What's in a Name? A Lot, Actually. Here's How to Pick the Right One For Your Company

• Use a throwaway placeholder at incorporation; kill attachment early.
  • “Apps & Zerts, Inc.” — the point is to not care about it.
• Naming takes 1+ month; start with positioning, not brainstorming.
  • Define audience, problem, differentiators before touching names.
• Generate hundreds to thousands of candidates across 14 name types.
  • Real words, blends, foreign words, coined words, acronyms, eponyms, etc.
• Best names are polarizing, two-layered, and grow on you.
  • Google = fun word + googol; Moderna = sounds modern + modified RNA.
• Trademark clearance is a 5-step process; classes matter, not just spelling.
  • Delta Airlines and Delta Faucets coexist — confusion test determines conflict.
• .com imperative is dead; prefixes/suffixes and .ai TLDs are valid.
  • tryfigma.com, awaytravel.com, squareup.com — all work.
• One product = same name as company; resist creative separation early.

Arielle Jackson, Head of Brand & Product Marketing at First Round. Ex-Google (Gmail), Square, Cover (acq. Twitter). · 2025-11-18 · Read on review.firstround.com