CVC Capital Partners is closing in on buying a majority stake in Namecheap, in a deal that values the big domain registrar and web-hosting provider at about $1.5 billion including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.
The global buyout firm is expected to work closely with Richard Kirkendall, Namecheap’s founder and chief executive officer, who will retain a big stake in the company, the people said.
Deal terms have been completed, the people said, but the timing of any announcement couldn’t be learned.
Established about 25 years ago, Arizona-based Namecheap started out registering web domain names. Its offerings have expanded to include online hosting and security services to help users develop and manage websites.
Rivals include GoDaddy, which has a market value of more than $20 billion, and Europe-based SiteGround. Namecheap customers include Figma, the web-design platform, and Buffer, a provider of social-media marketing tools, according to its website.
Namecheap doesn’t disclose financials. Kirkendall has said that revenue rose 18% in 2024, to $398 million.
Betting on domain and web-hosting companies has proven attractive to buyout firms.
Newfold Digital, which owns Namecheap rival Bluehost, is backed by Clearlake Capital Group and Siris Capital Group. Permira, another private-equity firm, last year bought the website-development company Squarespace in a $7.2 billion deal.
CVC—which oversees roughly €200 billion in assets, equivalent to about $235 billion—already has exposure to the sector. It owns Webpros, whose software powers more than 30 million hosting accounts and 80 million domains globally, according to the investment firm’s website.
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The details
The global buyout firm is expected to work closely with Richard Kirkendall, Namecheap’s founder and chief executive officer, who will retain a big stake in the company, the people said.
Deal terms have been completed, the people said, but the timing of any announcement couldn’t be learned.
Established about 25 years ago, Arizona-based Namecheap started out registering web domain names. Its offerings have expanded to include online hosting and security services to help users develop and manage websites.
Rivals include GoDaddy, which has a market value of more than $20 billion, and Europe-based SiteGround. Namecheap customers include Figma, the web-design platform, and Buffer, a provider of social-media marketing tools, according to its website.
Namecheap doesn’t disclose financials. Kirkendall has said that revenue rose 18% in 2024, to $398 million.
The context
Betting on domain and web-hosting companies has proven attractive to buyout firms.
Newfold Digital, which owns Namecheap rival Bluehost, is backed by Clearlake Capital Group and Siris Capital Group. Permira, another private-equity firm, last year bought the website-development company Squarespace in a $7.2 billion deal.
CVC—which oversees roughly €200 billion in assets, equivalent to about $235 billion—already has exposure to the sector. It owns Webpros, whose software powers more than 30 million hosting accounts and 80 million domains globally, according to the investment firm’s website.
Source and further reading: