Leroy de Rouwe
Leroy de Rouwe registered the domain name WhatsApp.com in 2008, as a “brand moment”, motivated by the rising usage of tablets and mobile phones.
Surely, nobody can predict the future, including how popular the WhatsApp application would eventually become; Facebook eventually acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion dollars in cash and stock.
But let’s go back in time.
In 2009, Leroy sold the domain to Jan Koum, the Ukrainian co-founder of WhatsApp.
Leroy de Rouwe at his company’s office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Here is Leroy de Rouwe’s story, directly from the source; Leroy decided to keep the selling price for the domain name private for now:
” Originally, I registered the domain [WhatsApp.com] in a time where the tablets and mobile phone usage was rising tremendously, and with that, the use and quest for the best apps possible, hence my idea to create a website where I would collect the best apps and possibly publish reviews.
Keep in mind I have a lot of ideas, and keep producing even more of them. This idea seemed so good at the time, I registered the domain right away. Because, let’s be honest, it’s a darn good name, WhatsApp! Things at work where quite busy, so I never came around to a good concept and possible setup.
I’ve had a few requests on the domain name at the time, of which only a few where serious. Jan Koum contacted me at that moment, with a request to take over the domain. Openly I told him I would only be interested if he had a solid idea and approach, because I wanted to avoid selling it to those all-too-familiar domain hijackers.
He explained his idea in detail, and convinced me of his enthusiasm. This, for me, was the most important part, and made me decide to agree. This was the moment I transferred the domain to him, and just a few months later, BAM! WhatsApp was the number 1 app in the appstore, success 🙂 (my friends were also kind enough to remember me a few times a day of this fact.)
Humorously your title contained the part “a Dutch domainer cries tonight”, which made my day! Perhaps I could have been a mil/billionaire as well, but money isn’t what brings happiness.
I’m sincerely happy for Jan and Brian that their effort have transformed just an idea into a big success. Next to that, I have a great story to tell on any birthday or party I’m at, which is also a small bit of happiness. So I didn’t loose any sleep or cry at all last night 🙂 ”
It’s obvious that Leroy is a happy man, not having to worry about managing huge amounts of money. He’s focused on his web development business, at BAMeffect.
Thank you, Leroy, for sharing this info with us and best of success for you in all of your future ventures! 😀
This post is 100% true!
I have used Whatsapp for the longest time, I never even knew they had a website, or would ever care to visit it.
he can’t stop crying…will haunt him for rest of his poor life…
lesson learned…always sell domains to dumb retards
Tom – I don’t have WhatsApp installed, maybe I should now 😛
Anunt – You’re being too harsh on the guy! He wanted to ensure that his ‘baby’ would be adopted by good parents 😀
This scenario has been played out many times, in a previous article you mentioned the company could have called it WhateverApp, and the end platform would have still done what it did.
Viber recently sold as well, similar platform.
Whatsapp was useful for Blackberry users, when they went to the iphone, gave them the feeling of the same BB messenger, that is what really helped it take off, the demise of the BB.
Not very often will a potential buyer tell you their plan for the domain they want to buy from you.
Maybe he should requested to keep a percentage of the new idea and a lower price for the name
I think we need to start a Billion dollar clause, if you ever sell your company for $1B or more, I expect to be paid $1M in cash, or stock.
Ah ok so everyone without an idea that simply wishes to exchange CASH for the domain because it’s a good name is one of those “all-too-familiar domain hijackers.”. Since when is exchanging cash for a domain hijacking?
Whats with this guys “holy attitude”. I think he deserves to feel the pain of his idea going to someone else. One man pity party. He is just saying that so his portfolio of domains aren’t ever WIPO’ed and they use an article as proof that he solely buys domain to resell.
According to this article, Facebook wasted a ton of money on WhatsApp; they could have created their own version at a fraction of the cost.
The big mistake here is that he should have asked to join the company or maybe receive 1% stocks.
What’s the point of asking somebody what is going to do with the domain name?
At $19B valuation, He would have pocketed $190m.
its the idea that won and LEROY didn’t own that idea.
brainstorming a good name doesn’t always guarantee a 100% execution idea. there’re number of success stories of odd names with odd execution ideas and this reminds us to appreciate ones efforts to sync luck with good name and a good execution planeven if the name or the plan is odd.
good work JAN KOUM, you deserved it.