With.in raised $12.56m in funding. Do you like the name?

[IRON-MAN]

VR outfit Vrse, which is changing its name to Within.in

Do you think it's a bad idea not buying the .com?

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/whatever-and-the-biggest-losers/#.V9pGcXRwZnE

 

[Elad n]

VR outfit Vrse, which is changing its name to Within.in

Do you think it's a bad idea not buying the .com?

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/whatever-and-the-biggest-losers/#.V9pGcXRwZnE

I guess you meant With.in

its a bad idea if you got the money and you know your startup is stable + im sure if they are stable enough then negotiation started/will start soon (its not a cheap name to buy ).
sometimes in negotiation you try to bluff , they will try that ( and i guess will fail ) and then when they will be big (if so ) they will spend more money then they wanted in the first place.

 

[IRON-MAN]

So many tech startups are buying really bad
domains. It's a very dangerous thing to do if you have the funding. www.with.in domain is deadborn and its going to show the other tech startups what not to do.

Domainsherpa needs to show tech startups the path to success. Let's get the ball rolling.

 

[disaac81]

Startups get confused about what a cctld really means.

They think having a cool looking hack means they 'nailed the brief'.

In fact, they only serve to boost their presence in that geo area and damage their presence elsewhere (ie the rest of the world).

You want a brand that reaches both sides of the globe, then you need a dot com. You should then use cctlds to offer distinct experiences to those regions \ geo locations, as you can see Amazon does, google does etc etc.

But to name your company \ use a cctld as your main outreach... very bad decision.

 

[Kingslayer]

I liked the name 'Vrse' (verse) the logo and name (with all the stars in the background representing the universe) really stood out when browsing the Oculus store 'Within' doesn't seem to stand out as much.

I think they still own 'vrse' i hope they see sense and go back to that name in a year or 2.

 

[Elad n]

They won't go back because VR is limiting them.
But they should buy within.com

 

[Kingslayer]

They won't go back because VR is limiting them.
But they should buy within.com

What do you mean?

As for buying within.com, easier said than done, within.com is not for sale and an established business.

 

[Elad n]

They didn't think it through. About VR, i guess they have plans with other technologies as well.

 

[Manik]

Wait till you see how big of a deal us Indian domainers are going to make of this..

 

[Kingslayer]

They didn't think it through. About VR, i guess they have plans with other technologies as well.

I don’t think that’s the reason. If I remember right when I read about VRSE’s name change a few months ago, they felt people didn’t know how to pronounce VRSE (verse) and went for a name change to avoid confusement.

 

[Elad n]

I don’t think that’s the reason. If I remember right when I read about VRSE’s name change a few months ago, they felt people didn’t know how to pronounce VRSE (verse) and went for a name change to avoid confusement.

More importantly though, tying our brand to “virtual reality”, a phrase we may not even use in ten years, seems inadvisable. And at our heart, we’re about more than just a specific technology or buzzword — we’re about creating and sharing human experience. Technology is just a tool to get us there.

 

[Elad n]

More importantly though, tying our brand to “virtual reality”, a phrase we may not even use in ten years, seems inadvisable. And at our heart, we’re about more than just a specific technology or buzzword — we’re about creating and sharing human experience. Technology is just a tool to get us there.

They still picked a bad bad name

 

[IRON-MAN]

https://www.wired.com/2016/06/vr-vrse-new-name-millions-funding/

My point is lots of startups think they can outsmart .com

www.with.in is going to make history for tech startups teaching them how not to brand yourself if you want to be global.

 

[disaac81]

Loads made the same mistake with io, thinking it makes them look modern.

Well, modern maybe...global no.

Same old story. If they grow big enough they will be looking at a costly rebranding campaign and a new dot com. Happens all the time, and it will always happen so long as startups keep making the same school boy mistake.

Is it really worth segmenting yourself to a country that you do not even operate in. NO. If the world is your market then stop this nonsense.

And to think they probably paid their marketing execs a lot of money to come up with this fluffy name.

Oh well....

 

[Kingslayer]

More importantly though, tying our brand to “virtual reality”, a phrase we may not even use in ten years, seems inadvisable.

I don't really see your point, VR is the business they are involved, if you think it's inadvisable tying a brand to VR then why have you invested in VR/MR and AR domains?

I don't think the name change had anything to do with VR being in their previous name. I just think they went with 'Within' because they felt it added more uniqueness and individuality.

 

[Elad n]

I don't really see your point, VR is the business they are involved, if you think it's inadvisable tying a brand to VR then why have you invested in VR/MR and AR domains?

I don't think the name change had anything to do with VR being in their previous name. I just think they went with 'Within' because they felt it added more uniqueness and individuality.

Dont get defensive mate , i was just quoting their ceo from their site lol.

 

[Elad n]

And on that note, im not saying its inadvisable, im saying some startups dont want to be attached to a specific technology, it happens.

And back to the point.

@IRON-MAN cerious, after we agreed its a bad name what do you plan to do about that?

 

[Kingslayer]

Dont get defensive mate , i was just quoting their ceo from their site lol.

I'm not getting defensive and oh right, I've not seen any quotes.

Can you show me this quote? It will be quite interesting because I've long suspected having VR in a name could have limitations 'if' companies want to to expand into other markets like AR - It's why i like single 'v'.

If Within want to go into AR/MR at some stage then you can see why they've done it, but I've not read anything about them wanting to go into AR and was part of the reason for the name change.

 

[Elad n]

https://medium.com/@Within/welcome-to-within-c7d3daba2b55#.8nb0n0c2x

 

[IRON-MAN]

And on that note, im not saying its inadvisable, im saying some startups dont want to be attached to a specific technology, it happens.

And back to the point.

@IRON-MAN cerious, after we agreed its a bad name what do you plan to do about that?

Let them find out the hard way.

 

[Elad n]

Let them find out the hard way.

My point exactly.

 

[mwzd]

I think with.in is a future proof brand.

Way better than vrse.com for sure, which was severely limiting to VR, not good for a well funded startup.

Don't assume just because you don't like the name you know more than a company that has raised millions, I'm sure all their investors signed off on it too, we'll just wait and see but I think they'll do great with it.

 

[DomainVP]

Clearly they are using a ccTLD as a domain hack until they can buy the .COM.

Have you seen within.com??? Someone is just waiting for the right company to buy it.

This company is using domain hack strategy correctly IF they intend to buy the .COM when they become successful.

Essentially this company will either fail or buy the .COM.

Facebook bought FB for 8.5mil.

There gets to be a point at a company where spending millions on a domain makes sense and the expense barely matters.

Most domainers don't take a step back to see the big picture. These people are not stupid, and most likely have access to top-notch marketers.

With.in is a fine domain to use for their first few years, or maybe until their next round of funding.

 

[IRON-MAN]

Clearly they are using a ccTLD as a domain hack until they can buy the .COM.

Have you seen within.com??? Someone is just waiting for the right company to buy it.

This company is using domain hack strategy correctly IF they intend to buy the .COM when they become successful.

Essentially this company will either fail or buy the .COM.

Facebook bought FB for 8.5mil.

There gets to be a point at a company where spending millions on a domain makes sense and the expense barely matters.

Most domainers don't take a step back to see the big picture. These people are not stupid, and most likely have access to top-notch marketers.

With.in is a fine domain to use for their first few years, or maybe until their next round of funding.

Buying domains this way is playing with FIRE!
What happens if some other company buys it before?
What's In A Name?"

 

[DomainVP]

Buying domains this way is playing with FIRE!

That's not true at all.

The video cuts out at where reality sets in... budgets set boundaries.

This company has 13 mil to try and develop the best VR product they possibly can. They have investors to answer to, and expenses they need to justify.

A multi-million dollar domain branding acquisition is not going to cut it at this juncture for them.

From their perspective, it's not a smart buy in any way shape or form at this stage of their company.

It will cost them more in the long run if they do decide to acquire the .com, but it's not the first time that this has happened ever; it's the typical MO for most businesses that are being presented with a six-seven figure when they try to acquire their exact match .com domain.

They may even pass the buck to another owner, with deep pockets, who wants their business AND the .com.

Even the best domainer needs to look though other perspectives to understand why a company makes decisions like this.