Net Startups Go Gaga Over Silly Company Names

New web companies follow Google's example and embrace goofy monikers
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 29, 2007 2:19 PM CDT
Net Startups Go Gaga Over Silly Company Names
Lala.com business developer John Kuch poses next to a company poster at his office in Palo Alto, Calif., Monday, June 4, 2007. Entrepreneurs behind Silicon Valley startup Lala.com hope to transform the CD-swapping site into a music portal where members can download songs directly to their iPods, bypassing...   (Associated Press)

Following in the Google tradition of using a goofy name to stand out from the Silicon Valley pack, a new generation of internet startups is sporting wacky monikers that may rile investors and confuse consumers. Young companies resort to names like Tagtooga and Qoosa to carve out unique identities and snap up domains that aren’t already taken.

Entrepreneurs say the days of vanilla company names are over, the LA Times reports. “Made-up words don't come with psychological baggage,” says one analyst—but they may come with multimillion-dollar losses for investors if the names don’t work. With the likes of Xobni, Wakoopa, and Lala in the mix, one expert complains, “You cannot possibly remember one from another.” (More Google stories.)

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