Company’s founders have longtime experience in the domain name industry.
D3 Global has raised a $5 million seed round as it seeks to bridge web3 domain names to the “real” web.
The company plans to apply for and acquire new top level domains during ICANN’s upcoming application window to offer secure identities that are natively supported on all browsers and devices. It says it will do this in partnership with web3 ecosystems and for the benefit of their communities.
D3 says it has patent-pending technology that will introduce interoperability between web2 and web3.
With the next round of TLDs still several years away, the company also plans to introduce “the industry’s first on-chain marketplace for legacy domains, supporting the tokenization of over 1,000 TLDs such as .COM, .NET, and .XYZ to bring greater liquidity to domain investors. This move is expected to significantly reduce the friction traditionally seen in domain name transactions, such as low transparency, high broker fees, transfer delays, and escrow services.”
The company’s founders have deep roots in the domain name industry.
CEO Fred Hsu was co-founder of Oversee.net, the company behind the once-popular DomainSponsor domain monetization platform. He started attending domain events earlier this year, and it was only a matter of time before he dipped his toe back into the business.
The company also counts Paul Stahura, co-founder of Identity Digital, as an investor and advisor. This is interesting because Stahura has come out against many of the web3 naming initiatives that create collisions with real top level domains. Clearly, he sees a way to bridge blockchain-based domains with main-root TLDs.
Shayan Rostam, CEO of new top level domain company Internet Naming Company, is the Chief Commercial Officer.
Shima Capital led the round with participation from Lightshift, Dispersion Capital, VentureSouq, Infinite Capital, MZ Web3 Fund, Kestrel0x1, Nonagon, C² Ventures, Arthur Hayes’ Maelstrom, and Stahura.
Andrew, Your d3.global link to their site does not resolve.
They don’t own d3Global.com but they can buy for $3399 (Not smart or strategic)
And why would successful well healed domainers have to raise a measly $5 million if they believed in what they had? Why would they want to split the pie and lose so much control?
Always is a red flag when folks with $$$ use other people’s $$$ for their own ideas.
My bad on the link…it’s d3.inc
Interesting…this feels like they’re trying to do what Handshake does but in the inverse; and with Ethereum? So actually, this is more akin to Unstoppable Domains but using actual domains so they’ll have utility on day one. I wonder how they’re gonna manage that, the UX seems quite awkward. Keep a wallet but also manage your domain in a traditional manner?
Tokenization of URLs, any URL/TLD is a good thing to increase the value of the digital native asset. 5 Years of URL tokenization at RealtyDAO and with over 300 premium URLs onchain, we are glad to see others using smart contracts, wallets and dapps with URLs/TLDs to try and get our industry to the next level.. Fred and his team will figure out the challenges and hopefully more crypto people start to respect the value, utility and potential of web1, centralized urls., It sure beats a jpeg picture and fake scarcity. Watch out for VentureOS, the next wave of value creation for URLs and TLDs beyond just tokenization.
Might work on paper but I will believe it when I see it actually work in real life.
Paul being part of the project doesn’t give me much faith or trust either.
How is this web3 when it’s still under ICANN? Handshake $HNS has already accomplished true decentralized DNA by being in their own root zone not under ICANN. When you own a TLD you have the highest power.
Not your keys,
Not your domain.
DNS*
This endeavor is a nod to the inevitable shift on the horizon. Associating a token that can be owned with a centralized name that can’t will do nothing more than precipitate a sea of false advertisement in the centralized domain space. Tokenization of centralized domain management rights seems….’lazy’.
The proverbial chickens are coming home to roost with regard to the impact of ongoing domain renewals, ICANN/registrar domain seizures, .com tribalism, brutal criticism of alternative naming options and the domain system favoring businesses and NOT the people. This can’t/won’t go on forever.
There are quite a few half-baked attempts to compete with the emerging blockchain naming systems; but they likely won’t succeed because centralized domains are NOT rooted (pun intended) in inclusivity and a more equitable digital experience for all. Nor is the industry a hub for bold innovation.
We’re witnessing a shift in narrative and power as it relates to digital identity. There are a few folks in the centralized space with the funds to try their hand at competing; but there’s no amount of premium domain spin-offs and DNS bridging that can be done to give the current system future viability.
-NamerTips