Apr 10, 2019
Names with stories: The story behind Anaxi.com
“Lots of founders think if the product is great, it will get known and the brand will build itself. This is all wrong, especially in SaaS where you have 1,000s of other brands.”
Founded by former Apple engineering manager Marc Verstaen and former CodinGame CEO John Lafleur, Anaxi brings more visibility to the development process. We discuss their brand, domain name, and business in this short interview.
How did the idea of Anaxi come into your mind?
Anaxi comes from Anaximander, a student of Thales and teacher of Pythagoras in ancient Greece. He is the first person who concluded that we were composed of definite particles (atoms), in an attempt to explain how the nature phenomena could work, and this 5 centuries BC. In short, a smart guy trying to understand large things by making sense of small ones. Which reminds us of engineering management! Marc, the co-founder & CEO of Anaxi, came up with the name “Anaximander”, but his wife told him “Anaxi” would sound better!
Why did you originally decide to brand your company under the name “Anaxi”, were there any other names you were considering?
During a travel to Peru, Marc brainstormed different names for the company, at the very start. The bad ones are not worth mentioning and we’d rather keep the good ones for now ;)
What was the best and worst part about the process of acquiring the domain Anaxi.com?
Paying the domain name was the worst part. Getting it was the best part!
If you could have any domain name in the world would you still pick Anaxi.com?
Anaxi is a 5-letter domain name, and that becomes pretty difficult to find. Plus, it’s easy to pronounce in most languages. Plus, it has a certain meaning and a back story. So we’re pretty fond of it, even though it doesn’t evoke anything about what we’re trying to achieve to our audience, which would be the only drawback.
What would you say is the most important thing for your brand right now?
Awareness, getting our brand known, getting the word out on the problem we’re solving.
What is the one element of your brand you would not compromise on?
Data privacy & security. And quality in 2nd, but these are linked for us.
Do you remember the day you got your first client? What was the feeling?
The day of our launch in September 2018, we had a few new users who asked us about our pricing as they wanted to pay for our service, while we were only offering a free plan. So an extraordinary feeling confirming that we were onto something valuable.
What kind of tips can you give other startups and founders considering acquiring a premium domain name?
The brand is extremely important for the success of a company. Lots of founders think if the product is great, it will get known and the brand will build itself. This is all wrong, especially in SaaS where you have 1,000s of other brands.
If you compare your startup with a car, which car would it be? What model and why?
The Porsche 911. Because it evokes quality, security, and efficiency. A brand that you can trust.
We hope this will be of use to you in the process of getting your perfect domain name. If you have any questions, need any help or just want to chat with someone about the process, book a free consultation at MarkUpgrade. We are always happy to hear from you.
Originally published at markupgrade.com.
