The .com you wanted is $40,000.
You've barely written a line of code.
Same idea. Same name. Same plan.
The only thing standing in your way is someone who registered it in 2003.
Here's what founders actually do 🧵
So founders started voting with their wallets.
66% of YC startups don't have the .com of their name up from near-zero a decade ago.
The question is what they're choosing instead.
Turns out there's one extension that isn't tied to a country, isn't a tech abbreviation, and is almost certainly still available for your exact name.
It signals one thing: this is a real company.
We laid out all three paths (with real numbers) here 👉my.inc/blog/the-com-is-taken…
What's the first thing that kills your startup name?
0%.com is unavailable
0%Trademark conflict
0%Name outlives the pivot
0%Social handles taken
0 votes • Final resultsWe ranked all four and gave founders a 12-minute sweep to catch them before they happen. Link → my.inc/blog/how-to-choose-a-…
A startup spent $1.8M on a domain. Most of its seed funding. Before it built anything.
Most founders read that and think they'd never do the same.
Most founders are wrong. 🧵
The fix is three filters:
→ Credibility: Does it sound legit in 5 seconds?
→ Availability: Can you own it? (.com, handles, trademark, app stores)
→ Scale: Will it still fit after your pivot? Every name needs to pass all three.
Full framework + scoring rubric here: my.inc/blog/how-to-choose-a-…
A founder spent 2 years on a name he never believed in.
Then he spent $250 and changed how everyone perceived his company. 🧵
Umari Ali built an AI-powered website builder on reniwn.com.
His own words: "Poor name, can't be branded or remembered."
He knew from day one. He shipped anyway. For two years.
Then he switched to WE.inc. $250.
Two letters. A dot. Three more.
Nothing about the product changed. But the way people responded to it did, starting with the first impression.
👉 Read the full story here:
my.inc/blog/https-www-my-inc…
