Domai.io, an emerging name in the AI-powered domain name suggestion industry, has recently secured a strategic investment from NameSilo, a top-12 registrar worldwide with nearly 5 million domains under management. This partnership signifies a pivotal moment in Domai.io’s journey, underscoring its potential to reshape the domain industry with innovative AI solutions.

The Genesis of Domai.io

The inception of Domai.io began with the personal frustrations of its CEO, Matt Duchesne, who struggled to find brandable domains for his projects. This challenge led to the creation of DomainsGPT, a search engine that generates brandable domain suggestions for end users and domainers alike. The success of DomainsGPT, which quickly grew to generate over 5,000 domain suggestions daily, paved the way for the birth of Domai.io. Matt wished to improve the search experience across the board, stating: “we had great AI search engines, while most registrars still operate with 20 year-old tech. So I thought, why not distribute our tech?” and Domai.io was born.

Collaborations and breakthroughs

From its early days, Domai.io focused on forming strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. Matt shared that “Domainers look for brandable domains. Most small businesses have a name in mind by the time they visit a registrar’s website. We had to make sure we could satisfy everyone, and that our API met registrars’ expectations.” The first major breakthrough came through a collaboration with DotPH, the official registry of the Philippines. This partnership allowed Domai.io to develop its first commercial API tool, leveraging DotPH’s infrastructure and Domai.io’s search engines.

While seeking opportunities to collaborate on product development, Domai.io engaged with several registrars. Many were open to integrating the tool but were unable to commit to further product development collaboration due to other commitments or lack of resources. This led Domai.io to refine its approach and focus on partners who could actively contribute to product enhancement.

The turning point came with NameSilo. Kristaps Ronka, CEO of NameSilo, recognized the potential of Domai.io’s AI technology and decided to test it on NameSilo’s platform. This partnership was marked by intense technical discussions and a rigorous development process. For several months, both teams have engaged in intense back-and-forth to find the best ways to deliver the AI suggestions. The discussions were stressful, with moments where the deal seemed at risk of falling through, shared Domai.io’s CEO. “However, our ability to critique each other’s ideas productively led many significant improvements in the product.”

Strategic Investment from NameSilo

The culmination of this partnership was NameSilo’s decision to invest in Domai.io. This investment was not initially sought by Domai.io but emerged from a shared vision of transforming the domain registrar industry through AI. The capital infusion will be directed towards enhancing Domai.io’s AI-powered services and enabling other registrars and resellers to compete with industry giants like GoDaddy’s AIRO. Domai.io did not share the details of NameSilo’s investment which are still under NDA.

Looking ahead

With the backing of NameSilo and DotPH, Domai.io is now positioned to drive the future of AI-powered domain services. The company currently generates over 1 million domain suggestions daily, which are 1 million potential businesses and investments. Domai.io aims to offer registrars a comprehensive suite of services, including a logo builder, website builder, SEO content generation, and personalized marketing. The initial data suggests a 12% improvement in domain registrations, highlighting the effectiveness of their tools. As it embarks on its next phase, Domai.io is seeking to work more closely with registries. Through its API, the company holds significant shelf space. “We have a responsibility to ensure our suggestions reflect the relevance of all TLDs and meet the requirements of the registrars we work with.” shared Domai.io’s CEO. The company’s success in leveraging AI to enhance the experience of end-users and domainers could set new standards and offer valuable insights into the future of domain services.