Donuts, a domain name registry based in Kirkland, Wash., has agreed to be acquired by Abry Partners, a private equity firm based in Boston. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2010, Donuts sells 240 “top-level domains” including .ltd, .company, .careers, .support, .email, and more. Last year it raised a $110 million investment to help complete the acquisition of fellow domain company Rightside Group. Its investors include Adams Street Partners; Austin Ventures; Emergence Capital; Generation Partners; TL Ventures; and Stahurricane. Total funding to date is north of $150 million.
Donuts is led by CEO Bruce Jaffe, a former Microsoft executive, and founder Paul Stahura, who previously started eNom. It employs 110 people, about half its workforce, in the Seattle region and plans to keep its offices after the deal is completed.
“Individuals and businesses manage their digital identities in an increasingly complex world of proliferating devices, platforms and access points,” Erik Brooks, managing partner at Abry Partners, said in a statement. “Donuts is ideally positioned with the world’s largest portfolio of new TLDs, a proven team with deep experience in scaling successful technology companies, and a track record of innovation in their industry.”
Founded in 1989, Abry has completed more than $77 billion in transactions and invested in more than 650 properties.
