What are new domain extensions and why do they matter for your startup?

If you have ever owned a website, you have experienced the discomfort that comes with finding the perfect domain name for your business or blog. We call it “discomfort” because, well, aren’t all good domain names already taken? Until a few years ago, that had been the case but not anymore! Today, you can get any domain name that you desire, on a domain extension that best suits the purpose of your website.

What are (new) domain extensions?

When the Internet first manifested, it was assumed that there would be government websites (.GOV), social organizations (.ORG), commercial/business portals (.COM), networks (.NET), educational websites (.EDU), and so on. Nobody knew then how the Internet would evolve in its scope, and explode to 2 billion domain names! 30 years later, we now have a more evolved website naming system, with a specific domain extension for every industry out there.

For example, there’s .STORE for eCommerce and retail, .TECH for technology, .FUN for leisure, .PRESS for media and news, and then there are universal domain extensions such as .ONLINE, .SITE, et al. These new domain extensions were introduced in 2012 to make the Internet more organized and business-friendly. Since then, over 23M domains have been registered across the 1200+ new extensions by organizations and individuals alike.

So, if you are looking for a website name today, you either have to stretch your imagination beyond the 2 billion domains that are already taken on traditional domain extensions, or you can find an innovate name on a new domain extension.

How do new domain extensions help?

Here’s the fun part. If you knew the options that are available to you in new domain extensions, you would feel overwhelmed with the crazy website-name ideas that would pop in your brain. Check this out:

• www.louder.online (a digital marketing agency)
• www.breakinto.tech (a startup program that helps people from non-tech backgrounds break-into-tech)
• www.digital.space (a VC firm that invests in digital businesses)
• www.tiny.website (another VC firm that has invested in some big businesses such as Dribble, Flow and more)
• You get the drift!

New domain extensions are not just functional, they are also pretty cool!

By using a contextual or industry-relevant domain extension, you can give your startup a robust brand which helps in gaining and retaining the right customers. Put simply, new domain extensions are your chance to get a creative, super-sleek domain name that stands out of the clutter.

Why do new domain extensions matter to your startup?

Here’s a treat for you! By choosing your primary domain name on select new domain extensions, you can join the Startup League, a program that financially supports early-stage startups at events such as the Startup Grind Global Conference, as well as 100+ other events globally. What’s more, your membership also gets you other cool benefits that help you get more brand visibility with investors, media, influencers, partners and even customers at the event.

Since the program was launched in 2016, the Startup League has seen some stellar success stories. Nu-rise.tech, one of the member startups, was sponsored to be at Web Summit 2016 where they were the PITCH semi-finalists. They later got accepted to the Mass Challenge Accelerator program in 2017 and secured a seed capital investment of €100K by Caixa Capital. Owing to their success, they won a free booth to exhibit at Web Summit 2017, courtesy of the Startup League.

How does the Startup League work?

To join the Startup League, a community of 300+ amazing startups from across the globe, you must host your startup’s primary website on any of the following nine new domain extensions:

.TECH, .STORE, .ONLINE, .SITE, .WEBSITE, .SPACE, .FUN, .HOST, and .PRESS.

Once your website is set up, you get access to these unique benefits:

• Sponsorships to exhibit at over 100+ events globally
• Branded T-shirts and booth goodies to flaunt at the events
• Promotions within the Startup League’s global network
• PR mentions on leading startup and tech platforms
• Special access to premium, high-value domain names

and much more!

Ready to get a sponsored exhibition booth at the Startup Grind conference? Apply now on this form and make sure to check the box to ‘know more about the Startup League offer’!