· Investor Presentation · ICANN 2026 Round ·

.chef

a private dossier

The internet's home for the
world's culinary professionals.

Raising $500,000 for creating a new Top-Level Domain during the ICANN 2026 Round.
In Partnership with .Best Registry (owned by PREMLEAD SAS)

.chef

02 / 15 · The Opportunity

I.The Opportunity

The ICANN 2026 round re-opens
the internet's naming layer.

For the first time in fourteen years, ICANN is accepting new Top-Level Domain applications. The window is open 30 April – 12 August 2026. The next round is not expected before 2035.

— Scarcity Window —

14yrs

since the last application round (2012 · previous window)

— Next Window —

2035+

~9-year scarcity baked in after this window closes

— Registry Agreement —

10yr

renewable, per TLD · ICANN contract · EBERO-backed

01 · Scarcity by Design

Premium .com names priced out. 2012 gTLDs pre-date AI agents and agentic commerce.

02 · A Single Window

15 weeks, one lifetime evaluation, then the door closes for a decade.

03 · Compounding Rent

A 10-yr renewable ICANN contract — recurring rent on a defensible asset.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

03 / 15 · The Industry

II.The Industry

A massive culinary industry
ready for its digital home.

182,000+ US chefs. Millions of culinary professionals globally. One missing piece — a dedicated professional namespace.

Professional Identity

A .chef domain is a verified credential — gordon.chef signals authority instantly, unlike chefmario-nyc.com.

ii.

Creator Economy

Food creators command 100M+ monthly views. They need distinct brand identities that platforms cannot own or revoke.

iii.

Untapped Namespace

.chef does not exist in the IANA root zone. No TLD today serves the full culinary professional spectrum.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

04 / 15 · Why Now

III.Why Now

Three converging trends make
2026 the only window.

Application window: 30 Apr – 12 Aug 2026 · Next round not expected before 2035.

— 01 —

The Creator Economy

52% of US consumers say they would attend a private chef-led dining event. Food creators command 100M+ monthly views and require distinct brand identities.

— 02 —

The Market

The global chef services market reaches $24B by 2033. Personal and private chef services grow at 5–9% CAGR, with booking platforms on fragmented generic domains.

— 03 —

The ICANN Round Opportunity

The 2026 round is the first since 2012. If missed, applicants wait another decade. The window hard-closes August 12, 2026 — there is no extension.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

05 / 15 · The Solution

IV.The Solution

An instant, professional credential
embedded in the URL.

Personal Chef

gordon.chef

Verified culinary professional

Restaurant Group

reservations.
maison.chef

Hospitality establishment

Food Creator

recipes.chef

Owned media identity

Culinary School

enrollment.
lecordon.chef

Accredited education

.chef covers all culinary professions — chefs, schools, restaurants, food media, and culinary creators.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

06 / 15 · Market Size

V.Market Size

A target 20,000 domains
within a vast unclaimed namespace.

— TAM —

— SAM —

— SOM —

20,000

domains

— TAM · Slate —

350.5M domains

All registered domains globally (Verisign DNIB Q1 2025). The total internet naming market.

— SAM · Bronze —

~45M domains

All new gTLDs delegated from the 2012 round (nTLDStats April 2026). Our competitive peer set.

— SOM · Gold —

20,000 domains

Conservative .chef professional cohort: chefs, schools, restaurant groups, food media — base-case Year 7 target.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

07 / 15 · Competition

VI.Competition

Zero direct competition
in the root zone.

.chef does not exist in the IANA root zone. No contention set is known. First mover takes all.

Alternative

The Problem

The .chef Advantage

.com workarounds (99%)

Cluttered — lacks identity signal

gordon.chef offers clean, instant authority

.food / .kitchen (hobbyists)

Lacks professional culinary credibility

.chef is a verified professional credential

Social media (creators)

Platform risk and algorithm dependency

You own your namespace forever

.restaurant (establishments)

Narrowly covers dining locations only

.chef covers all culinary professions

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

08 / 15 · The Partnership

VII.The Partnership

The .Best Registry Operator Profile
partnership changes everything.

— Standard NewCo —

The conventional path

Full 3-year P&L + $300K–$1M capital locked up
~20% delegation success rate
24–60 months to delegation
6–12 months to build registrar network
No track record

— The .Best Profile —

Our advantage

Factual verification only — capital requirement eliminated
~80% success rate with proven operator infrastructure
Fast-track to delegation (Registry Operator Profile)
Day-one access to 300+ registrars (GoDaddy, Namecheap)
$3M+ revenue, 40,000+ domains, 8 years operating

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

09 / 15 · Business Model

VIII.Business Model

Streamlined, high-margin
registry infrastructure.

— Step 01 —

Applicant

DotChef LLC

Holds the .chef string rights from ICANN.

→

— Step 02 —

.Best / PREMLEAD

Registry Operator

Has the Registry Operator Profile, 8-year track record and partnerships.

→

— Step 03 —

Registrars

300+ Partners

GoDaddy, Namecheap and others sell the domains.

→

— Step 04 —

Registrants

The Chefs

Culinary professionals pay ~$20–$50/year.

Wholesale fee flows directly to the registry — generating recurring profit for DotChef LLC.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

10 / 15 · Unit Economics

IX.Unit Economics

Software-like margins
on every domain.

— per domain, annually —

Wholesale Price $30.00

ICANN Fee −$0.25

RSP Fee via .Best −$0.40 to −$1.00

Net margin ~$29.00

— 6 Premium Tiers —

$100 → $5,000 / yr

6 tiers: Cat A generics to Cat F city domains (wholesale).

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

11 / 15 · Financial Projections

X.Financial Projections

Three scenarios to a
$3.8M – $13.2M enterprise value.

— Enterprise Value (Year 7) —

$3.8M

$7.3M

$13.2M

Conservative

Base Case

Aggressive

2.3×

— Conservative —

10,000 DUM · $475K ARR · $3.8M EV

4.4×

— Base Case —

20,000 DUM · $731K ARR · $7.3M EV

7.9×

— Aggressive —

30,000 DUM · $1.1M ARR · $13.2M EV

Base case: 10× multiple on $731K ARR → $7.3M EV → Investor 30% = $2.19M (4.4× MOIC).

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

12 / 15 · Team & Structure

XI.Team & Structure

An intentional, capital-efficient
operating structure.

Transparency Note

DotChef LLC incorporates immediately prior to ICANN filing. The application model relies on DotChef using the PREMLEAD SAS registry operator profile — allowing DotChef to focus on business development after delegation.

— CEO, DotChef LLC —

Anna Shershneva

55% equity

Application & Delegation, Registry operations, Investor relations, Business Development, TLD Monitoring.

— VP Domains · CEO, .Best —

Cyril Frémont

15% equity (via PREMLEAD SAS)

ICANN Registry Operator Profile, 8-year operator record, 300+ registrar channel.

— Registry Operator —

.Best (PREMLEAD SAS)

Operational since 2018 · 8-year ICANN compliance record
Manages 40,000+ domains · $3M+ revenue
Direct Partners: Team Internet (RSP), DENIC (escrow), IQ Global (monitoring)

Cap table post-close: Anna Shershneva 55% · PREMLEAD SAS 15% · Investors 30%.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

13 / 15 · Use of Funds

XII.Use of Funds

Deploying the
$500,000 raise.

Bucket A — Application $250,000 · 50%

ICANN Evaluation Fee $227,000 Primary regulatory hurdle — 2026 AGB schedule.

Legal & Application Prep $23,000 Application counsel, TMCH/LRO clearance.

Bucket B — Delegation ~3yr runway $250,000 · 50%

Mgmt Fees to Delegation (Y1–Y2) $100,000 Anna Shershneva + Cyril Frémont.

G&A to Delegation (Y1–Y2) $40,000 Website, travel, operations.

Marketing to Delegation (Y1–Y2) $10,000 Culinary trade press, registrar co-marketing.

ICANN Registry Fees (Y3–Y4) $50,000 ~$25K/year post-delegation.

RSP / Backend Fees (Y3–Y4) $50,000 ~$25K/year — Team Internet direct.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

.chef

14 / 15 · Timeline & Exit

XIII.Timeline & Exit

The course to a
2.3× – 7.9× exit.

Now → Jul 2026 Form DotChef LLC, finalize .Best partnership, legal prep.

Aug 12, 2026 Submit ICANN application. Window closes.

Q3–Q4 2026 Initial evaluation phase, fast-tracked via .Best profile.

Q3–Q4 2028 Delegation approved. .chef goes live in the root zone.

2029 + General availability. Revenue growth. Registrar partnerships.

Year 7–8 Exit Trade sale at 8–12× ARR. Buyers: Identity Digital, GoDaddy Registry, Team Internet.

Target: 2.3× – 7.9× MOIC · Investor stake 30%.

.chef · Confidential

April 2026

· Bon appétit ·

The table is set.

an invitation

Join the internet's culinary home.

Anna Shershneva · CEO, DotChef LLC

The ICANN 2026 round re-opensthe internet's naming layer.

A massive culinary industryready for its digital home.

Professional Identity

Creator Economy

Untapped Namespace

Three converging trends make2026 the only window.

The Creator Economy

The Market

The ICANN Round Opportunity

An instant, professional credentialembedded in the URL.

A target 20,000 domainswithin a vast unclaimed namespace.

Zero direct competitionin the root zone.

The .Best Registry Operator Profilepartnership changes everything.

The conventional path

Our advantage

Streamlined, high-marginregistry infrastructure.

Applicant

.Best / PREMLEAD

Registrars

Registrants

Software-like marginson every domain.

Three scenarios to a$3.8M – $13.2M enterprise value.

An intentional, capital-efficientoperating structure.

Deploying the$500,000 raise.

The course to a2.3× – 7.9× exit.

The ICANN 2026 round re-opens
the internet's naming layer.

A massive culinary industry
ready for its digital home.

Three converging trends make
2026 the only window.

An instant, professional credential
embedded in the URL.

A target 20,000 domains
within a vast unclaimed namespace.

Zero direct competition
in the root zone.

The .Best Registry Operator Profile
partnership changes everything.

Streamlined, high-margin
registry infrastructure.

Software-like margins
on every domain.

Three scenarios to a
$3.8M – $13.2M enterprise value.

An intentional, capital-efficient
operating structure.

Deploying the
$500,000 raise.

The course to a
2.3× – 7.9× exit.