Epik buys drop catching search and registration tool.
Rob Monster’s Epik has acquired JustDropped, an expired domain search and drop catching service.
Last week at the SedoPro event in Key West Monster and JustDropped owner Dan Rubin were glued at the hip. I chatted with both of them about the future of Epik, but assumed the reason they were so tight was that Monster was using JustDropped for catching domains for his Epik network. Apparently it was a little bit closer than that.
Currently JustDropped is an information service with separate drop catching software. But Monster told me this afternoon that the site will add functionality to let individuals make backorders directly through the service.
This is the second technology acquisition Epik has announced in the past couple months. In August it acquired the DNKO auction platform.
Epik is quickly assembling key pieces to the domain ecosystem. Of course, the trick is pulling them altogether.
By the way, Rob, if you’re looking to acquire a blog… 🙂
Jamie says
I thought it sounded more like a partnership then a purchase? “Dan and I are both enthusiastic about this partnership” .
Andrew Allemann says
Jamie – hmm. Reading his post again it’s not clear that it’s an acquisition. I just emailed him to find out.
Jamie says
I will help you out 😉 It’s a partnership.
Andrew Allemann says
I just got off the phone with Rob. He confirmed that it is an acquisition. They are not disclosing the terms of the purchase.
Jamie says
Thanks for clearing that up Andrew. The blog post doesn’t clearly say either and it sounded more like a partnership.
Rob Monster says
It started out as a partnership but ultimately it made more sense to put the companies together. Dan will remain President of JustDropped which remains a separate operating unit for reporting purposes. Dan will also become Director of Domain acquisition for Epik, a role that suits him well. We are working on partnerships with a number of other drop-catch partners to provide JustDropped customers with a one-stop-shop for getting the names they want.
As for the deal itself, it is comprised of cash and equity. Because it is a transaction between two private companies, we opted to not announce the exact structure of the deal. Why? There is no reason to create a value-setting event for a private and closely held company. It is a good outcome for both Dan and Epik, and the integration is proceeding well. JustDropped customers can look forward to some innovation in terms of getting abandoned names.
Chris Gomez says
It is my understanding the deal never came to fruition. In speaking with Dan, he stated Justdropped.com was not acquired my Epik. You may want to review this further.