Difference between revisions of "Sedo"

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{{CompanyInfo|
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{{CompanyInfo| type            = Public
| logo            = logo_sedo.jpg
 
| silversponsor = ICANNWiki [[Sponsorship|Silver Sponsor]]
 
| type            = Public
 
 
| industry        = Domain Trading, Parking
 
| industry        = Domain Trading, Parking
| founded        = Germany, 1999
+
| founded        = Germany, 2001
 
| founders        = [[Ulrich Priesner]]<br/>[[Ulrich Essmann]]<br/>[[Tim Schumacher]]<br/>[[Marius Würzner]]
 
| founders        = [[Ulrich Priesner]]<br/>[[Ulrich Essmann]]<br/>[[Tim Schumacher]]<br/>[[Marius Würzner]]
| ownership      =  
+
| ownership      = [[United_Internet | United Internet]] AG
| headquarters    = Cambridge, MA, USA<br/>Cologne, Germany<br/>London, UK
+
| headquarters    = Cologne, Germany<br />Cambridge, MA, USA<br/>London, UK
| country        =
+
| products        = SedoMLS
| businesses      =
+
| employees      = 130
| products        =  
+
| website        = [http://www.sedo.com sedo.com]
| employees      = 150
+
| facebook        = [https://www.facebook.com/sedo Sedo]
| revenue        =
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| linkedin        = [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sedo-domain-marketplace-03371325/ Sedo]
| website        = [http://www.sedo.com/ sedo.com]
 
| blog            =
 
| facebook        =  
 
| linkedin        =  
 
 
| twitter        = sedo
 
| twitter        = sedo
| keypeople      = [[Tobias Flaitz]], CEO Sedo Holding AG<br>
+
| you tube        = [http://www.youtube.com/user/SedoLLC]
[[Liesbeth Mack-de Boer]], CSO <br>
+
| keypeople      = [[Michael Robrock]] <small>CEO Sedo GmbH,MB member InterNetX Holding AG<br></small>
[[Marius Würzner]], COO<br>
+
[[Hakan Ali]] <small>Chief Strategy Officer<br></small>
[[Ulrich Essmann]], President Sedo.com LLC, USA<br>
+
[[Paul Martin Fawell]] <small>General Manager, Managing Director of North America<br></small>
[[Paul Martin Fawell]], General Manager Sedo.com LLC, USA<br>
+
[[Barbara Stolz]] <small>Chief Financial Officer<br></small>
[[Jeremiah Johnston]], General Counsel Sedo.com LLC, USA<br>
+
[[Dieter Granitzki]] <small>Chief Technical Officer<br></small>
[[Simonetta Batteiger]], Head of Product Management<br>
+
[[Dirk Ochotzki]] <small>Head of Operations<br></small>
[[Matthias Meyer-Schoenherr]], Director of Business Development<br>
+
[[Andreas Schmid]] <small>Head of Product Management<br></small>
[[Dirk Ochotzki]], Head of Operations<br>
+
[[Christian Voß]] <small>Chief Marketing Officer</small><br>
[[Joel Ghebaly]], Head of Product Management (Traffic Monetization)<br>
+
|logo=Sedo Logo RGB.jpg}}
[[Adarsh Mehta]], Director of Development<br>
 
}}
 
  
'''Sedo''', which stands for '''S'''earch '''E'''ngine for '''D'''omain '''O'''ffers, is a [http://www.sedo.com/us/home/getting-started/?language=us domain name marketplace] and [http://www.sedo.com/us/park-domains/park-domains-overview/?language=us&tracked=1&partnerid=20293&langSwitchLink=true domain parking provider]. Sedo was founded in Germany in 2001, and has headquarters in both Cambridge, Massachusetts and Cologne, Germany. The company has 150 employees from more than 25 countries at offices located in the United States, Great Britain, and Germany, and 1.5 million customers with 16 million domain names for sale. Five million domains are parked via Sedo's parking program <ref>[http://www.sedo.com/uk/about-us/overview/?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e SEDO.co.uk]</ref>
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'''Sedo''', which stands for '''S'''earch '''E'''ngine for '''D'''omain '''O'''ffers, is a [http://www.sedo.com/us/home/getting-started/?language=us domain name marketplace] and [http://www.sedo.com/us/park-domains/park-domains-overview/?language=us&tracked=1&partnerid=20293&langSwitchLink=true domain parking provider]. Sedo was founded in Germany in 2001, and is headquartered in  Cologne, Germany with an office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company has 150 employees from more than 25 countries and 2 million customers with over 19 million domain names for sale. Five million domains are parked via Sedo's parking program <ref>[http://www.sedo.com/uk/about-us/overview/?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e SEDO.co.uk]</ref>
  
Sedo is a subsidiary company of the [http://www.sedoholding.com/en/ Sedo Holding AG] under the German company [[United Internet AG]]. The company is registered in the United States as Sedo.com LLC.<ref>[http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]</ref>
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Sedo is a subsidiary company of the InterNetX Holding under the German company [[United_Internet | United Internet]] AG. The company is registered in the United States as Sedo.com LLC.<ref>[http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]</ref>
  
 
==Products and Services==
 
==Products and Services==
According to its official website, Sedo provides [http://www.sedo.com/us/buy-domains/buy-domains-overview/?language=us&langSwitchLink=true domain name buying] and [http://www.sedo.com/us/sell-domains/sell-domains-overview/?language=us&langSwitchLink=true selling services] through [http://www.sedo.com/search/searchresult.php4?language=us search], [http://www.sedo.com/auction/auction_schedule.php?menu=buy&language=us auction], [http://www.sedo.com/search/domain_catalog.php?language=us catalog], [http://www.sedo.com/us/sell-domains/domain-brokerage/?language=us&tracked=1&partnerid=51686&langSwitchLink=true brokerage], etc. It also provides domain parking, domain appraisal, domain transfer, domain escrow, and [http://www.sedo.com/us/services/sedos-partner-program/?language=us&tracked=&partnerid=&langSwitchLink=true partner programs], etc.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sedo-unveils-full-suite-of-services-to-help-launch-promote-and-grow-new-domain-name-extensions-2012-10-10 Sedo Unveils Full Suite of Services, MarketWatch.com]</ref>
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Sedo provides [http://www.sedo.com/us/buy-domains/buy-domains-overview/?language=us&langSwitchLink=true domain name buying] and [http://www.sedo.com/us/sell-domains/sell-domains-overview/?language=us&langSwitchLink=true selling services] through [http://www.sedo.com/search/searchresult.php4?language=us search], [http://www.sedo.com/auction/auction_schedule.php?menu=buy&language=us auction], [http://www.sedo.com/search/domain_catalog.php?language=us catalog], [http://www.sedo.com/us/sell-domains/domain-brokerage/?language=us&tracked=1&partnerid=51686&langSwitchLink=true brokerage], etc. It also provides domain parking, domain appraisal, domain transfer, and [http://www.sedo.com/us/services/sedos-partner-program/?language=us&tracked=&partnerid=&langSwitchLink=true partner programs], etc.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sedo-unveils-full-suite-of-services-to-help-launch-promote-and-grow-new-domain-name-extensions-2012-10-10 Sedo Unveils Full Suite of Services, MarketWatch.com]</ref>
 
===New gTLD Services===
 
===New gTLD Services===
In October, 2012, Sedo announced that it was launching a [http://www.sedo.com/us/new-gtlds/new-gtlds-for-buyers/?language=us&langSwitchLink=true number of services] for the registries to be created through [[ICANN]]'s [[New gTLD Program]]:
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Sedo has a number of services for the registries created through [[ICANN]]'s [[New gTLD Program]]:
* String Contention Private Auctions  - a neutral, safe platform for multiple applicants for the same string to resolve the contention. [[ICANN]] is offering its own services, but has encouraged applicants to resolve contention on their own.
+
 
* Premium List Identification and Pricing Assistance - Sedo will help applicants identify which domains are going to be the most attractive to the target audience and price them appropriately. Sedo uses more than 11 years of [http://www.sedo.com/us/resources/market-trends/?language=us&langSwitchLink=true sales data] covering all traded TLDs, as well as multiple external sources, to create a premium reserve list of domains likely to command the highest sales values.
+
* Premium List Identification and Pricing Assistance - Sedo will help applicants identify which domains are going to be the most attractive to the target audience and price them appropriately. Sedo uses more than 20 years of [http://www.sedo.com/us/resources/market-trends/?language=us&langSwitchLink=true sales data] covering all traded TLDs, as well as multiple external sources, to create a premium reserve list of domains likely to command the highest sales values.
 +
* Premium Domain Auctions  - a neutral, safe platform for multiple applicants with marketing support and promotion to attract buyers and revenue for your premium domains.
 
* Sunrise, Landrush and Premium Auctions - Sedo provides multiple-language auction services for both premium auctions and those related to the [[Sunrise Period]]s and [[Landrush Period]]s.
 
* Sunrise, Landrush and Premium Auctions - Sedo provides multiple-language auction services for both premium auctions and those related to the [[Sunrise Period]]s and [[Landrush Period]]s.
 
* Exclusive Premium Name Distribution in the [http://www.sedo.com/us/sell-domains/sedomls/?language=us&tracked=&partnerid=&langSwitchLink=true SedoMLS Network]
 
* Exclusive Premium Name Distribution in the [http://www.sedo.com/us/sell-domains/sedomls/?language=us&tracked=&partnerid=&langSwitchLink=true SedoMLS Network]
* Premium Brokerage and Pre-Brokerage
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* Custom sales and marketing solutions tailored to individual extensions
 +
===SedoMLS===
 +
* As the world's largest domain distribution network, SedoMLS multiplies a single domain listing and places it in front of millions of potential buyers worldwide
  
===Sales Figures & Prominent Sales===
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* Registrar customers are able to purchase domains from Sedo’s premium inventory of over 19 million domains – including the most exclusive new gTLD names – directly from the Registar's website
Sedo's top 10 highest selling domain names for 2011 were:
 
  
# gambling.com, $2,500,000
+
* With Sedo's easy registrar listing service, customers can listing their names to be syndicated across SedoMLS
# dudu.com, $1,000,000
 
# 88.com, $850,000
 
# aktien.de, €500,000
 
# 3d.com, $500,000
 
# gamesforgirls.com, $500,000
 
# datacenter.com, $352,500
 
# poetry.com, $335,000
 
# action.com, $270,000
 
# consolidation.com, $220,000<ref>[http://sedo.com/fileadmin/documents/pressdownload/Q4_2011_DomainMarketStudy_US.pdf 2011 Annual Domain Market Study, sedo.com]</ref>
 
  
===SedoMLS===
+
* Outstanding technical support with its SedoMLS testbed and dedicated tech support team making SedoMLS implementation simple and user-friendly
In January, 2012, Sedo announced that it was adding [[GoDaddy]] to its MLS service. The service allows those searching GoDaddy's databases to see domains that are currently not available, but are being offered by their registrants for a minimum sale price. Sedo had about 15 million such domains in its system at the time of the deal.<ref>[http://www.thedomains.com/2012/01/30/sedo-adds-godaddy-to-sedomls/ Sedo Adds GoDaddy to SedoMLS, TheDomains.com]</ref>
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===Domain Parking===
 +
* Users earn revenue on more than five million domains while simultaneously promoting those domains for sale
 +
* Domain owners and advertisers are matched to generate profit for both sides
 +
* Domain owners gain access to the advertising industry, while advertisers appreciate the controllable and quantifiable return on investment
 +
===Brokerage Services===
 +
* Domain acquisition assistance for both buyers and brokerage representation for sellers
 +
* On average we assist more than 32,000 businesses and individuals annually to acquire their desired domains
 +
* Premium domain names brokered through Sedo include Vodka.com, Fly.com, Body.com, Values.com, Jets.com, and Dudu.com, as well as Sex.com, the highest value domain sale to date.
 +
===Sales Figures & Prominent Sales===
 +
Sedo's top 10 highest selling  public domain names are:
  
==Partnerships==
+
# Sex.com, $13,000,000 ([[Guinness World Records]] record)
In November 2012, it was announced that Sedo would be providing its services at a discounted rate to the gTLD applicant for [[.hiv]], [[dotHIV]]. The applicant aims to donate 70-80% of revenue to HIV research. Some of the services it will be providing include: appraising and auctioning premium .hiv domains, supporting preregistrations for people and organizations wishing to reserve names before the official launch, and evaluating the entire .hiv namespace to ensure that important .hiv domain names reach the best end users.<ref>[http://sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked&partnerid&id=530&language=us Presse, Sedo.com]</ref> The announcement was made to coincide with World AIDS day, which occurs on Dec. 1 every year.
+
# Vodka.com, $3,000,000
 +
# Shopping.de, $2,858,945
 +
# Gambling.com, $2,500,000
 +
# Pizza.com, $2,600,000
 +
# Fly.com, $1,800,000
 +
# Russia.com, $1,500,000
 +
# Games.co.uk, $1,300,000
 +
# Kredit.de, $1,169,175
 +
# Chinese.com, $1,120,000
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
* Sedo began in Cologne, Germany in 1999 as a student project by [[Tim Schumacher]], [[Ulrich Priesner]], and [[Marius Würzner]].  They had a website named offensiv.de to distribute computer games, and when the business was phased out, they started thinking about selling the domain. Thus, they founded Sedo. The company started out with 5 employees working in a small office in downtown Cologne. <ref>[http://www.chefpatrick.com/interview-with-tim-schumacher-ceo-of-sedo-com/ Cheif Patrick.com]</ref> Sedo GmbH became an official entity in 2001.<ref>[http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]</ref>
 
* Sedo began in Cologne, Germany in 1999 as a student project by [[Tim Schumacher]], [[Ulrich Priesner]], and [[Marius Würzner]].  They had a website named offensiv.de to distribute computer games, and when the business was phased out, they started thinking about selling the domain. Thus, they founded Sedo. The company started out with 5 employees working in a small office in downtown Cologne. <ref>[http://www.chefpatrick.com/interview-with-tim-schumacher-ceo-of-sedo-com/ Cheif Patrick.com]</ref> Sedo GmbH became an official entity in 2001.<ref>[http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]</ref>
  
* In his book ''International Entrepreneurship: Starting, Developing, and Managing a Global Venture'', Robert D. Hisrich explained that, at the beginning of 2000, Sedo's founders began to advertise by purchasing banners in various websites and developing press relationships. [[Ulrich Essmann]], a medical student working on a project similar to Sedo, joined the team and his own project helped the group significantly. Finally, the founders began negotiating with potential investors. In 2001, they found a major investor, [[United AG]], which at the time was Germany's largest registrar for domain names. United AG initially purchased a minor stake in the newly-founded Sedo but later bought about 41% for approximately 400,000 EUR. The rest of the shares were held by the four owners. In 2004, United bought an additional 10% of Sedo's share for $575,000, making the four founders minority shareholders of the business. In 2005, 51% of shares for United AG, including Sedo, were sold to [[AdLink Internet Media AG]], a public and majority-owned subsidiary of[[United Internet AG]].  
+
* In his book ''International Entrepreneurship: Starting, Developing, and Managing a Global Venture'', Robert D. Hisrich explained that, at the beginning of 2000, Sedo's founders began to advertise by purchasing banners in various websites and developing press relationships. [[Ulrich Essmann]], a medical student working on a project similar to Sedo, joined the team and his own project helped the group significantly. Finally, the founders began negotiating with potential investors. In 2001, they found a major investor, [[United AG]], which at the time was Germany's largest registrar for domain names. United AG initially purchased a minor stake in the newly-founded Sedo but later bought about 41% for approximately 400,000 EUR. The rest of the shares were held by the four owners. In 2004, United bought an additional 10% of Sedo's share for $575,000, making the four founders minority shareholders of the business. In 2005, 51% of shares for United AG, including Sedo, were sold to [[AdLink Internet Media AG]], a public and majority-owned subsidiary of [[United_Internet | United Internet]].  
  
 
* Sedo began planning a North American subsidiary as early as 2003; in 2005, Sedo.com LLC was opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<ref>[http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]</ref>
 
* Sedo began planning a North American subsidiary as early as 2003; in 2005, Sedo.com LLC was opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<ref>[http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]</ref>
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* In 2001, CEO, [[Tim Schumacher]], was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young Germany.<ref>[http://sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=51137&language=us&id=410&et_cid=20&et_lid=246436 Press, Sedo.com]</ref>
 
* In 2001, CEO, [[Tim Schumacher]], was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young Germany.<ref>[http://sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=51137&language=us&id=410&et_cid=20&et_lid=246436 Press, Sedo.com]</ref>
  
* Sedo expanded to the United Kingdom in 2008.<ref>[http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]</ref>
+
* In February, 2009, Sedo acquired [[RevenueDirect]], a domain name parking service by run [[Dotster]].<ref>[http://domainnamewire.com/2009/02/24/sedo-acquires-revenuedirect-and-why-it-makes-sense/ Domain Name Wire.com]</ref> Sedo also announced a strategic long-term partnership with [[Dotster]] through which Sedo would benefit from [[Dotster]]'s inventory and registrar service, and [[RevenueDirect]] customers would be helped by Sedo’s monetization engines and its secondary market for buying and selling domain names.<ref>[http://www.domainnamenews.com/news/sedo-buys-revenue-direct-from-dotster/4101 Domain Name News]</ref>  
 
 
* In February, 2009, Sedo acquired [[RevenueDirect]], a domain name parking service by run [[Dotster]].<ref>[http://domainnamewire.com/2009/02/24/sedo-acquires-revenuedirect-and-why-it-makes-sense/ Domain Name Wire.com]</ref> Sedo also announced a strategic long-term partnership with [[Dotster]] through which Sedo would benefit from [[Dotster]]'s inventory and registrar service, and [[RevenueDirect]] customers would be helped by Sedo’s monetization engines and its secondary market for buying and selling domain names.<ref>[http://www.domainnamenews.com/news/sedo-buys-revenue-direct-from-dotster/4101 Domain Name News ]</ref>  
 
  
 
* In March, 2009, Sedo invested seed funding for [[Bloson.com]], a new social charity website.<ref>[http://bostinnovation.com/2010/04/16/bloson-where-interacting-with-content-translates-into-charitable-donations/ Bloson Innovation]</ref>  
 
* In March, 2009, Sedo invested seed funding for [[Bloson.com]], a new social charity website.<ref>[http://bostinnovation.com/2010/04/16/bloson-where-interacting-with-content-translates-into-charitable-donations/ Bloson Innovation]</ref>  
  
* In February 2010, Sedo sold the domain name Poker.org for $1 million USD to PokerCompany.com, breaking the record for the highest .org domain name ever sold.<ref>[http://www.chefpatrick.com/poker-org-sells-for-1000000/ Cheif Patrik.com ]</ref>
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* In February 2010, Sedo sold the domain name Poker.org for $1 million USD to PokerCompany.com, breaking the record for the highest .org domain name ever sold.<ref>[http://www.chefpatrick.com/poker-org-sells-for-1000000/ Cheif Patrik.com]</ref>
  
 
* On May 21, 2010, AdLink Internet Media AG was renamed Sedo Holding AG and the company Sedo became a subsidiary thereof.<ref>[http://www.sedoholding.com/en/press-room/news/news-details/article/aus-adlink-internet-media-ag-wird-sedo-holding-ag-mit-sitz-in-koeln-koeln-wird-zunehmend-deutsch/ SEDO Holding.com ]</ref>
 
* On May 21, 2010, AdLink Internet Media AG was renamed Sedo Holding AG and the company Sedo became a subsidiary thereof.<ref>[http://www.sedoholding.com/en/press-room/news/news-details/article/aus-adlink-internet-media-ag-wird-sedo-holding-ag-mit-sitz-in-koeln-koeln-wird-zunehmend-deutsch/ SEDO Holding.com ]</ref>
Line 89: Line 88:
  
 
==[http://www.sedo.com/awards/bestoveralldomainsolution.html Awards]==
 
==[http://www.sedo.com/awards/bestoveralldomainsolution.html Awards]==
* In 2007, Sedo was selected as "Entrepreneur of the Year 2007" in Germany by Ernst & Young.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures/5298236-1.html All Business.com ]</ref>
+
* In 2010 & 2014, Sedo was a finalist for the "World Trademark Review Industry Award: Internet & Online Services Team of the Year". <ref>[http://trademarknews.com/news/sedo-nominated-for-2010-world-trademark-review-industry-award-for-internet.html TrademarkNews.com]</ref>
 +
* The Domain Conference: Company of the Year 2016
  
* In 2010, Sedo was nominated "2010 World Trademark Review Industry Award for Internet."<ref>[http://trademarknews.com/news/sedo-nominated-for-2010-world-trademark-review-industry-award-for-internet.html TrademarkNews.com]</ref>
+
* Traffic Awards for: <br>Best Overall Domain Solution (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)<br>Broker of the Year 2012, 2014, 2016 (Dave Evanson)<br>Broker of the Year 2013 (Negar Hajikhani)
 +
* World Domain Day: Best Aftermarket Platform 2015
  
==Further Resources==
+
* Domain Name Wire Awards for: <br>  Most Innovative Company for Selling Secondary Domain Names (2010, 2011, 2012)<br> Best Domain Name Parking Company (2010, 2011, 2012)<br> Best Online Domain Sales Venue (2010)
[http://sedo.com/us/about-us/success-stories/?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us Success Stories]
 
[http://sedo.com/us/resources/media-library/?language=us&partnerid=54731 Case studies and White Papers]
 
  
==References==
+
* Eco Internet Award:  Domains & DNS (2013)
{{reflist}}
+
 
 +
* Domainer's Choice Award: Best Industry Costumer Rep (2008)
 +
 
 +
* Domainer's Choice Award: Best Domain Marketplace (2014)
 +
* In 2007, Sedo was selected as "Entrepreneur of the Year 2007" in Germany by Ernst & Young.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures/5298236-1.html All Business.com]</ref>
  
== External links==
+
==External Links and Resources==
 
* [http://www.sedo.com/ SEDO.com]
 
* [http://www.sedo.com/ SEDO.com]
 
* [http://www.sedoholding.com Sedo Holding AG]
 
* [http://www.sedoholding.com Sedo Holding AG]
 
* [http://www.united-internet.de United Internet AG]
 
* [http://www.united-internet.de United Internet AG]
 
* [http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]
 
* [http://www.sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2799 Sedo.com: Our Story]
 +
*[http://sedo.com/us/about-us/success-stories/?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us Success Stories]
 +
*[http://sedo.com/us/resources/media-library/?language=us&partnerid=54731 Case studies and White Papers]
 +
 +
==References==
 +
<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
 +
{{reflist}}</div>
  
 
[[Category: Companies]]
 
[[Category: Companies]]
[[Category: Past Sponsor]]
+
[[Category: Sponsor]]
[[Category:USA]]
+
[[Category: USA]]
[[Category:Germany]]
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[[Category: Germany]]
__NOTOC__
 

Revision as of 15:40, 23 September 2020

Sedo Logo RGB.jpg
Type: Public
Industry: Domain Trading, Parking
Founded: Germany, 2001
Founder(s): Ulrich Priesner
Ulrich Essmann
Tim Schumacher
Marius Würzner
Ownership: United Internet AG
Headquarters: Cologne, Germany
Cambridge, MA, USA
London, UK
Products: SedoMLS
Employees: 130
Website: sedo.com
Facebook: Sedo
LinkedIn: Sedo
Twitter: TwitterIcon.png@sedo
Key People
Michael Robrock CEO Sedo GmbH,MB member InterNetX Holding AG

Hakan Ali Chief Strategy Officer
Paul Martin Fawell General Manager, Managing Director of North America
Barbara Stolz Chief Financial Officer
Dieter Granitzki Chief Technical Officer
Dirk Ochotzki Head of Operations
Andreas Schmid Head of Product Management
Christian Voß Chief Marketing Officer

Sedo, which stands for Search Engine for Domain Offers, is a domain name marketplace and domain parking provider. Sedo was founded in Germany in 2001, and is headquartered in Cologne, Germany with an office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company has 150 employees from more than 25 countries and 2 million customers with over 19 million domain names for sale. Five million domains are parked via Sedo's parking program [1]

Sedo is a subsidiary company of the InterNetX Holding under the German company United Internet AG. The company is registered in the United States as Sedo.com LLC.[2]

Products and Services

Sedo provides domain name buying and selling services through search, auction, catalog, brokerage, etc. It also provides domain parking, domain appraisal, domain transfer, and partner programs, etc.[3]

New gTLD Services

Sedo has a number of services for the registries created through ICANN's New gTLD Program:

  • Premium List Identification and Pricing Assistance - Sedo will help applicants identify which domains are going to be the most attractive to the target audience and price them appropriately. Sedo uses more than 20 years of sales data covering all traded TLDs, as well as multiple external sources, to create a premium reserve list of domains likely to command the highest sales values.
  • Premium Domain Auctions - a neutral, safe platform for multiple applicants with marketing support and promotion to attract buyers and revenue for your premium domains.
  • Sunrise, Landrush and Premium Auctions - Sedo provides multiple-language auction services for both premium auctions and those related to the Sunrise Periods and Landrush Periods.
  • Exclusive Premium Name Distribution in the SedoMLS Network
  • Custom sales and marketing solutions tailored to individual extensions

SedoMLS

  • As the world's largest domain distribution network, SedoMLS multiplies a single domain listing and places it in front of millions of potential buyers worldwide
  • Registrar customers are able to purchase domains from Sedo’s premium inventory of over 19 million domains – including the most exclusive new gTLD names – directly from the Registar's website
  • With Sedo's easy registrar listing service, customers can listing their names to be syndicated across SedoMLS
  • Outstanding technical support with its SedoMLS testbed and dedicated tech support team making SedoMLS implementation simple and user-friendly

Domain Parking

  • Users earn revenue on more than five million domains while simultaneously promoting those domains for sale
  • Domain owners and advertisers are matched to generate profit for both sides
  • Domain owners gain access to the advertising industry, while advertisers appreciate the controllable and quantifiable return on investment

Brokerage Services

  • Domain acquisition assistance for both buyers and brokerage representation for sellers
  • On average we assist more than 32,000 businesses and individuals annually to acquire their desired domains
  • Premium domain names brokered through Sedo include Vodka.com, Fly.com, Body.com, Values.com, Jets.com, and Dudu.com, as well as Sex.com, the highest value domain sale to date.

Sales Figures & Prominent Sales

Sedo's top 10 highest selling public domain names are:

  1. Sex.com, $13,000,000 (Guinness World Records record)
  2. Vodka.com, $3,000,000
  3. Shopping.de, $2,858,945
  4. Gambling.com, $2,500,000
  5. Pizza.com, $2,600,000
  6. Fly.com, $1,800,000
  7. Russia.com, $1,500,000
  8. Games.co.uk, $1,300,000
  9. Kredit.de, $1,169,175
  10. Chinese.com, $1,120,000

History

  • Sedo began in Cologne, Germany in 1999 as a student project by Tim Schumacher, Ulrich Priesner, and Marius Würzner. They had a website named offensiv.de to distribute computer games, and when the business was phased out, they started thinking about selling the domain. Thus, they founded Sedo. The company started out with 5 employees working in a small office in downtown Cologne. [4] Sedo GmbH became an official entity in 2001.[5]
  • In his book International Entrepreneurship: Starting, Developing, and Managing a Global Venture, Robert D. Hisrich explained that, at the beginning of 2000, Sedo's founders began to advertise by purchasing banners in various websites and developing press relationships. Ulrich Essmann, a medical student working on a project similar to Sedo, joined the team and his own project helped the group significantly. Finally, the founders began negotiating with potential investors. In 2001, they found a major investor, United AG, which at the time was Germany's largest registrar for domain names. United AG initially purchased a minor stake in the newly-founded Sedo but later bought about 41% for approximately 400,000 EUR. The rest of the shares were held by the four owners. In 2004, United bought an additional 10% of Sedo's share for $575,000, making the four founders minority shareholders of the business. In 2005, 51% of shares for United AG, including Sedo, were sold to AdLink Internet Media AG, a public and majority-owned subsidiary of United Internet.
  • Sedo began planning a North American subsidiary as early as 2003; in 2005, Sedo.com LLC was opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[6]
  • In 2001, CEO, Tim Schumacher, was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young Germany.[8]
  • In February, 2009, Sedo acquired RevenueDirect, a domain name parking service by run Dotster.[9] Sedo also announced a strategic long-term partnership with Dotster through which Sedo would benefit from Dotster's inventory and registrar service, and RevenueDirect customers would be helped by Sedo’s monetization engines and its secondary market for buying and selling domain names.[10]
  • In March, 2009, Sedo invested seed funding for Bloson.com, a new social charity website.[11]
  • In February 2010, Sedo sold the domain name Poker.org for $1 million USD to PokerCompany.com, breaking the record for the highest .org domain name ever sold.[12]
  • On May 21, 2010, AdLink Internet Media AG was renamed Sedo Holding AG and the company Sedo became a subsidiary thereof.[13]
  • In December 2011, it was announced that Tim Schumacher, its co-founder and CEO, was stepping down from his position. He is still set to act on to the Board of Directors. He was the acting CEO of Sedo Holding, which was not only Sedo but also its marketing company affiliate, Affilinet. Mr. Schumacher expressed an interest in getting involved in start-ups.[14]

Awards

  • In 2010 & 2014, Sedo was a finalist for the "World Trademark Review Industry Award: Internet & Online Services Team of the Year". [15]
  • The Domain Conference: Company of the Year 2016
  • Traffic Awards for:
    Best Overall Domain Solution (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
    Broker of the Year 2012, 2014, 2016 (Dave Evanson)
    Broker of the Year 2013 (Negar Hajikhani)
  • World Domain Day: Best Aftermarket Platform 2015
  • Domain Name Wire Awards for:
    Most Innovative Company for Selling Secondary Domain Names (2010, 2011, 2012)
    Best Domain Name Parking Company (2010, 2011, 2012)
    Best Online Domain Sales Venue (2010)
  • Eco Internet Award: Domains & DNS (2013)
  • Domainer's Choice Award: Best Industry Costumer Rep (2008)
  • Domainer's Choice Award: Best Domain Marketplace (2014)
  • In 2007, Sedo was selected as "Entrepreneur of the Year 2007" in Germany by Ernst & Young.[16]

External Links and Resources

References