Last month, at the 2025 ICA Member Meeting in Las Vegas, industry professionals from across the domain name space gathered to discuss key developments, connect with peers, and recognize those making a significant impact. One of the highlights of the event was the Award Ceremony, where the first-ever ICA Trailblazer Award was presented to Atom.com and its founder, Darpan Munjal. The ICA membership, which includes professionals from all areas of the domain industry, played an active role in selecting Darpan Munjal and Atom.com as the recipients.
Recognizing Industry Innovation
The ICA Trailblazer Award was created to honor individuals and organizations driving meaningful innovation and making long-term contributions to the domain industry. Nominations were open to anyone in the domain name space, and ICA members—representing a broad spectrum of the industry, including investors, service providers, registrars, registries, brokers, attorneys, and other stakeholders—voted to determine the final recipient.
2025 Nominees
The nominees for this year’s award included a distinguished group of industry leaders:
- Ari Goldberger
- Chad Folkening
- Darpan Munjal/Atom.com
- Dennis Tinerino/DomainSmoke.com
- Dynadot
- Leanne McMahon
- Michael Sumner/NameBio
- Rick Schwartz
Looking Ahead
With the successful introduction of the ICA Trailblazer Award, this recognition will now be an annual tradition, shining a light on those who continue to push the boundaries of the domain industry. Industry professionals will once again have the opportunity to nominate deserving candidates, with ICA members voting to recognize the next wave of innovators in the years to come.
Congratulations again to Atom.com and Darpan Munjal on this well-earned honor, and a sincere thank you to all nominees for their contributions to our industry.