag of interesting domains and concepts that they're only hoping to flip for a profit makes me uneasy. There are a lot of clever, interesting names here though, and I can definitely see someone who has a concept without a a title seeing a lot of value in paying $250 for something like this. It's more than likely a hell of a lot cheaper than most domain squatters (which isn't exactly what i'd call this) would charge for the domain alone. My major fear - the owner of this content might find someone who uses a similar name as one of their concepts-for-sale, and attempt to sue them without being able to properly verify if said person actually ripped them off, or just themselves came up with the idea coincidentally. It's one of those slippery slope endeavors. I'm torn over whether I like "Feastable", "WhamBox", or "PixelKeg" the most. Definitely some great names here.

chaz 15y ago

Would love to see the Twitter name included as well. That's a must-have for some businesses. Otherwise, very nice site.

icebraining 15y ago
That's against the Twitter's ToS, under "username squatting" rules: http://support.twitter.com/articles/18311-the-twitter-rules http://support.twitter.com/articles/18311-the-twitter-rules

wildmXranat 15y ago

No! A $7.99 domain name and what looks like to me a $99 logo thrown is not a steal or a good deal. Let me come at this way: Can I get the domain off of you for %80 off the $250 price ? I presume that the answer is no, because it's a lipstick on pig product designed to glorify domain squatting. All the power to you for finding a niche market, but suckers be warned that it's highway robbery! edit: downvoted within 2 minutes of posting this without a reply. i guess you guys were looking for a AAA+++ , would buy again review. what a joke edit2: Sorry for coming off as harsh, but this sort of domain related shit has been plaguing the net for a long time

ljf 15y ago
True a $8 name - but times the (hu)man-hours to find a great one, and add a decent looking design. I've not had luck with either $99 logo designers, nor the logos they create - plus my time to brief them, provide feedback and pay them once 'something' is settled on.
- wildmXranat 15y ago
  Thanks for addressing the comment. Still, the logo is shabby. you will most likely( I would ) get rid of it post-purchase just to get the good domain name. At that point I'm looking to spend some time and get it done properly.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    The logos on this site are uniformly better than the average "Show HN". Every one of them clears the bar of "presentable to early customers". Most clear the bar of "presentable to mainstream customers". None are distinctive, which is to say, none send the signal "we picked one of The Cool Designers and paid $10,000 for this logo". But virtually nobody needs that. Think whatever you want about these designs, but if you bring a prototype to market that looks like the typical "Show HN" because you're too cool to buy a cheap design, you'll suffer for it.
  - ljf 15y ago
    If you would replace the logo you are not their target audience. This is for plug and play people without the time or inclination to perfect something as minor (compared to actually launching and interacting with customers) as branding, just to get a product out there. If you were going to get another logo from the off I'm sure you could spend a few hours thinking of a great (available) name too.

ck2 15y ago

Risky business model since they aren't generic now. Though a reverse hijacking costs more than $250

phsr 15y ago

Instead of leaving the godaddy parked page, maybe you should put the logo on the page, with a "This domain is for sale at stylate.com" link

ljf 15y ago
Quite shocked they haven't - with a little strapline for each.

ta3892682334 15y ago

I like the concept but I'm not a fan of the domains you have now. Can I suggest you open it up to consignment for anyone with a domain? So you increase the value of my domain mydomain.com by giving it a brand / landing page and for that I agree to give you $250 or some percentage of the sale.

paisible 15y ago
+1 for this idea.. This should be on your list of things to do quickly !
pseudonimble 15y ago
Wouldn't that just be a straight up design/branding firm? It is far easier to pick a random name and match it with some random generic branding, than to be given MySpecificProduct.com and build a brand around that. Branding companies charge a lot of money because it (generally) takes a lot of time, effort and expertise to build good brands. There is also the fact that it would become a designer-client relationship than a merchant-customer one. Clients get to dictate what they want (to a certain extent), customers see what they are getting before they buy. What if they built a brand around MySpecificProduct.com and you didn't like it?

robjohnson 15y ago

This epitomizes what packaging and convenience to provide to a simple concept. Bravo!

stylate 15y ago
Thanks!

csomar 15y ago

I don't think it's good for startups. A startup is something that you spend time on, launch, test, connect... It needs more than a $250 logo, but a complete strategy for launching. But what about small web apps? This should work very well for them.

andrewcross 15y ago

Yes, you are paying a premium. Yes, they are making a profit on this. But hey, they are solving a pain point, why not charge? I just paid $1650 for a domain. That was a ton of money for me, but when someone already has it, you don't have a lot of leverage. If I was starting another company, I would use this in a second. fueza.com anyone?

par 15y ago

I think it's a very genuine idea. I don't think your intention is to squat on domains, I think it is to help people with the non-trivial process of finding names and logos. If nothing else, yours is just a great place for people to get ideas of their own. $250 is very reasonable.

lionhearted 15y ago

I think this is cool, and if I saw one that suited a project I was doing, I'd drop $250 for it no problem. You can't please everyone, but some people will think this is cool, and that's all you need.

joshuahays 15y ago

I'll visit the site if not to buy a logo, but a great place to start when thinking about a name for a startup. Good food for thought.

awolf 15y ago

I misread the price when I looked the first time. I thought it said $2,500. I didn't bat an eye. $250 it too cheap.

garethsprice 15y ago

The amount of controversy here means that you must be on to something. The absolute worst thing that can happen is that you show your idea to someone and they're totally indifferent. That some people love this and others hate it, and that you've generated hundreds of comments, shows that this is worth pursuing. Bookmarked for next time I get stuck thinking of names. My usual process is to think of an idea I think is great, spend 2-3 days thinking of names, set up a domain and landing page. Saving that 2-3 days for $250 is something I'd seriously consider. Often these ideas are impulses that consume me for a week or two, then I get bored of them or find someone else who's already doing a great job of filling the need. I would experiment with pricing - at $250 it's not an impulse buy. It is a fantastic price for someone who is seriously starting a company, but I have a hunch that people like me (who have a day job but regularly come up with ideas they love and obsess over for a week or two, that then fizzles out to nothing) is a larger market and has potential for repeat purchases. If you can tap into that you may find more revenue, cashing in on the empty dreams of dilettantes like me :)

klbarry 15y ago

Needs more choices :)

j45 15y ago

Cool idea. Sometimes you would be willing to pay $250 to just get started. If you have free time, do it yourself.

sweeper33 15y ago

I like this idea. I think for smaller companies that can't afford a graphic design artist and a whole kit for their company, this is an attractive, fairly inexpensive option. It also has a kick start element to it. At the beginning lots of companies spend time and effort on their branding when they should be concentrating on their product, marketing and growth. Pre-branded domains give them a starting point to jump off from and is a timesaver.

hsuresh 15y ago

You should seriously consider reserving handles on twitter and other services and providing it to the user of your service, else a squatter can easily register handles on these services for the domains you list on your website. I am not too comfortable with this service though, i don't like the thought of you squatting away hundreds of good startup names. Partly because the price point of $250 sounds very expensive to me, at least as someone sitting in India.

Elepsis 15y ago
Totally agree that they should be reserving handles on the major services. In addition, it doesn't look like they've registered the .net and .org versions of the domains, which also seems like a no-brainer.

lpolovets 15y ago

This is a terrific idea. Feature request: I'd love to subscribe to categories and get updates when you add new domains. E.g. "Please email me when you have a new domain related to health or hardware."

n8agrin 15y ago

I think this is great, if only because it shows you don't need to name your startup something that ends in -li, -ly, and -r.

sweeper33 15y ago

jorkos 15y ago

This is an okay option but there are other ways to get good cheap domains. The main problem with these domains is that they have no history.

ahoyhere 15y ago

FYI: Brandstack.com has better logos. Speaking as a designer & a person who's hired logo designers, as well as somebody who bought a logotype off Brandstack.com. I didn't use the name/identity but used it for my next SaaS, Charm. That said - most people put too much weight on a name, but it's really important to be sure the name is A) memorable (this doesn't mean weird or unique), B) easy to spell and C) easy to Google. Names that are weird spellings or made-up words are NOT memorable, basically because they don't fit into a ready-made slot in the readers' head. (Plus if they are hard to spell, you're SOL.) It's far better to have a memorable name like "Charm" and then append crap to the end of the domain (e.g. CharmHQ.com) to ensure you can grab the domain, than it is to have a short, unique name where you get the regular name.com. This conclusion is based on my extensive reading of cogsci research about memory, word association, etc.

dmnd 15y ago

The moravo logo[1] is a blatant copy of the Aperture Science logo[2] with a couple of segments coloured Portal orange and blue. [1]: http://stylate.com/portfolio/moravo-com/ http://stylate.com/portfolio/moravo-com/ [2]: http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Aperture_Science http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Aperture_Science

yock 15y ago
And Picasa: http://picasa.google.com/ http://picasa.google.com/

missy 15y ago

The names of the domains are more creative then the logos.Most names sound like a mid size start up website but the logos very high quality clipart. I think they should create a tool that does this name and custom logo creation then doing it themselves. Dont see how they sell much

rottendoubt 15y ago

I think it's a great idea. They need way more domain names though (100x).

stylate 15y ago
Coming soon (like in the next 24 hours)

ereckers 15y ago

Quick question: why tags with no listings? ie. Health and Jobs. Did you create the tag list first?

stylate 15y ago
Some of the domains have sold out so we had blank categories. We will be releasing a new bunch in the next 24 hours.

wallawe 15y ago

Just in case someone wants one of your names but doesn't know of your site, it would be a great idea to have some quick info (link and price) under the 'get info' section of domain registrars like godaddy (since thats where the majority of people will be looking).

idoh 15y ago

They should make sure to grab the twitter user name too, that's an important part of branding. I noticed that some of the twitter user names for the brands are free - how long will that last?

davidtyleryork 15y ago

Genius

mechanical_fish 15y ago

This would presumably make a great party game for YC meetups. You deal out a card with the logo on it and then everyone in the circle has to describe what they think the company or product is. I'm trying to figure out what "TweetBump" is. The obvious answer is: It's Twitter, plus Bump. You wander around a party bumping phones with folks, and every time you do that both of you automatically Tweet "I bumped into [X] at [Awesome Location Y]". (No obvious business model, though. ;) (And I'm not a Bump user, so I wouldn't exactly be surprised to learn that the app has already supported this for years. ;)

jasonli 15y ago

Curious, how many domain names did you sell since posting on HN? (If you dont mind answering)

Skyhoper 15y ago

Had a similar idea with startup branding in a box. Currently not using HeyBTW with Heybtw.com, heyb.tw, @heybtw

yannick 15y ago

This is quite a good idea, and the site itself is very nice and easy to navigate. Congratulations. Seeing a domain name with an MVL (Minimum Viable Logo, haha) is really much better for imagining how strong it could be than just seeing it listed in text. However, I found the selection too limited. So I think an interesting model for you would become a marketplace: 1- invite squatters with domains to sell to post their names on your site 2- invite designers to freely create logos to un-logoed domains 3- sell this wider selection to your audience, sharing the revenue with both squatters and designers. Good luck - with more selection, I would easily find the service worthwhile at that price point.

wavephorm 15y ago

Now combine this with some programmably generated content with a landing page, just change out variables like "social", "local", "recommendations", and "analytics". And then fire off auto-generated submissions to Y-Combinator, TechStars, and a slide deck to Sequoia. You could condense the entire Silicon Valley startup funding scene into a single transaction.

spc476 15y ago

I picked one domain, parabis.com and typed that domain name into the address bar of my browser. It is for sale, but the asking price is $2,000. Odd that it's going for $250 at stylate.com.

sbisker 15y ago
Good old fashioned price discrimination? Why not try to sell a domain name to a struggling startup for $250 and the same domain name to a random BigCo for $2,000?

stylate 15y ago

Hey if you are looking for updates on Stylate.com, we just put up a twitter account---> @stylater

grannyg00se 15y ago

These are not branded domain names. They are brandable domain names with a sample logo. A logo is not a brand. The title here is misleading but the site does a good job explaining what they are offering. And I think that they are providing good value. When you are starting out the last thing you need to do is waste a lot of time and money on a name and logo. With this service, you just pick one and forget about it then move onto more important matters.

hartror 15y ago

Is anyone else looking at the names/logos and coming up with business ideas to fit? This is great!

Tichy 15y ago

The vuaro logo is amusing. Nothing communicates usability and ease of mind as well as a labyrinth :-) Other than that I am not that impressed, the logos look pretty generic/standard. Maybe that kind of thing could work for small businesses (like restaurants), though.

Maro 15y ago

If a hypothetical person (not a HN user) thinks of a domain name and find that these guys are squatting it, is not interested in the design, he'll be thinking they're domain squatting assholes. He'll be right.

fybren 15y ago

There's definitely a market for this, and it saddens me. Choosing a name is supposed to be difficult. You're supposed to brainstorm for hours, bounce ideas off your friends and second guess yourself. Having to go through this pain to get to the right name adds character to the business through authenticity. Choosing a name from a list of pre-created brands, clever or not, is a cop out. Best of luck, though. I'm sure you'll do well.

LogoBids 15y ago

A lot of people are talking about domain squatting. I own LunchMeet.com and paid 5 figures for it when at the time I intended to develop a startup. Now I want to sell it. Is it squatting if I am just trying to get my money back?

joeyespo 15y ago

Until these pre-branded domains are actually bought and used, it seems like such a waste. There have been so many domains I would have loved to purchase that are blocked by some "value-adding" gimmick. At first, it's interesting. But think about it. Pre-purchasing domains throwing a brand on top is really as bad as implementing a software/web application without doing any market research. Chances are it's really not what people want. Unlike dead software/web apps, however, these domain names become worse than useless by block others from making something great.

profitbaron 15y ago

I tried 5 of your domains and they all point to Godaddy parked pages. You should really place a lander on them - which shows the logo and either a link to purchase the domain or a contact form to get in touch. Personally, I would add something like http://themeforest.net/item/hanbai-multilanguage-domain-for-sale/151728 http://themeforest.net/item/hanbai-multilanguage-domain-for-... which only costs $5 but even a logo and a link would be better than a Godaddy parked page which your domains currently have.