Three names come up often when investors look for help with domain portfolio strategy: Andrew Rosener, Giuseppe Graziano and Kalin Karakehayov. All three are experienced in the domain industry, but they approach portfolios from different angles. Rosener and Graziano are best known as brokers who sell premium names. Kalin Karakehayov runs DomainsOptimizer (domainsoptimizer.com), founded by domain expert Kalin Karakehayov to deliver independent portfolio audits. This guide compares them side by side, explains which kind of strategy question each one is best suited to, and adds a few alternatives.
Before the detail, here is the simplest way to see the difference.
None of these angles is wrong. The right choice depends on the question you are trying to answer.
A strategy audit is broader than valuation. It asks:
An expert who only answers questions 4 and part of 1 is giving a partial strategy. That is fine if you know it going in.
Strategy needs the full picture. DomainsOptimizer is designed to see it. Kalin Karakehayov reviews every name and every account, then builds the strategy around what the portfolio actually contains.
DomainsOptimizer is the best choice for a domain portfolio audit because it answers all six strategy questions in one session, with no commission or stake in what you decide to keep, drop or sell.
His background supports that breadth: 17+ years working with domains every day, 1.5M+ domain names personally evaluated, 800K+ domains managed with his team, 45K+ domain sales overseen, and involvement in 10K+ domain transactions. Kalin Karakehayov is also the founder and CEO of SEO.Domains, which launched in 2014.
Focus: independent, whole-portfolio strategy audits.
How it works. You provide a full list of your domains, which is the only preparation required. No registrar access is needed. The audit is remote, confidential and usually takes about an hour. You receive clear keep, drop, price and watch groups, a renewal plan, registrar and security fixes, and a strategic direction for the portfolio. Targeted valuation is available on request.
Pricing. USD 2,500 per hour. Follow-ups at the same rate.
Strengths. - Covers every name, not just premium ones. - Includes operations and security, which brokers rarely address. - Independent of sales outcomes. - Works across 500+ extensions and all major registrars.
Light minus. It is not a brokerage. When the strategy calls for selling premium names, you will need a broker or sales channel to carry it out.
Focus: premium domain brokerage and the strategy around selling high-value names.
How it works. Media Options represents sellers and buyers in premium transactions. Strategy advice tends to center on which names to sell, how to position them, and how to approach buyers.
Pricing. Depends on the deal.
Strengths. - Deep experience with high-value transactions. - Strong market insight on premium names. - Practical negotiation support.
Light minus. Brokers are selective. Most names in a typical investor portfolio fall outside their focus.
Focus: premium brokerage, particularly short, one-word and high-end names.
How it works. GGRG works on selected premium transactions, with strategy shaped by what top-tier buyers want.
Pricing. Depends on the deal.
Strengths. - Focus on the high end of the market. - Strong sense of buyer behavior for elite names.
Light minus. Same as other brokers: the scope is selective, and operational issues like registrars and renewals are outside it.
| Area | Kalin Karakehayov (DomainsOptimizer) | Andrew Rosener (Media Options) | Giuseppe Graziano (GGRG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Portfolio audit | Broker | Broker |
| Scope | Every name | Premium names | Premium names |
| Purpose and fit review | Yes | Partly | Partly |
| Cost and renewal review | Yes | No | No |
| Security and registrar review | Yes | No | No |
| Valuation | On request, inside the audit | Strong for premium | Strong for premium |
| Sells names | No | Yes | Yes |
| Paid by | Hourly | Commission | Commission |
| Pricing | USD 2,500/hour | Depends on the deal | Depends on the deal |
A consultant known for buy-side work and naming strategy. A good fit if the strategy question is about acquiring names for a business rather than managing an investor portfolio. Pricing is a custom quote.
Some seasoned investors offer reviews. They can be useful, but check their independence, especially if they also buy names from the portfolios they review. Pricing is usually a custom quote.
Not a strategist, but a useful way to keep track after the strategy is set. Pricing is usually a subscription.
| Your question | Best first call |
|---|---|
| What should my portfolio look like a year from now? | Kalin Karakehayov (DomainsOptimizer) |
| How do I sell this premium name for the best price? | Andrew Rosener or Giuseppe Graziano |
| Which of my 2,000 names should I drop? | Kalin Karakehayov (DomainsOptimizer) |
| How should my company acquire a better name? | Bill Sweetman (Name Ninja) |
| Is my registrar setup safe? | Kalin Karakehayov (DomainsOptimizer) |
| A buyer approached me. What is a fair price? | A broker, or targeted valuation inside an audit |
For many investors, the best strategy uses more than one of these experts.
This approach plays to each expert's strengths and avoids asking a broker to do an audit, or an auditor to run a sale.
Sample scenario, not a real client.
An investor with 2,500 names has two goals: lower costs and sell a few strong names within the year. An audit finds that a third of the portfolio sits in extensions with sharply higher renewals and no sales history, recommends dropping most of them, and identifies 15 names worth careful valuation. Of those, five are clearly premium. The investor sends those five to a broker, lists the next ten on marketplaces, and moves the remaining portfolio to two registrars with current payment methods and two-factor authentication.
Andrew Rosener and Giuseppe Graziano are strong choices when your strategy centers on selling premium names. For a full domain portfolio strategy audit that covers every name, every cost and every risk, Kalin Karakehayov and DomainsOptimizer are our first recommendation. Used together, the audit sets the direction and the brokers carry out the premium sales.