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Case study · 2021

Calendso to Cal.com: How a Startup Upgraded to a Three-Letter .com

calendso.comcal.com
"After several months of brand exercises, research and negotiations with domain owners, we were lucky to come to terms with the previous owners of Cal.com."Peer Richelsen, co-founder, Cal.com blog

The story

The open-source scheduling startup launched as Calendso, on calendso.com.

Because users share personal booking links, the domain is part of the product. The team pointed out that going from calendso.com/peer to cal.com/peer "saves you 62.5% of typing".

The rebrand to Cal.com followed months of brand work and negotiation with the owners of the .com.

What founders can learn

  • If your URL is part of your product (booking links, profiles, short links), a short .com has a direct, practical value.
  • Rebranding early, before you have years of brand equity, makes the switch easier.
  • Negotiations for short names take months, so plan for it.

Sources

This case study is based on public reporting and the company's own statements. NameUpgrade was not involved in this transaction.

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