I knew of this deal for a little while, finally coming to fruition. Via Business Wire:
Oversee.net, a leading technology-driven online marketing solutions company, and Moniker®, one of the fastest-growing providers of domain name registration, domain asset management, and monetization services, announced today that Oversee has acquired Moniker. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
One of the more innovative ICANN-accredited registrars, Moniker offers products and services beyond basic registration, including name creation, registration, acquisition, portfolio management, theft protection, appraisal and escrow services, traffic monetization, live and online domain auctions and aftermarket sales. The company is well regarded by registrants and domain name industry professionals as the most secure and customer-focused registrar in the industry.
Moniker operations will remain in Pompano Beach, Florida and will continue to be led by Monte Cahn, President of Moniker. Cahn has agreed to a multi-year commitment with Oversee by continuing to run Moniker, in addition to other senior executive responsibilities within Oversee.
Oversee acquired domain name auction leader SnapNames® last June, and the company believes the addition of Moniker will give Oversee a complete array of services to cement its leadership position in the domain name secondary market. Oversee will leverage the two divisions’ capabilities by adding Moniker’s live auction and back-office services to SnapNames Liveâ„¢ to offer the industry’s most comprehensive live and silent auction services.
The first demonstration of the integration will be at DOMAINfest Global later this month, where SnapNames Live will lead and conduct the auction, with Moniker providing valuation and escrow services. More integrated services are planned, including:
* Deepening Moniker’s continuing commitment to its auction partners through the use of the SnapNames Live technology in Moniker-managed auctions
* The addition of DomainSponsor as an available option in Moniker’s TrafficClub monetization service
* Availability of Moniker’s registrar services for SnapNames and DomainSponsor customers
* Inclusion of traffic and monetization history as data for domain name auctions
* A complete set of Domain Asset Management services that offer domain owners all the tools necessary to profitably manage their domainsCommenting on the transaction, Moniker CEO Cahn said, “Oversee’s advanced technology platform and strong financial resources give us the capability to focus on further expanding our market opportunity. This is a dynamic industry, and our collaboration with SnapNames puts Oversee well ahead of any competitor. This is a tremendous opportunity for Oversee and Moniker.”?
“We are delighted that Monte Cahn and his team of experienced professionals are becoming part of the Oversee family,”? said Lawrence Ng, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Oversee. “Our primary objective, as a company, is to continue adding and developing capabilities that offer customers a greater breadth of products and services. Moniker is widely respected by industry players and has a reputation for knowledge, security, and professionalism.”?
There’s a great synergy here as the leaders and employees of both these companies are top notch, from the very top (Monte Kahn, Lawrence Ng) to the customer support folks.
Congratulations!
Sahar
So did monte get screwed? Looks like Seevast knew they were going to sell within a short period. They had to get a significantly higher offer than what they paid for Moniker less than a year ago.
Who knows what the motivations or the goals are?
Perhaps Monte got hurt in Florida Real Estate or the Credit Crunch, perhaps he wanted a share in something bigger. Maybe this lot are just lining up for a massive IPO or perhaps they are juxtapositioning for Power.
We will just have to watch this game of musical chairs and see who is still sitting when the music stops!
This overall may not be good for the industry, but great for oversee.net. Am I the only one that sees monopolys forming in this industry? Now we have yet another company that will have sensitive data all wrapped under one roof. A PPC, Co founder of DomainFest, snapnames.com, Appraisals, Registrations, and Auction house(Unethical if you really think about it). Will it be fair if they bid in their own auctions as well, if in deed they do? They will have an abundance of sensitive information that will not be released to consumers, giving them the advantage of any auction held thru moniker.com or future domain aquisitions. Really think of all the advantages they have over the consumer now. A conflict of interest, imo.
Some will say that is the advantage of moving smartly in this business. But in the end, it MAY hurt everyone in the industry, when there is no competition to keep prices reasonable in auction commissions. Prime names may even be bought before even making it to auction for consumers to partake.
I think it is great for Monte (if indeed he made out). There were alot of issues with Sedo.com this year in auctions. Will 2008 be the same for moniker.com?
I hope I am 100% wrong and I am not making any accusations. I just see the writing on the wall. Time will only tell. You heard it here first.
Congrats to Monte!
Godspeed,
Steve Morales
Don’t worry Steve, there are new service offerings coming on stream every week. The market is becoming more diversified all the time.
Not only that, 2008 will be the year when most realise that the following statement is false:
US = Universe
I agree with Steve - except the part about seeing it here first. I have been discussing the same issues since before I wrote this article last month. It’s definitely bad for domain name investors and I can’t imagine how it could be any better for a click business owner.