Tucows gets into the registry business with the acquisition of Frank Schilling’s technical registry and 10 employees.
Tucows (NASDAQ: TCX) announced today that it is acquiring Frank Schilling’s UNR technical registry business and 10 of its employees.
Earlier this year, UNR auctioned its 23 top level domain names for more than $40 million. None of the top level domains have transferred to their new owners yet, but UNR Chief Growth Operator Shayan Rostam told Domain Name Wire this week that the assignments are under ICANN review.
Some buyers in that auction will likely continue to use the UNR backend, which Tucows is acquiring. This will give Tucows a toe into becoming a vertically integrated domain name company. Tucows owns reseller registrar platforms including Enom and OpenSRS, as well as retail domain outlet Hover.
Tucows did not disclose the deal’s financial terms and told Domain Name Wire that it is immaterial. At a minimum, I assume it will discuss the terms in its Q3 earnings release later this year.
It’s very exciting news for all Tucows’ resellers and investors, which I am one of. Congratulations to Frank Schilling and David Woroch. UNR is a piece of the puzzle that will continue to put Tucows on the top.
Amazing series of big money deals for Frank since Covid hit. Nice