Ethos Capital Explained

Ethos Capital
Founder:Erik Brooks
Hq Location City:Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Type:Private
Industry:Private equity

Ethos Capital is an American private equity investment firm founded in 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts, in order to make majority and control minority investments in middle-market companies, primarily across North America and Europe. It is best known for attempting and failing to gain control of the .org internet domain.

History

In 2020, Ethos made news for trying to purchase the .org domain and capitalize upon it using a portfolio of data-monetization startups.[1] [2] After the takeover failed due to ICANN voting against the sale of the rights,[3] company founders Erik Brooks and Fadi Chehadé[4] went on to use the vehicle to buy domain name registrar Donuts and registry services provider Afilias from Abry Partners, where Brooks had been managing partner.[5] [6] [7] In 2022, Afilias and Donuts were merged into a single company, Identity Digital.[8]

Controversy

Most press coverage of Ethos has focused on allegations of insider dealing between former ICANN CEO Chehadé, who registered the domain name ethoscapital.org in May 2019, one day after price caps were lifted from the .org domain.[9] [10] and current employer Ethos Capital, and the unraveling of a complex web of interlocking control and ownership between domain name registries, registrars, and ICANN, which nominally regulates the domain name industry.

Notes and References

  1. News: Orenstein . Natalie . A private equity firm wants to buy '.org' for $1 billion. A Berkeley-based cooperative says, 'not so fast' . July 22, 2021 . Berkeleyside . January 16, 2020 . May 31, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210531182920/https://www.berkeleyside.org/2020/01/16/a-private-equity-firm-wants-to-buy-org-for-1-billion-a-berkeley-based-cooperative-says-not-so-fast . live .
  2. Web site: Ethos Capital: Engineering Growth . January 2, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200102154558/https://ethoscapital.com/ . January 2, 2020 . Investments: Whistle, Adhark, Liquidx, Vidmob.
  3. News: Lohr . Steve . May 1, 2020 . A Private Equity Firm Is Blocked from Buying .Org . May 4, 2024 . The New York Times . 0362-4331 . May 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240516074056/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/technology/dot-org-sale.html . live .
  4. Web site: Alleman . Andrew . July 17, 2020 . Fadi Chehadé is now co-CEO of Ethos Capital . September 1, 2020 . Domain Name Wire . September 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200916092202/https://domainnamewire.com/2020/07/16/fadi-chehade-is-now-co-ceo-of-ethos-capital/ . live .
  5. News: Murphy . Kevin . Failed .org buyer Ethos Capital buys Donuts . Domain Incite . January 22, 2021 . May 25, 2024 . February 24, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240224192949/http://domainincite.com/26198-breaking-failed-org-buyer-ethos-capital-buys-donuts . live .
  6. Web site: Hackney . Raymond . Ethos Capital to Acquire Controlling Interest of Donuts . January 22, 2021 . TheDomains . Worldwide Media . January 22, 2021 . January 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122210339/https://www.thedomains.com/2021/01/22/ethos-acquires-donuts/ . live .
  7. Web site: Ethos Capital Acquires Majority Control of Donuts . April 2021 . FinSMEs . April 1, 2021 . April 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210401115514/https://www.finsmes.com/2021/04/ethos-capital-acquires-majority-control-of-donuts.html . live .
  8. Web site: Allemann . Andrew . June 22, 2022 . Donuts rebrands to Identity Digital . July 12, 2022 . Domain Name Wire Domain Name News . June 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220628220749/https://domainnamewire.com/2022/06/22/donuts-rebrands-to-identity-digital/ . live .
  9. Web site: Ex-boss of ICANN shifts from 'advisor' to co-CEO of private equity biz that tried to buy .org for $1bn+ . October 22, 2020 . The Register . McCarthy . Kieren . Situation Publishing . October 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201027023936/https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/21/chehade_ceo_ethos/ . live .
  10. Web site: Goldstein . David . November 25, 2019 . PIR Addresses Concerns Over Conflicts and Registry Fee Rises Following Takeover . October 22, 2020 . Goldstein Report . October 26, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201026183049/https://goldsteinreport.com/pir-addresses-concerns-over-conflicts-and-registry-fee-rises-following-takeover/ . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ethos Capital".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.