Latest news of the domain name industry

Recent Posts

Domains “worth $3 million” put up for first industry hackathon

Kevin Murphy, April 12, 2016, 14:04:01 (UTC), Domain Services

The domain name industry is about to get a new type of conference.
Domain broker Ryan Colby of Outcome Brokerage is to host what is believed to be the first domain “hackathon”, and says he already has domains he estimates as being worth $3 million submitted for the event.
Codemology, as the conference will be called, will be held over two days in Charlotte, North Carolina, in October.
The idea is to bring the owners of premium domain names together with angel investors and young, skilled developers, with the hope that some workable business ideas might emerge.
“We are trying to utilize the ‘excess capacity’ of premium domains in the marketplace, which are just sitting there doing nothing, oozing with potential, waiting for the next killer idea,” Colby told DI today.
Over the weekend of the event, the goal will be to create a bunch of “minimal viable products” for each selected domain that could be developed further.
It’s a free event, but attendees need to go through an application process before being given tickets. Colby said he’s marketing the event at university students and those who regularly attend hackathons.
The list of domains that will be used has not been finalized yet, but Colby’s clients have already submitted at least four pretty terrific one-word dictionary .coms.
Domains in new gTLDs will also make an appearance.
“If you’re a domain owner, why not submit it to the kid from MIT who might have a winning idea? There’s no risk, and huge upside if something comes about,” Colby said.
The developers keep the IP rights to whatever they code during the event, he said.
“It’s up to the domain owner to choose to collaborate, buy their IP or walk away,” he said.
Colby said he’s working on an app that will allow people to vote on domains that have been submitted, with the most popular ones being used at Codemology.
He said he’s hopeful of running similar events in other cities after the Charlotte conference.

Tagged: , , ,

Add Your Comment