Skip to main content

Go Daddy will be sold to group of investment firms for $2.25 billion

go daddyA group of investment firms including Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), Silver Lake and Technology Crossover Ventures have reportedly acquired the Go Daddy Group. The domain name registrar is possibly the largest in the world with close to 9.4 million customers paying subscription fees, and almost 48 million domain names being managed.

According to the New York Times, the financial terms weren’t disclosed but sources say the buyers are shelling out $2.25 billion. Go Daddy, spurred by interest from buyout firms as well as corporate suitors, originally approached the Qatalyst Partners investment bank to explore a possible sale.

Recommended Videos

Go Daddy was pondering an IPO in 2006 hoping to reach $200 million, but the company only reported $139.8 million and had to back down from those plans. Since then the company has been steadily building by 20 percent annually and reported $1.1 billion in sales in its last fiscal year.

Executives from the group of investment firms said that Go Daddy’s approach was not likely to be changed. The web-hosting giant’s CEO and founder Robert Parson, whom you may remember slaying elephants valiantly in Zimbabwe, told the New York Times that this was more of a partnership rather than a sale. He will be a large stakeholder once everything is finalized and will be the executive chairman of the company.

Private equity firms find the company’s business of garnering steady subscription fees quite attractive. Go Daddy is also poised to take advantage of expanded internet use requiring more websites and domains. Robert Parsons has expressed that the company also plans to expand its offerings. This mainly means augmenting well-known services, building Go Daddy’s international presence and moving into cloud-based services.

In a press release regarding the sale, Parson said, “We are partnering with KKR, Silver Lake and TCV because of their technology expertise, their understanding of Web based businesses and because their values align with ours. We believe, together, we will take the company to the next level, especially when it comes to accelerating international growth.”

A group of investment firms including Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), Silver Lake and Technology Crossover Ventures have reportedly acquired the Go Daddy Group. The domain name registrar is possibly the largest in the world with close to 9.4 million customers paying subscription fees, and almost 48 million domain names being managed.

 

According to the New York Times, the financial terms weren’t disclosed but sources say the buyers are shelling out $2.25 billion. Go Daddy, spurred by interest from buyout firms as well as corporate suitors, originally approached the Qatalyst Partners investment bank to explore a possible sale.

 

Go Daddy was pondering an IPO in 2006 hoping to reach $200 million, but the company only reported $139.8 million and had to back down from those plans. Since then the company has been steadily building by 20 percent annually and reported $1.1 billion in sales in its last fiscal year.

 

Executives from the group of investment firms said that Go Daddy’s approach was not likely to be changed. The web-hosting giant’s CEO and founder Robert Parson, whom you may remember slaying elephants valiantly in Zimbabwe, told the New York Times that this was more of a partnership rather than a sale. He will be a large stakeholder once everything is finalized and will be the executive chairman of the company.

 

Private equity firms find the company’s business of garnering steady subscription fees quite attractive. Go Daddy is also poised to take advantage of expanded internet use requiring more websites and domains. Robert Parsons has expressed that the company also plans to expand its offerings. This mainly means augmenting well-known services, building Go Daddy’s international presence and moving into cloud-based services.

 

In a press release regarding the sale, Parson said, “We are partnering with KKR, Silver Lake and TCV because of their technology expertise, their understanding of Web based businesses and because their values align with ours. We believe, together, we will take the company to the next level, especially when it comes to accelerating international growth.”

Jeff Hughes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.
PayPal vs. Venmo vs. Cash App vs. Apple Cash: which app should you use?
PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Apple Wallet apps on an iPhone.

We’re getting closer every day to an entirely cashless society. While some folks may still carry around a few bucks for emergencies, electronic payments are accepted nearly everywhere, and as mobile wallets expand, even traditional credit and debit cards are starting to fall by the wayside.

That means many of us are past the days of tossing a few bills onto the table to pay our share of a restaurant tab or slipping our pal a couple of bucks to help them out. Now, even those things are more easily doable from our smartphones than our physical wallets.

Read more
How to change margins in Google Docs
Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Read more
What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Read more