Startup Naming Advice Worth Watching: Two Videos for AI Founders

Two of the most practical videos on startup naming, with notes on how their advice applies to AI companies and .ai domains in 2026.

1. How to name your startup, with Jason Calacanis

In this Startup Basics episode of This Week in Startups, investor Jason Calacanis walks through the naming decisions every founder faces. His main points:

• Choose a style. Literal names say what the company does. Evocative names create a feeling and are easier to make distinct.
• Brainstorm widely. Use a dictionary, a thesaurus or a reverse dictionary, and ask your team for related words.
• Get creative with spelling, using deliberate misspellings, prefixes or suffixes to find a name that is available.
• Accept an imperfect domain early while money is tight.
• Test it out loud. A good name survives a bad phone line: someone hears it once and types it correctly.
• Protect it with a trademark, and plan for conflicts with app names and social handles.

How it applies to AI startups

Starting on an imperfect domain is still reasonable, but in AI the gap between “getname” and the exact match has widened, as this year’s sales show. Plan to move to the exact-match .ai before a major launch or fundraise, because the price only rises once people know your name. And use creative spelling carefully: it can find you an available name, but it can also fail the phone test he describes.

2. A startup naming framework, with Greg Isenberg

Entrepreneur Greg Isenberg sorts names into bad, good and “tofu,” his word for names so bland they’re forgotten. His framework:

• Pick a naming category, from descriptive names to rising cultural phrases or humor.
• Apply the telephone test: people should hear, spell and find the name without help.
• Check the fit with what the product offers, and rule out negative associations.
• Keep a running list of words and phrases that catch your ear.
• Check handle availability regularly, test finalists with friends and family, and mock up logos before deciding.
• Use AI to brainstorm, then filter the results through the same checks.

How it applies to AI startups

AI brainstorming is a fast way to generate a long list, but AI tools often suggest similar patterns, so filter hard for names that stand out and clear trademark. The “tofu” warning matters most in AI, where many products share the same handful of words.

Where the two agree

• Say it out loud. Both treat the phone test as non-negotiable.
• Distinct beats descriptive over the long run.
• Check availability early: the domain, the handles and the trademark, before you fall in love with a name.

To turn this advice into a decision, use our six tests in How to Name an AI Company in 2026, and see why a strong name matters more going into 2027.