Renovate founder David Tonoyan launched on the exact-match .com to build instant credibility in the home services space, with an assist from GoDaddy broker Hollie Prine.
Building a business that sits at the intersection of home services and financing is no easy task. A major hurdle that founders encounter is: how do I get potential customers to trust my product? For Renovate founder David Tonoyan, answering that question meant launching with a brand presence that immediately feels established, credible, and clear about what it does. That's why Renovate launched on Renovate.com.
From fintech builder to home improvement platform
Serial entrepreneur David Tonoyan is no stranger to building technological platforms. Through ventures such as Finturf and Plat.AI, he developed infrastructure focused on decisioning, routing, and compliance. Combining the infrastructure and marketing expertise he's developed meant a natural next step: launching Renovate. Instead of applying fintech systems only within technological organizations, he saw an opportunity to bring that infrastructure directly into the consumer experience.
Launching Renovate with Renovate.com as the foundation
According to the 2025 Remodeling Impact Report by the National Association of Realtors, Americans spent $603 billion on home renovations and remodeling in 2024. As this figure continued to grow, Tonoyan turned his attention to using his fintech expertise to help customers find contractors for home renovations. The hurdle for Tonoyan and his team was: how do we build trust in the service? The answer: brand as a single word that would be immediately intuitive to homeowners, and launch using the exact-match .com.
"We've learned that if you can't own the exact .com for a brand, it creates friction right from the start. We only committed to Renovate once we were sure that Renovate.com was available."
— David Tonoyan, Founder, Renovate
Users of companies like Renovate are sharing personal data and taking steps toward Significant technological decisions. The brand has to feel legitimate immediately, before a user ever evaluates the technology behind it. The choice of domain name is paramount to that feeling of legitimacy.
"The URL Renovate.com signals to the user that they are on a site with the scale, stability, and seriousness to meet their needs. People looking for home services help are often making a big decision, and a name like Renovate.com shortens the trust curve and gets us working together faster."
— David Tonoyan, Founder, Renovate
Acquiring Renovate.com, with an assist from GoDaddy
When it came time to acquire the domain, Tonoyan worked with GoDaddy's Hollie Prine to manage the outreach, negotiations, and process end-to-end.
"GoDaddy's broker team ran a tight ship from the very start. They helped us from start to finish. From my side, it felt like any other critical acquisition, with complete professionalism from all parties."
— David Tonoyan, Founder, Renovate
Having an experienced broker in the middle also created breathing room during negotiations.
"It was great having a professional buffer during negotiations. GoDaddy kept everything running smoothly and on schedule."
— David Tonoyan, Founder, Renovate
The impact since launch: credibility, momentum, and an asset that compounds
For Renovate, the domain was not a cosmetic upgrade. It was part of the go-to-market foundation, and it kept the company from paying a "trust tax" at every touchpoint. As Tonoyan puts it, Renovate.com helps set expectations instantly. The name is clear. The intent is obvious. The brand feels stable. That clarity also shows up in how others react when they learn the company operates on Renovate.com.
"Some ask how we got it. Those discussions quickly turn to how they can be part of the growing ecosystem we are creating with contractors, financial institutions, and others in this space."
— David Tonoyan, Founder, Renovate
Tonoyan also viewed the purchase through a long-term lens.
"A strong domain is an appreciating asset. It becomes more valuable as more people start searching for you by name and typing your URL directly. Purchasing Renovate.com wasn't only a brand decision. It was an investment in product and distribution."
— David Tonoyan, Founder, Renovate
The domain name delivered tangible, quantifiable benefits to the brand, leading to a 24% increase in average time spent on the website and an 8% improvement in user engagement compared to the brand's established benchmarks.
Tonoyan's advice for founders considering an ultra-premium domain
As someone who's made this kind of bet before, Tonoyan keeps the advice practical:
- Know why you want the domain. Be clear on what it unlocks for your business.
- Set your ceiling before you negotiate. Decide on the most you're willing to pay in advance.
- Work with a reputable broker. Move quickly and professionally, with a process you can trust.
Renovate.com gave Tonoyan and his team a single, unmistakable brand signal that matched the seriousness of the decision homeowners are making. Interested in securing an ultra-premium domain name? DomainNames.com by GoDaddy is the showroom for the world's most valuable domain names, backed by our team of brokers.