XYZ.COM LLC

Type:	Privately Held
Industry:	Registry Operator
Founder(s):	Daniel Negari
Products:	.xyz & .college
Website:	xyz.com/registry
Key People
Daniel Negari

XYZ.COM LLC is a registry operator with the purpose of applying for and running new gTLDs as made possible by ICANN's gTLD expansion program. It was founded by Daniel Negari. XYZ.COM LLC is the sole remaining applicant for the gTLD's .xyz and .college. It is also one of the remaining applicants for .now.

History

Founder Daniel Negari originally purchased XYZ.com with the intention of building a complete web experience where businesses and individuals could register domains, build their website, and manage online assets. XYZ.com went on to become an ICANN-accredited registrar that was also approved by Verisign and PIR to sell .com .net and .org domains. While building the XYZ.com experience, ICANN announced their intent to implement a new generic domain extension program. This opportunity cause the company to pivot into being a registry operator.

In 2012, XYZ.COM LLC filed the applications for .xyz (priority #: 1458), .college (priority #: 1621) and .now (priority #: 279). It was the sole applicant for .xyz. For .college, XYZ.COM LLC was one of two applicants, the other one being Donuts. A private auction was held by Crampton Associates in June 2013 and XYZ.COM LLC won the contention set for an undisclosed amount. XYZ.COM LLC is one of six applicants for .now, which is still under contention.

gTLDs

.XYZ is intended to be a truly generic gTLD. It is not targeted toward any particular class of registrant and aims to be the default choice for any registrant seeking a memorable and generic gTLD. According to it's application, .XYZ's goals include "[o]ffering a range of highly valued cross-industry domain names," "provid[ing] business owners across multiple verticals a cost-effective means of establishing a viable online presence," "allowing these entities to register names that are appropriate to their business name or service offering," "a reduction in the price spent on obtaining domain names" and "increased competition within the online space."

.College aims to be the serve not only accredited educational institutions, but also any individuals or organization that may benefit from a reputable and recognizable extension that is linked to the educational sphere. Intended registrants include colleges, students, professors, college preparation companies, employee training companies, online tutorials, and many others. According to XYZ.COM's application, the gTLD will "will provide communal organizations and educational organizations with a wide range of domain names they can use to communicate, self-identify, offer products and services, and build community. "

.Now is still under contention and XYZ.COM LLC has not released any information on it's plans for .now.

.xyz ICANN Contract Signed

On December 5, 2013 XYZ.COM LLC received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN for .xyz after passing all the required processes needed to become a Registry Operator for the string.

Partners

XYZ.COM LLC's back-end registry operations will be provided by CentralNic.