Proof · Featured.com
How a startup landed its category-defining .com, without a full cash outlay
Some acquisitions are not won with the highest offer. They are structured, patiently, and around terms both sides can live with. This is how Gerard Michael, founder of Westmore, facilitated the deal that let Terkel.io become Featured.com.
“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Brett Farmiloe and the Terkel team. Alongside other visionary investors, we shared a collective vision for the rebranding of terkel.io to Featured.com.”
Gerard Michael · Founder, Westmore
A category-defining domain
Brett Farmiloe was building Terkel.io into a company with real momentum, but the name described the product, not the category. Featured.com was the identity the business was built toward: concise, memorable, category-level. A premium one-word .com like that is rarely listed for sale; it is already owned, often by someone with no pressing reason to part with it. The challenge was never finding the name. It was creating a realistic path to acquire it.
Structured around alignment, not a single cheque
The decisive move was the deal structure. Rather than forcing one large payment that could have put Featured.com out of reach for a venture-stage company, Gerard structured the transaction around equity alignment, taking a position in the business itself rather than being cashed out and gone. That shared upside aligned both parties around the company's success instead of a one-time number, and it is what made a difficult purchase achievable. The exact figure remains confidential under NDA; it was publicly reported in the mid-six-figure range.
Why it worked
Experience
A practitioner who had guided premium acquisitions before, not a first-time negotiator.
Patience
The willingness to let the conversation develop rather than force a fast close.
Trust
Credibility with both sides that kept the parties at the table through the hard moments.
Creative structure
Terms built around alignment, including an equity position, instead of one large cash payment.
The ceiling the name unlocked
The domain did not just change the name. It changed what the brand could become. As Featured.com, the company connects subject-matter experts with top publishers to build visibility online.
If cash flow is the only thing standing between you and the right name, structure is the answer.
The right .com is rarely a simple cash purchase, and it does not have to be. Westmore assesses the name, values it against real sales, approaches the owner confidentially, and where it helps, structures terms that make a category-defining domain attainable. Every inquiry is private.
As reported
Exact terms remain confidential under NDA. Figures reflect publicly reported ranges.