Many startups launch to make a name for themselves or become a household name.
Whether it's Google, Uber or Hulu, a name can make a memorable impact and, with enough success, become iconic. The name is often the first chance a company has to make an impression, making it an invaluable branding tool.
The Business Journal asked local startups how they came up with their names. The results are simultaneously surprising, funny and informative.
Yoodli (a website designed to improve users' public speaking skills)
Esha Joshi, co-founder: "We chose Yoodli because we wanted the brand to be fun and light and playful — we believe that public speaking doesn't need to be anxiety-inducing. Try saying Yoodli three times in a row and you won't be able to help but smile. It's also a spin on yodeling, which is a type of voice exercise."
Chainguard (a cybersecurity company)
Dan Lorenc, co-founder and CEO: "We went through a bunch of different ideas. It was pretty hard to come up with one that wasn't already taken, especially with 'chain' in the name. A lot of the blockchain companies had squatted on a lot of those names."
ZenLedger (a cryptocurrency tax software company)
Pat Larsen, co-founder and CEO: "Some companies, they promise an outcome. They promise an emotional state. They take you from stress to relaxation. Especially with taxes, which is high-stress and you only do it once a year. You feel that the IRS will kick in your door if you get it wrong. You never get good at it, and you don't like it. Us taking you to a state of calm through that, ledger is very crypto-y and accounting, and Zen just felt like a proper kind of outcome."
Bttn (a medical supply marketplace)
JT Garwood, co-founder and CEO: "Jack (Miller, Bttn's other co-founder) is a very big fan of the outdoors and trees, and a lot of Jack and my friendship was forged on the ski hill. We've always had a bit of an obsession with the outdoors. We were thinking of names for Bttn and Jack's dad suggested, 'Have you heard of the Buttonwood Agreement?' We hadn't. We Googled it, and it's this pretty awesome folklore about how the New York Stock Exchange was started. Dutch traders met beneath a buttonwood tree, which kicked off the most amazing exchange in the history of the world. We love that. We're huge readers. We're very much folklore nerds at heart."
Kineta (a biotech focused on immunotherapies to help cancer patients)
Shawn Iadonato, CEO: "The fellow who named the company isn't here anymore, but I think it was a play on kinetic energy."
