ICANN

What ICANN does

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a California-incorporated nonprofit public benefit corporation founded in 1998, headquartered in Los Angeles with approximately 450 employees across 9 global offices. It is the sole global coordinator of the Internet's unique identifier systems, operating a multistakeholder governance model through Supporting Organizations (ASO, ccNSO, GNSO) and Advisory Committees (At-Large, GAC, RSSAC, SSAC). ICANN coordinates the Domain Name System (DNS), manages DNSSEC root Key Signing Key operations, and operates the New gTLD Program that delegates generic top-level domains such as .google, .microsoft, and .brand.

The organization's core technical capabilities include root zone management, cryptographic key signing for DNSSEC, Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) label generation rules across 27 scripts, and registry/registrar accreditation. Its product surface spans the New gTLD Program ($227,000 per application, $54,000 for the Applicant Support Program), the Registration Data Request Service for law enforcement, ICANN Learn (free online education), and the Universal Acceptance Curriculum. ICANN's two wholly-owned subsidiaries are Public Interest Registry (regulating .org) and Public Technical Identifiers (operating IANA functions).

ICANN is funded through an annual operating budget of approximately $150 million, sourced primarily from fees paid by contracted party registries and registrars. It does not have traditional equity ownership, venture backing, or public listing; its leadership is governed by a community-selected Board of Directors, currently chaired by Tripti Sinha, with Kurtis Lindqvist serving as President and CEO.

Name

ICANN

Legal name

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

Website

https://icann.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ICANN is the California-based nonprofit, founded in 1998, that serves as the sole global coordinator of the Internet's unique identifier systems (DNS, DNSSEC, gTLDs), serving registries, registrars, governments, and civil society across 9 regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Governance Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP Management (DDI) (HDAFAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

DNS Security & Protective DNS (HDADABAF), Email Authentication & Domain Protection (DMARC/SPF/DKIM) (HDADAKAC)

Keywords

• Domain name system
• Internet governance
• DNSSEC security
• Registry accreditation
• Top-level domains

Headquarters

HQ city

Playa Vista

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Registry and Registrar Accreditation Fees: ICANN derives revenue from fees paid by gTLD registry operators and ICANN-accredited registrars for accreditation and operations. The organization also charges gTLD evaluation fees of $227,000 per application for the New gTLD Program 2026 Round.
2. Operational Budget: ICANN operates with an annual operating budget of approximately $150 million, funded primarily through fees from contracted parties (registries and registrars) and domain name system management activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ICANN coordinates the Internet's unique identifier systems globally, including the Domain Name System (DNS), IP addresses, and autonomous system numbers. It operates the New gTLD Program allowing organizations to apply for custom top-level domains (.brand, .city, .industry), manages DNSSEC root zone cryptographic key signing operations, accredits domain name registries and registrars, and provides the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) for law enforcement access to nonpublic registration data.

Product overview

ICANN is a nonprofit organization that coordinates the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS), ensuring stable, secure, and unified global Internet operations. Rather than a traditional SaaS product company, ICANN provides core internet infrastructure services including: the New gTLD Program for expanding top-level domains; DNSSEC for DNS security; Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) for multilingual internet access; and the Registration Data Request Service. Supporting products include ICANN Learn for education, Public Meetings for stakeholder engagement, and the Universal Acceptance Curriculum for academic integration of IDN technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Universal Acceptance Curriculum: Educational program enabling academic institutions to integrate Internationalized Domain Names and Email Address Internationalization into degree programs
• New gTLD Program
• DNSSEC
• ICANN Learn

Products and services

• New gTLD Program The flagship program enabling organizations to apply for and operate new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) such as .brand, .city, or .industry. The 2026 Round marks the first expansion since 2012 and expands Internationalized Domain Name support to 27 scripts.
• Registry and Registrar Accreditation ICANN accredits domain name registries and registrars who are authorized to operate gTLDs and sell domain names to end customers. The accreditation program ensures compliance with technical, operational, and contractual standards. ICANN derives revenue from accreditation fees paid by these contracted parties.
• DNSSEC Root Zone Key Signing Key (KSK) Management ICANN coordinates the execution of DNSSEC root Key Signing Key (KSK) rollovers for the DNS root zone as part of routine cryptographic maintenance, providing global DNS security authentication that protects against cache poisoning, spoofing, and DNS hijacking attacks.
• Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) A service enabling requestors to request access to nonpublic generic top-level domain registration data. ICANN is developing authentication mechanisms for law enforcement with proof-of-concept collaboration involving Interpol and FBI.
• Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) Program Domain names that include characters used in local representations of languages not written with the basic Latin alphabet (a-z), including diacritical marks, Arabic, Chinese, Devanagari, and other non-Latin scripts. ICANN coordinates IDN policies and label generation rules, supporting 27 scripts representing hundreds of languages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,200 new gTLDs successfully delegated to the root zone from the 2012 application round
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026UNESCO and ICANN collaborated to contribute to EuroDIG 2026 discussions on digital inclusion, Universal Acceptance of domain names and email addresses, and AI capacity building. The organizations launched a joint UNESCO-ICANN policy brief on advancing multilingual internet access. UNESCO also contributed to WSIS+20 Resolution discussions with ICANN participating in the review process.
• CSC (Corporate Services Company)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 April 2026CSC announced a new program supporting enterprises in applying for .BRAND top-level domains during ICANN's application window from April 30 to August 12, 2026. The company manages over one-third of all .BRAND domains globally and offers services to help organizations gain exclusive control over their domain infrastructure and mitigate AI-driven threats.
• National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2026ICANN85 Community Forum was held in Mumbai from March 7-12, 2026, hosted in collaboration with India's National Internet Exchange of India under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The forum brought together global internet stakeholders to discuss DNS evolution, cybersecurity practices, and expansion of generic top-level domains.
• Association of African UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026ICANN is working with the Association of African Universities to expand the Universal Acceptance Curriculum program to universities across Africa. Three initial institutions (American University of Bahrain, Universidad Modelo in Mexico, and Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology in India) have signed agreements to offer the 12-module curriculum.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/icann
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ICANNnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/icannorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icann
• Instagraminstagram.com/icannorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments20 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICANN