At ShortDot, we live by one motto

Nail it and scale it.

We're an ICANN-accredited, fully bootstrapped registry that turned five overlooked and "unwanted" domain extensions — .icu, .bond, .cyou, .cfd, and .sbs — into profitable, globally recognized digital assets. Each operates on a high-margin, recurring-revenue model, generating predictable growth year after year.

Our registrar network powers 99% of the world's online infrastructure, spanning 400+ partners including GoDaddy, Alibaba, Namecheap, and IONOS. Together, we connect millions of creators, startups, and businesses to their digital identities.

We proved our model with .icu. Acquired in 2018 with zero registrations and built into one of the world's fastest-growing new domain extensions, now a recurring-revenue engine distributed across global registrars.

What we achieved with .icu has been repeated 4 times with .cyou, .bond, .cfd, and .sbs, and can now be replicated 100× as ICANN reopens its gates, only for the third time in internet history.

This is not a concept. It's ready infrastructure.

The next ICANN round represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the foundation of the next internet, just as the era of AI, blockchain, and digital identity reshapes global demand for namespaces.

Explore the Investment Opportunity Visit ShortDot
.icu .bond .cyou .cfd .sbs

Why This Moment Matters

For more than a decade, access to new TLDs has been closed. The last ICANN application round took place in 2012. Since then:

  • • Global domain registrations have grown to more than 370 million.
  • • New TLDs account for a significant share of net new growth.
  • • Country code domains such as .ai and .io have been repurposed and priced up, with many of the best names already taken.

The upcoming ICANN round, expected in 2026, is not a routine event. It is a controlled, time-bound, policy-driven window. Many experts do not expect another opening for many years after this one. For long-term investors, this round represents a finite supply of new internet real estate with infrastructure-level economics.

The Internet's New York vs Dubai Moment

Manhattan (.com)

Think of legacy namespaces like .com as Manhattan. The location is iconic, but prime space is scarce, fragmented, and expensive. Getting a short, relevant name often means buying from speculators or paying a premium that only large incumbents can justify.

Dubai (New TLDs)

Now, think of Dubai fifteen years ago. Massive room to build. Infrastructure on the rise. Vision, planning, and early capital turned underdeveloped land into one of the most valuable skylines in the world.

The next ICANN round is "Dubai" at the moment, before the skyline. Carefully designed new TLDs are the master planned districts of the future internet. Early institutional capital gets access at creation, not at resale.

What Is Driving Demand

The next wave of namespaces is not a branding vanity project. It is the infrastructure for how new digital actors exist and transact.

AI

Autonomous agents, AI products, and AI-led services need clear, trusted identities. As AI multiplies businesses and products, it multiplies demand for distinct namespaces.

Web3 & Crypto

On-chain ownership, wallets, and decentralised systems still anchor to DNS for discovery and trust. Names that signal purpose, security, and innovation become high conviction assets.

Vertical Economies

Finance, sustainability, data, climate, creator economies, regional innovation hubs. Each can be served by curated, relevant TLDs with strong policies and clear stories.

When AI is treated as a new digital species that builds and operates businesses at scale, domains become the passports, street names, and landmarks of that species. The supply of quality namespaces cannot grow freely. That constraint is the core of this investment case.

Why ShortDot Is the Right Operator

ShortDot is not testing a theory. ShortDot is executing a proven model.

  • ✓ Founded in 2017 and fully bootstrapped.
  • ✓ Operates and manages multiple successful TLDs, including .icu, .cyou, .cfd, .sbs, .bond, .buzz, and .qpon.
  • ✓ Among the leading new TLD registry operators globally by volume and performance.
  • ✓ Contracts with more than 400 registrars worldwide, including GoDaddy, Alibaba, GMO, IONOS, Namecheap, NameSilo, and others.
  • ✓ Lean cost base, high margin, recurring revenue structure with positive EBITDA and compounding renewal income year after year.

Case Study

ShortDot acquired .icu when it had no traction and no registrations. Through disciplined positioning, registrar distribution, and marketing, .icu became a global extension with strong recurring revenue. The same playbook scales across multiple namespaces and can be applied to new TLDs at the portfolio level.

ShortDot did not inherit privileged strings. ShortDot created value where others saw none.

The Strategy

ShortDot represents a dedicated investment structure designed to participate in the 2026 ICANN program and related opportunities.

Key Principles:

1

Portfolio-based approach

Target a diversified set of high conviction TLDs across core themes such as AI, security, finance, sustainability, and culture.

2

Built on proven rails

Use ShortDot's infrastructure, registry expertise, compliance readiness, and registrar relationships to shorten time to market and scale.

3

Distribution from day one

Launch new TLDs directly through hundreds of integrated registrars that already serve millions of active customers.

4

Real infrastructure economics

Low unit costs, predictable renewals, high gross margins, strong cash flow visibility, and strategic exit potential.

High-level illustration:

1

Capital deployed into application fees

2

New TLDs launch through partners

3

Generate registrations and premiums

4

Renewal revenue compounds annually

Detailed terms, structures, and projections are available to qualified investors upon request.

Why Act Now

This opportunity has three defining traits.

S

Scarcity

ICANN tightly controls the creation of new top-level domains. When the window closes, no similar paths exist until the next global policy cycle. The last full round was more than a decade ago.

T

Timing

The previous round launched long before AI, Web3, and modern digital identity became relevant. The 2026 round aligns directly with these structural shifts, much as .ai and .io captured outsized value as technology narratives matured.

P

Proof

The market has already validated that well-positioned namespaces become significant assets. Registry portfolios have sold at strong multiples. Repurposed country code TLDs have become billion-dollar brands.

The next round will not be about guessing. It will be about applying a proven model at a larger, more strategic scale.

Who We Are

ShortDot

  • • ICANN-accredited registry operator based in Luxembourg.
  • • Among the leading new TLD operators by domain volume and distribution.
  • • Experienced leadership team with decades of domain, infrastructure, and policy expertise.
  • • Trusted by global registrars and partners for compliant, reliable, and growth-focused operations.

Nextround.bond

  • • A focused initiative to channel institutional capital into the next generation of namespaces.
  • • Managed by ShortDot's team and systems.
  • • Structured to align investor interests with long-term asset creation and disciplined deployment.

Speak With Our Team

To receive the detailed investment memorandum, financial model, and timeline for the ICANN 2026 application program, share your details below. Our team will contact you with confidential information and schedule a conversation.