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#20October 16, 201957:04

#18 - The Big Business of Wacky Domains

Top-level domain auctionsReal estate investingFintech and angel investingEarly Facebook marketing hacks

About This Episode

Shaan Puri interviews entrepreneur and investor Sheel Mohnot about his journey making millions through high-stakes top-level domain (TLD) auctions. The episode explores the mechanics of second-price auctions, Sheel's diverse background in real estate and early Facebook marketing, and his '6Ts' framework for successful angel investing.

Episode Description

Ever wonder who owns all the internet domains like .com, .co, all the way to goofy domain names like .george and .plumbing? Well it turns out, many of these are owned by billionaires & big companies. Our hero today - Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) created an online auction site (like Ebay, but instead of selling beanie babies, he auctions off internet real estate). He has hosted $100M+ worth of auctions, keeping a 4% cut for himself along the way. Hear how he found this wacky niche, got the auction platform off the ground - and how he went from living on $1/day in India to becoming a self-made millionaire.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Key Takeaways

1

Utilize 'Second Price Auctions' (Vickrey auctions) when selling or splitting partnerships to ensure the winner pays a fair market price based on the second highest bidder's limit.

2

Exploit information asymmetry in real estate by looking for 'bad' listings—such as those without photos—where lack of visibility often leads to significantly lower competition and better pricing.

3

Evaluate early-stage startups using the '6Ts' framework: Team, Technology, Total Addressable Market, Traction, Terms, and 'Totally Random' (the personal relationship factor).

Featuring

SM

Sheel Mohnot

3 episodes

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Quick Stats

Duration57:04
Guests1
Ideas Discussed0
Topics4

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