Identity Digital

About Identity Digital

Identity Digital operates as a pivotal entity in the internet infrastructure sector, focusing on connecting the online world through domain names and associated technologies. The firm's history began in 2010 with the founding of its predecessor, Donuts Inc., by Paul Stahura, Jonathon Nevett, Richard Tindal, and Daniel Schindler. This coincided with the decision by ICANN, the coordinating body for new top-level domains (TLDs), to expand the internet, a move Donuts capitalized on. A significant milestone was the acquisition of Afilias in late 2020, a major TLD registry operator. This was followed by the acquisition of Donuts itself by private equity firm Ethos Capital in January 2021. In a strategic move to unify its brands, the parent company, along with Afilias, rebranded to Identity Digital in June 2022.

Under the leadership of CEO Akram Atallah, Identity Digital simplifies digital identity for individuals and businesses. Atallah's extensive background in technology, including serving as the first president of ICANN's Global Domains Division and COO, provides deep industry-specific experience. His journey through engineering, operations, and product development, including roles at Conexant and CoreObjects Software, reflects a career focused on bridging technology with market needs.

The company's business model is centered on the management and monetization of the world's largest portfolio of TLDs, encompassing nearly 300 extensions like .info, .pro, .studio, and .world. It serves a B2B market of domain registrars and resellers, providing them with the platform and services to discover, register, and use these domain names. Revenue is generated from these registrar partnerships and the operation of its own registrar subsidiary, Name.com, which it acquired along with Rightside in 2017. The core service involves operating the authoritative directories and DNS for its vast TLD portfolio. This includes providing a secure and reliable backend registry platform for its partners, supporting approximately 28 million domains, and offering enhanced security features to mitigate cyber threats like phishing and malware.