Naming for a startup: how to come up with a name from scratch
Briefly: a startup name must solve three tasks at once — be memorable, be free for domain and trademark registration, and not contradict future scaling beyond one country. The article contains a practical process for selecting a name for a new product.
Three criteria for a startup name
Memorability — a short name is easier to pronounce and find in search. Availability — it's important to check whether the domain is free and the trademark isn't taken in the necessary classes before the name 'sticks' to the team. Internationality — if there are plans to expand beyond one country, it's worth checking in advance whether the word has undesirable meanings in other languages.
Name selection process
Step 1: formulating the essence of the product in one sentence. Step 2: generating 30-50 variations around this essence (associative, descriptive, abstract approaches). Step 3: filtering by sound and pronounceability. Step 4: checking domains and trademarks for the remaining 5-10 variants. Step 5: final selection from 2-3 completely free variants.
Naming with ownership verification usually costs from 60 to 150 thousand rubles per product — this is significantly cheaper than court expenses and reputational losses from changing the name after a conflict with someone else's trademark.
How much does startup naming cost
Can a name be used if the .ru domain is taken but the .com is free? Yes, but this creates inconvenience for the audience — it's better to check availability across several domain zones at once. What to do if the preferred name is already registered as a trademark in another industry? If the product and service classes don't overlap, registration may sometimes be possible — a patent attorney's consultation is needed in each specific case. How many name options are usually shown to the client for selection? After checking for protectability — usually 2-3 completely free variants, not dozens of initial ideas.
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