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Audience

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uuid000lt5k

Namestring
Audience
Legal namestring
Hilco Digital Assets
Websiteurl
audience.com
Company typeenum
Private
Founded yearint
2000
Descriptiontext

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name currently listed for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets (HDA), a specialized business unit of Hilco Global, a diversified financial services company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. HDA acts as advisor and agent for ultra-premium .com domain transactions and has advised on over $500M in cumulative domain deals, including marquee assets such as Rocket.com, Chat.com, Home.com, Gold.com, and Universal.com, led by principal Andrew Miller. The Audience.com domain is positioned as an ultra-premium, category-defining digital asset, with comparable transactions in the public market (Tesla.com at $11M, Rocket.com at $14M+, Chat.com at $15M+) establishing the asset-class price band.

The business model is transaction-fee based: HDA earns advisory fees from facilitating high-value .com domain acquisitions and sales between enterprise buyers, VC/PE portfolio companies, and domain investors, and holds a portfolio of premium domains as appreciating inventory. Go-to-market is a direct enterprise field-sales motion targeting Fortune 100 companies, VC/PE firms, domain investors, and emerging growth companies, supplemented by channel partners (notably GoDaddy) and a co-built public marketplace on Atom.com (the Ultra-Premium tier). Marketing is content-led via the weekly 'Thoughts' publication, the HDTV YouTube channel, LinkedIn presence, and annual NamesCon participation. The firmographic record referencing a historical 'Audience Inc.' audio-processing semiconductor company (NASDAQ:ADNC, Mountain View, founded 2000) appears to reflect a predecessor entity; the Audience.com domain has since transitioned into HDA's digital-asset inventory.

Short descriptiontext

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name asset listed for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets, a Hilco Global unit specializing in ultra-premium domain transactions with $500M+ advised volume.

Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
11–50
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersMountain View, United States
HQ citystring
Mountain View
HQ countrystring
United States
HQ regionstring
North America
Markets served

Serves global market

Offices1 record

Each record includes

City, Country, Type, Description, Source

Keyword5 values
premium domain brokerage, digital asset advisory, ultra-premium domains, domain transaction services, category-defining dotcom
Industry1 code
1Online/Virtual Real Estate Auctions (Marketplace Platforms)
CodeBPAJAEAJPrimaryYes
SIC code2 codes
  • Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others)6531
  • Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account)6532
Product category
Domain Name Brokerage and Digital Asset Advisory
GTM motion2 records

Each record includes

Type, Description, Source

Revenue model2 records
1Domain Name Acquisition/Transaction Fees
TypeTransaction Fee
Description

Revenue generated from facilitating the acquisition and sale of ultra-premium .com domain names. Transactions are high-value with reported deals ranging from $10M to $15M+. HDA acts as advisor and agent for domain name asset transactions.

hilcodigital.com
2Domain Name Investment Portfolio
TypeLicensing Royalties
Description

HDA invests in and holds premium domain names as appreciating digital assets that can be sold to appropriate buyers.

hilcodigital.com
Marketing channels4 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Stage, Description, Source

Distribution channels3 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Scope, Target buyer, Description, Source

Cost components4 values
Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Pricing details1 tier
1Premium single-word dictionary .com domains
ModelOtherBilling cadenceOne time/ perpetual license
Notes

Pricing not publicly disclosed. High-value transactions typically run into millions of dollars per domain based on reported industry deals (e.g., Chat.com over $15M, Rocket.com at least $14M, Tesla.com $11M).

hilcodigital.com
GTM typeB2B
B2B
Offering typeServices
Services
Core offering1 text field

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name asset offered for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets (HDA), a unit of Hilco Global. HDA acts as advisor, agent, and capital solutions partner for ultra-premium .com domain transactions, with the Audience.com listing representing one of its category-defining, exact-match digital assets aimed at Fortune 100 buyers, VC/PE-backed growth companies, and domain investors.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Quantifiable outcome1 of 3 values shown
  • Public.com: ROI on OOH advertising, paid and organic search, and social media advertising exponentially improved when pivoting from HelloPublic to Public.com. Works 2x-3x better for digital ads/cvr, but for non-digital (OOH etc), more like 50x-100x better.
+2 more records
Product overview1 text field

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name being offered for acquisition by Hilco Digital Assets. It is listed among Hilco Digital Assets' portfolio of category-defining and exact-match premium domain names available for sale or acquisition.

Product and service1 record
1Audience.com
CategoryDomain Name Asset
Description

Premium one-word .com domain name asset listed by Hilco Digital Assets as available for acquisition. Positioned as an ultra-premium, category-defining digital asset intended for enterprise buyers, venture capital and private equity firms, growth companies, and domain investors seeking instant brand recognition and high marketing ROI.

Scale indicator3 records

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Partnership1 partner
Strategic tierCoreTypeStrategic or Co-development Partner
Description

Hilco Digital Assets is the lead outside investor in Atom.com, the world's largest platform for company naming and branding. HDA worked with Atom.com to develop the Atom.com Ultra-Premium marketplace, the leading public-facing marketplace for high-value category-defining .com domain names.

Recent move1 record

Each record includes

Date, Type, Title, Description, Source

Expansion highlight5 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Peers10 records
TypeDirect peer
Description

MediaOptions is a boutique domain name brokerage that represents buyers and sellers of premium domains, directly comparable to HDA's advisory/agent role on high-value transactions.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Dan.com is a premium-focused domain marketplace offering installment-based purchases and brokerage support, directly competing for the same ultra-premium .com buyers and sellers HDA serves.

TypeEmerging player
Description

Squadhelp is a naming marketplace combining crowdsourced names with premium domain listings, adjacent to HDA's premium positioning with broader SMB naming focus.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Sedo operates one of the world's largest domain name marketplaces and brokerage services, directly comparable to HDA's premium domain advisory and marketplace role across price tiers.

TypeOthers
Description

NamePros is the largest domain-industry community and forum that surfaces marketplace listings and deal flow, functioning as ecosystem infrastructure rather than a direct brokerage competitor.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Undeveloped runs a curated marketplace for high-quality brandable and one-word .com domains, with a comparable premium positioning and buyer-broker workflow to HDA's Ultra-Premium marketplace.

TypeEmerging player
Description

Atom.com is a naming and branding marketplace in which HDA is the lead outside investor; it overlaps with HDA on premium domain discovery and serves as a complementary platform rather than a direct competitor.

TypeBroad incumbent
Description

GoDaddy is the dominant domain registrar and runs a large aftermarket (Afternic) plus partnership integrations with HDA, competing broadly across registration, brokerage, and premium listing services.

TypeOthers
Description

IPv4.Global is a sister Hilco Global marketplace for IPv4 address transfers (close to $2B in cumulative sales), providing a comparable digital-asset marketplace model rather than a direct competitor.

TypeEmerging player
Description

BrandBucket is a curated marketplace for brandable domain names and brand identities, intersecting with HDA at the premium end while focusing on more creative, non-dictionary inventory.

Market position
Strengths5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Weaknesses5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat4 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Key risks6 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Key highlights6 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Named customers11 records

Each record includes

Name, Industry, Type, Use case, Source, UUID

Segment4 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Primary, Description, Pain point addressed, Use case, Source

Ideal customer profile4 records

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
No
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles1 record

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
No data
Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds3 records

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors4 records

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

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

M&A1 record

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

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

Audience

Domain Name Brokerage and Digital Asset Advisoryaudience.com

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name asset listed for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets, a Hilco Global unit specializing in ultra-premium domain transactions with $500M+ advised volume.

What Audience does

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name currently listed for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets (HDA), a specialized business unit of Hilco Global, a diversified financial services company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. HDA acts as advisor and agent for ultra-premium .com domain transactions and has advised on over $500M in cumulative domain deals, including marquee assets such as Rocket.com, Chat.com, Home.com, Gold.com, and Universal.com, led by principal Andrew Miller. The Audience.com domain is positioned as an ultra-premium, category-defining digital asset, with comparable transactions in the public market (Tesla.com at $11M, Rocket.com at $14M+, Chat.com at $15M+) establishing the asset-class price band.

The business model is transaction-fee based: HDA earns advisory fees from facilitating high-value .com domain acquisitions and sales between enterprise buyers, VC/PE portfolio companies, and domain investors, and holds a portfolio of premium domains as appreciating inventory. Go-to-market is a direct enterprise field-sales motion targeting Fortune 100 companies, VC/PE firms, domain investors, and emerging growth companies, supplemented by channel partners (notably GoDaddy) and a co-built public marketplace on Atom.com (the Ultra-Premium tier). Marketing is content-led via the weekly 'Thoughts' publication, the HDTV YouTube channel, LinkedIn presence, and annual NamesCon participation. The firmographic record referencing a historical 'Audience Inc.' audio-processing semiconductor company (NASDAQ:ADNC, Mountain View, founded 2000) appears to reflect a predecessor entity; the Audience.com domain has since transitioned into HDA's digital-asset inventory.

Audience firmographics

Firmographics
Name
Audience
Legal name
Hilco Digital Assets
Website
https://audience.com
Company type
Private
Founded year
2000
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
11–50 employees
Short description
Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name asset listed for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets, a Hilco Global unit specializing in ultra-premium domain transactions with $500M+ advised volume.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Audience industry classification

Industry
Product category
Domain Name Brokerage and Digital Asset Advisory
SIC
Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)
akta.pro primary industry
Online/Virtual Real Estate Auctions (Marketplace Platforms) (BPAJAEAJ)

Keywords

  • Premium domain brokerage
  • Digital asset advisory
  • Ultra-premium domains
  • Domain transaction services
  • Category-defining dotcom

Where Audience is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
Mountain View
HQ country
United States
HQ region
North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Audience business model

Business model
GTM type
B2B
Offering type
Services
Cost components
Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

  1. Domain Name Acquisition/Transaction Fees: Revenue generated from facilitating the acquisition and sale of ultra-premium .com domain names. Transactions are high-value with reported deals ranging from $10M to $15M+. HDA acts as advisor and agent for domain name asset transactions.
  2. Domain Name Investment Portfolio: HDA invests in and holds premium domain names as appreciating digital assets that can be sold to appropriate buyers.

Pricing tiers

ModelBillingPrice
OtherOne time/ perpetual licensePremium single-word dictionary .com domains

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Audience product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name asset offered for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets (HDA), a unit of Hilco Global. HDA acts as advisor, agent, and capital solutions partner for ultra-premium .com domain transactions, with the Audience.com listing representing one of its category-defining, exact-match digital assets aimed at Fortune 100 buyers, VC/PE-backed growth companies, and domain investors.

Product overview

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name being offered for acquisition by Hilco Digital Assets. It is listed among Hilco Digital Assets' portfolio of category-defining and exact-match premium domain names available for sale or acquisition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

  • Audience.com Premium one-word .com domain name asset listed by Hilco Digital Assets as available for acquisition. Positioned as an ultra-premium, category-defining digital asset intended for enterprise buyers, venture capital and private equity firms, growth companies, and domain investors seeking instant brand recognition and high marketing ROI.

Quantifiable outcome

  • Public.com: ROI on OOH advertising, paid and organic search, and social media advertising exponentially improved when pivoting from HelloPublic to Public.com. Works 2x-3x better for digital ads/cvr, but for non-digital (OOH etc), more like 50x-100x better.
  • +2 more outcomes

Companies that use Audience

Customer profile

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Audience technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Audience partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

  • Atom.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHilco Digital Assets is the lead outside investor in Atom.com, the world's largest platform for company naming and branding. HDA worked with Atom.com to develop the Atom.com Ultra-Premium marketplace, the leading public-facing marketplace for high-value category-defining .com domain names.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Audience competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

  • MediaOptions: MediaOptions is a boutique domain name brokerage that represents buyers and sellers of premium domains, directly comparable to HDA's advisory/agent role on high-value transactions.
  • Dan.com: Dan.com is a premium-focused domain marketplace offering installment-based purchases and brokerage support, directly competing for the same ultra-premium .com buyers and sellers HDA serves.
  • Sedo: Sedo operates one of the world's largest domain name marketplaces and brokerage services, directly comparable to HDA's premium domain advisory and marketplace role across price tiers.
  • Undeveloped: Undeveloped runs a curated marketplace for high-quality brandable and one-word .com domains, with a comparable premium positioning and buyer-broker workflow to HDA's Ultra-Premium marketplace.

Emerging players

  • Squadhelp: Squadhelp is a naming marketplace combining crowdsourced names with premium domain listings, adjacent to HDA's premium positioning with broader SMB naming focus.
  • Atom.com: Atom.com is a naming and branding marketplace in which HDA is the lead outside investor; it overlaps with HDA on premium domain discovery and serves as a complementary platform rather than a direct competitor.
  • BrandBucket: BrandBucket is a curated marketplace for brandable domain names and brand identities, intersecting with HDA at the premium end while focusing on more creative, non-dictionary inventory.

Others

  • NamePros: NamePros is the largest domain-industry community and forum that surfaces marketplace listings and deal flow, functioning as ecosystem infrastructure rather than a direct brokerage competitor.
  • IPv4.Global: IPv4.Global is a sister Hilco Global marketplace for IPv4 address transfers (close to $2B in cumulative sales), providing a comparable digital-asset marketplace model rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

  • GoDaddy: GoDaddy is the dominant domain registrar and runs a large aftermarket (Afternic) plus partnership integrations with HDA, competing broadly across registration, brokerage, and premium listing services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Audience social profiles

Digital presence

Audience financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Audience leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Audience funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

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

Audience M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Audience

What does Audience do?

Audience.com is a premium one-word .com domain name asset offered for acquisition through Hilco Digital Assets (HDA), a unit of Hilco Global. HDA acts as advisor, agent, and capital solutions partner for ultra-premium .com domain transactions, with the Audience.com listing representing one of its category-defining, exact-match digital assets aimed at Fortune 100 buyers, VC/PE-backed growth companies, and domain investors.

Is Audience a public or private company?

Audience is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Audience founded?

Audience was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Audience based?

Audience is headquartered in Mountain View, United States, in the North America region.

How does Audience make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Domain Name Acquisition/Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are domain Name Investment Portfolio.

Who are Audience's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are MediaOptions, Dan.com, Sedo and Undeveloped. Emerging players are Squadhelp, Atom.com and BrandBucket. Others are NamePros and IPv4.Global. GoDaddy is listed as a broad incumbent.

Does Audience have an API?

No public API is recorded for Audience.

What industry is Audience in?

Audience's product category is Domain Name Brokerage and Digital Asset Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAEAJ, Online/Virtual Real Estate Auctions (Marketplace Platforms). Its SIC code is 6531.

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Live signals
LinkedInBill Hoppin - FemtosenseLloyd Watts, Founder and CTO of Audience, Inc., provides a testimonial for Bill Hoppin, highlighting his critical role in the company's early development. The text details Hoppin's contributions to business development, product definition, and securing strategic relationships with carriers like AT&T through standardization efforts at the ITU.PR NewswireRobbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Announces Proposed Settlement of Audience, Inc. Securities LitigationA hearing is scheduled for April 29, 2016 to determine whether to approve a $6.05 million settlement in a securities class action lawsuit against Audience, Inc. and certain of its executives. The lawsuit alleged that the company made material misstatements and omissions in its May 9, 2012 IPO registration statement regarding its relationship with Apple Inc., its principal customer, and the risk that its technology would not be included in the then upcoming iPhone5. Class members who purchased Audience common stock traceable to the IPO have until March 30, 2016 to submit a Proof of Claim or request exclusion from the settlement.Business InsiderA Scottish man was just busted for an alleged stock scam involving fake Twitter accountsThe SEC filed a complaint against James Alan Craig, a Scottish man, for using fake Twitter accounts to mimic securities research firms and manipulate stock prices. In 2013, his tweets about Sarepta Therapeutics and Audience caused a 16% drop and trading halt, respectively. The SEC said his claim that it would be hard to catch him was false.GlobeNewswireAudience Appoints Edgar Auslander as Vice President of Product Management and MarketingAudience, Inc. appointed Edgar Auslander as vice president of product management and marketing. He will oversee all marketing functions, including product management and communications. The company plans to broaden its portfolio into multisensory products and adjacent markets.GlobeNewswireAudience Announces Participation in Upcoming ConferencesAudience, Inc. announced that CEO Peter Santos and CFO Kevin Palatnik will present at the 15th Annual Pacific Crest Global Technology Leadership Forum on August 13, 2013, and participate in the Morgan Stanley Semiconductor Corporate Access Day on August 21, 2013. A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the company's website.South China Morning PostAudience joins list of hurting Samsung suppliersSamsung Electronics supplier Audience was warned it faces a loss in the current quarter, according to a Reuters report published on 2 August 2013. The warning comes as sales of the upmarket Galaxy S4 smartphone fell short of expectations, joining a growing list of component makers suffering. No financial figures were disclosed.GlobeNewswireAudience to Host Third Quarter 2012 Earnings Conference Call on October 25, 2012Audience, Inc. scheduled a conference call for October 25, 2012, at 1:30pm PT to discuss its third quarter 2012 financial results. The call will feature CEO Peter Santos and CFO Kevin Palatnik, with financial results released over the wire after market close.GlobeNewswireAudience Appoints Craig Factor as Vice President, General Counsel and SecretaryAudience, Inc. appointed Craig Factor as vice president, general counsel and secretary, effective immediately. Factor previously served as general counsel at Nanosolar, Innovative Silicon, and other companies. The appointment aims to support Audience's expansion into new products and markets.GlobeNewswireAudience to Present at Deutsche Bank 2012 Technology Conference on September 12Audience, Inc. announced that CEO Peter Santos and CFO Kevin Palatnik will present at the Deutsche Bank 2012 Technology Conference on September 12 in Las Vegas. A live webcast will be available on the company's website, with an archive until September 26.GlobeNewswireAudience to Host Second Quarter 2012 Earnings Conference Call on July 26, 2012Audience, Inc. scheduled a conference call for July 26, 2012, to announce its second-quarter 2012 financial results. The call will be led by CEO Peter Santos and CFO Kevin Palatnik, with results released over the wire after market close. An audio replay and webcast archive will be available.