People always ask where the Konvu name came from. The answer isn’t what you expect, and it usually gets a laugh. Here’s the story.
Why this mattered to us
When we worked at Sqreen, we started on a .io domain and later bought and migrated to the .com domain. I managed the migration, and it was an absolute headache with significant SEO impact. That experience left a lasting impression, and I never want to go through something like that again.
We also came across an essay by Paul Graham that really stuck with us. His advice was spot on: "There's nothing intrinsically great about your current name. Nearly all your attachment to it comes from it being attached to you." The lesson was clear: if you can't get the .com, change the name. Owning the .com domain signals credibility, prevents confusion, and saves you from future marketing headaches.
The trap most teams fall into
Most teams do some variations of this:
- Brainstorm for days on product-anchored names and fall in love with one.
- They then discover the .com is taken, and accept weak workarounds like get-, try-, use-, app-, -sec, -labs, or settle for an alternative TLD like .io or .xyz.
- Pay the price later: diluted brand, constant corrections in meetings, SEO ambiguity, and an eventual rename or an expensive .com purchase if the company succeeds.
We wanted none of that.
How we actually did it
Timer set to two hours, spreadsheet loaded with recently expired .coms. Anything short, easy to say, and hard to misspell went in the maybe pile. Each shortlisted name got a rapid global background check: meanings in other pouplar languages, a peek at the Wayback Machine, a quick WHOIS scan, and a light trademark screen. We picked a winner and sent it to our bluntest friends for the final gut check.
Sounds easy, right? Not quite. That first pick flopped. We had already bought the top TLDs and told friends, then learned it reminded people of a controversial world leader 😅
So we ran the process a second time, and that's how Konvu got its name. Pronounced KON-voo. Two syllables, easy to say in English and elsewhere. We liked the letterform rhythm. It is compact, reads clearly at small sizes, and does not collide with common brand terms.
Our advice to founders
- Timebox the process and decide the same day to avoid attachment.
- Start with available .coms as a hard constraint
- Pick something short, pronounceable, and easy to spell
- Run quick checks only: meaning in multiple languages, basic trademark screen, light domain history review
- Get feedback from honest friends, and be quick to abandon names that raise concerns
Closing thoughts
A name will not build your company, but a clean name on .com removes friction you would otherwise carry for years.
This is just a small example of our approach as founders: we move quickly and with purpose.
Here’s a fun fact we discovered later: in Slovak, Konvu means a watering can or pail. We now get the occasional Google Alerts about marketplace listings in Slovakia for watering cans. Not exactly our ideal customer profile, but it keeps the inbox interesting.
