Het Fundament

What Het Fundament does

Het Fundament operates Nameshift.com, a domain-name escrow and transfer platform registered in the Netherlands (KVK: 88910652, BTW: NL864820458B01). The product mediates between domain buyers and sellers: payment is held in escrow by Nameshift while the domain is transferred to the buyer's registrar account, with a full refund promised if the transfer fails. The platform is positioned as a lean, self-service alternative to larger incumbents such as Sedo, Afternic, Escrow.com, and Dan.com, advertising an average 24-hour transfer window. The company is based in Rijswijk (also referencing Hilversum) with 6 employees and no mobile app or programmatic API.

The revenue model is asymmetric: the service is free for buyers, while sellers pay a commission on completed transactions. Nameshift targets individual domain investors, SMBs buying or selling premium domains, and registry/registrar-adjacent counterparties globally, evidenced by 13+ localized country/language landing pages spanning Europe and Latin America (Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, UK, Sweden, Portugal, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, plus an English/global entry point). The 'Nameshift for sellers' page indicates a separate onboarding flow for the seller side of the marketplace.

Strategically, the input shows no external funding, no acquisitions, no partnerships, no disclosed management team, and no AI/automation capabilities. The competitive position rests on a low-friction, buyer-free pricing structure and a faster claimed transfer cycle rather than on proprietary technology, network effects, or data advantages. This makes the business effectively a single-product marketplace entrant in a mature, well-capitalized segment.

Name

Het Fundament

Legal name

Nameshift.com

Website

https://hetfundament.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nameshift.com, operated by Het Fundament (Netherlands), is a domain escrow and transfer platform that mediates buyer-seller transactions with an average 24-hour transfer time, charges commissions only to sellers, and serves individual domain buyers and SMBs globally via 13+ localized country pages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domain Brokerage

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

akta.pro primary industry

Escrow, Trust & Legal Settlement Disbursements (FSAMAKAO)

Keywords

• Domain escrow service
• Domain transfer service
• Domain name brokerage
• Secure domain purchase
• Domain trading platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Rijswijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Commission from Sellers: Nameshift.com charges a commission to domain sellers who use the platform to sell their domains. The service is free for buyers who only pay the purchase price without additional fees.

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Het Fundament operates Nameshift.com, an online domain name escrow and transfer platform that allows domain owners to list domains for sale and buyers to acquire them safely. Buyer payment is held in escrow and released to the seller only after the domain transfer is confirmed; a full refund is provided if the transfer fails. The service is free for buyers, with sellers paying a commission, and includes free domain transfer assistance and VAT invoicing.

Product overview

Het Fundament offers a single unified domain name purchase service powered by Nameshift.com's escrow platform. The service facilitates safe domain transfers by holding buyer payment in escrow until the domain is successfully transferred, with a 24-hour average turnover time. The product includes free domain transfer service, free assistance, and free VAT invoice generation. The service is free for buyers, with the seller paying the commission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nameshift.com Domain Escrow and Transfer Service An online escrow and domain transfer service enabling sellers to list domains and buyers to acquire them safely. Buyer payment is held until domain transfer is confirmed, with a full refund if the transfer cannot be completed, free buyer usage, and a 24-hour average turnover time.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average domain transfer time is 24 hours

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• GoDaddy: GoDaddy, as the parent of Afternic and the dominant registrar, controls substantial aftermarket liquidity and registrar-side transfer infrastructure against which Nameshift.com's lightweight escrow model competes.
• Namecheap: Namecheap is a major domain registrar with an integrated aftermarket; its marketplace and transfer tooling compete with Nameshift.com, though its primary business is registration rather than escrow.
• Afternic: Afternic (owned by GoDaddy) is a large domain marketplace with syndication across registrar networks; it competes with Nameshift.com for premium and aftermarket domain sales and benefits from GoDaddy ecosystem integration.

Emerging players

• Squadhelp: Squadhelp is a domain and brandable-name marketplace with contests and curated listings; it overlaps with Nameshift.com on the buyer-side domain discovery and acquisition journey.

Direct peers

• Sedo: Sedo is one of the largest global domain marketplaces with brokerage, auction, and transfer services; it competes with Nameshift.com for domain sale transactions and is a primary liquidity alternative for sellers.
• Dan.com: Dan.com operates a domain name marketplace with integrated buyer protection and installment payments, making it the closest functional competitor to Nameshift.com's escrow-based domain transfer service.
• Undeveloped: Undeveloped runs a curated domain marketplace with buyer-protection features and is a direct functional competitor to Nameshift.com's self-serve domain purchase flow.
• Dynadot: Dynadot is a domain registrar with a built-in marketplace and user-to-user transfer tools; it competes with Nameshift.com on facilitating secure domain transfers between parties.
• Escrow.com: Escrow.com is a general-purpose online escrow service widely used for domain name transactions; it competes directly with Nameshift.com on the core escrow-for-domain-transfers workflow.
• Saw.com: Saw.com is a boutique premium-domain brokerage and marketplace offering curated inventory and assisted transfers; it overlaps with Nameshift.com on the domain sale transaction layer.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/het-fundament

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Het Fundament