How Papa.com Secured Their $4 Million Domain

NOTE: Exact final purchase price needs verification - initial asking was $4M, final price undisclosed

Papa connects older adults with "Papa Pals"—friendly folks who help with everything from grocery runs and tech support to just hanging out and chatting. Andrew Parker and his cousin started the company to help their grandpa stay connected and supported without needing full-time care. Naturally, they named it after him: "Papa."

The Branding Problem

Like many startups, Papa initially launched with the best domain they could find: JoinPapa.com. The problem? Clients—mostly health plan executives—kept calling it "Join Papa" instead of just "Papa," which quickly became a branding nightmare.

The solution was clear: they needed Papa.com to cut the confusion and give the brand the respect it deserved.

The $4 Million Ask

Andrew reached out to the domain owner—someone in Germany who had owned it since the '90s—and offered $2,000. The owner's counteroffer? A cool $4 million.

Not exactly the deal of the century. So Papa stuck with Papa.co (not the easiest to remember) and kept dreaming of Papa.com.

Perfect Timing

Fast-forward a few years and several funding rounds later, Andrew's domain-alert system sent him a notification: Papa.com was available. The price was still hefty, but way less than $4 million.

Andrew bought the domain with a credit card—an oddly satisfying flex for a startup founder.

Why Papa.com Changed the Game

Papa isn't exactly a consumer brand; they work directly with big health plans and insurance companies. But even in B2B, credibility matters. The moment they switched to Papa.com, things felt more legitimate.

Clients saw them as an established brand, not some new company with a .co domain. And it's not just perception—when people see an email from Papa.com, they're more likely to respond. As co-founder Rob Schutz pointed out, ".com domains just hit differently—people think, 'Oh wow, these guys are legit.'"

The Papa Pals team—mostly young, tech-savvy folks—responded to the "Papa" name in a big way. It's fun, memorable, and sounds like the kind of company you want to work for. The domain also helped with recruiting, credibility, and brand recognition.

For a company all about family-style care, having the family-style name Papa.com just fits.

As Andrew summed it up, "It's more than just a URL—it's a brand that people remember, and that matters."