The well-known private equity firm Abry Partners is acquiring the leading domain name registry Donuts for an undisclosed amount.
Founded in 2010, Donuts provides a broad variety of clear and meaningful top-level domains (TLDs) for business uses (.ltd, .company), navigation (.careers, .support), vertical markets (.cafe, .photography, .builders), broad-based generics (.social, .world, .live), and more.
“We are delighted to partner with Abry. Over the last thirty years, the firm has built a stellar track record as one of the premier media, communications, business and information services-focused private equity investment firms in North America,” said Bruce Jaffe, Donuts president and chief executive officer.
“We believe their confidence in Donuts underscores the power and magnitude of our opportunity. Moreover, their insights and expertise in our sector will be of enormous benefit to Donuts as we move forward.”
Donuts currently holds the largest portfolio of TLDs in the world. It was positioned 14th in the list of The Wall Street Journal’s Top 50 startups in 2012. Building on its innovation, the company was ranked 1st in the list of Deloitte Fast 500 North America in 2017.
In July 2017, Donuts acquired Rightside registry firm to expand its portfolio with 40 new TLDs. A few months back, it launched a new short link platform called BL.INK, to help users replace clunky URLs with meaningful short links. The acquisition by Abry Partners marks another milestone in the journey of Donuts.
“Individuals and businesses manage their digital identities in an increasingly complex world of proliferating devices, platforms and access points,” said Erik Brooks, Managing Partner, Abry Partners.
“Donuts is ideally positioned with the world’s largest portfolio of new TLDs, a proven team with deep experience in scaling successful technology companies, and a track record of innovation in their industry. We are excited to partner with Donuts and support their next phase of growth and success.”
Also read: Donuts launches BL.INK platform to replace clunky URLs with meaningful short links
As a part of the acquisition, Abry will invest majority stake in Donuts. The deal will help Donuts accelerate the growth and innovation.
And how is this going to affect existing domains, that is the question.