AIReviews.com sold for $1.34M plus 9% equity: Florida startup to launch world’s first AI review search engine in 2026

Over the past year, TechStartups has tracked a silent rebrand unfolding across the startup ecosystem: a shift from experimental .AI domains back to the clarity and global trust of .com. That trend just reached a new milestone. AIReviews.com, a domain purchased for $490 in 2021, has now sold for $1.34 million plus a 9% equity stake.

The news was first reported by the South Florida Business Journal as a Florida AI startup prepares to launch what it calls the world’s first AI review search engine in 2026. Rather than launch on AIReviews.ai, the founders secured AIReviews.com — signaling how serious startups are returning to .com as their primary brand identity.

The buyer, AIreviews Corporation, is a Delaware-registered tech company co-founded by David Azoulay and Steve Churchill and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. The startup confirmed the acquisition in a press release and local filings, describing the domain as the foundation for a category-defining consumer AI product set to debut in early 2026.

“A technology company based in Fort Lauderdale and registered in Delaware paid $1.34 million for a website. AIreviews Corp. has acquired the www.aireviews.com domain name,” the South Florida Business Journal reported.

The purchase marks a major win for domain investor Rick Schwartz, widely known as the “Domain King,” who revealed he bought AIReviews.com for $490 in 2021. Schwartz structured the deal as a long-term transaction spanning five years, combining cash payments with a 9% equity stake in the startup. For a domain investor long associated with high-value .com bets, the structure reinforces a familiar theme: when a domain becomes the platform—not just the address—the valuation curve changes.

AIReviews.com: A Voice-First AI Review Search Engine Built on a Patent

AIreviews says its platform is designed to solve one of the web’s oldest pain points: review overload. Instead of wading through endless comment threads, users will be able to search any product, business, service, or location and instantly hear a short list of the top three positive and top three negative insights, drawn from reviews across the internet.

The company holds a patent for its AI-driven aggregation, summarization, and voice-playback system. Unlike typical review filters that rewrite or reinterpret user feedback, AIreviews says its system reads reviews exactly as they appear online, preserving authenticity while removing friction.

Key features include:

• Universal Review Aggregation: Pulls verified reviews from major platforms, marketplaces, and social channels.

• AI Summaries: Identifies recurring themes and sentiments.

• Voice Playback: Reads summaries in a natural, conversational tone.

• Geo-Matching: Connects users with nearby stores or services offering reviewed products.

• AI-Generated Visuals: Creates short, automated visuals based on public product or location imagery.

“We’re creating a system where users can search, listen, and act,” said CEO David Azoulay. “We want reviews to be as easy to experience as listening to a podcast.”

“There’s nothing out there like this,” added co-founder Steve Churchill. “No one uses AI for reviews. We expect this to be really big.”

Launching in Early 2026 — and Starting With a .COM, Not a .AI

The company plans a dual rollout in early 2026, launching both a mobile app and the AIReviews.com platform, with mid-January as the target. Churchill told the South Florida Business Journal that although the app may become the primary interface, owning the .com “makes the entire ecosystem more powerful.”

The decision to secure AIReviews.com instead of a .AI extension underscores a broader brand shift in the startup ecosystem. As consumer AI products move from experimentation to mainstream competition, founders are increasingly favoring .com domains for trust, clarity, and global recognition—a trend TechStartups has been tracking for months.

In many cases, .AI domains served as early placeholders, but maturing companies now see .com as a requirement for long-term positioning. AIreviews’ seven-figure purchase is one of the clearest signals yet.

Self-Funded Today, Raising Capital in 2026

AIreviews is currently self-funded but plans to open its first fundraising round in early 2026 to support:

• product scaling

• infrastructure buildout

• international expansion

• market awareness

Local businesses in Fort Lauderdale are expected to benefit early from the platform’s geo-targeting features, which surface nearby services and retailers while distilling online feedback noise into structured, voice-ready insights.

Rick Schwartz on the Deal and the Future of AI Branding

For Schwartz, the sale fits into a wider pattern he has identified for years: foundational .com names continue to command premium valuations, even as domain trends come and go.

“The buyers saw the same potential I did,” Schwartz told the Business Journal. “They moved quickly and they’re positioning themselves for a space that’s only going to grow. I feel very good about where this domain is going, and since I have a stake in this company, I’m excited to be part of it.”

In a post on X reporting the sale, Schwartz  said:

“I can finally share the full story behind my http://Aireviews.com deal. South Florida Business Journal just did a deep dive on the sale, the price, and the equity I took in the company. Bought it for $480 in 2021. Sold it for 1.34 million plus 9 percent equity in the company.”

The deal also highlights how the AI boom has revived demand for category-defining .com domains, even as .AI domains remain popular. While Anguilla has generated millions from its .ai registry, the highest-value brand positioning is still firmly anchored in .com—especially for consumer-facing AI products that need trust and clarity.

A New Benchmark for AI Domains — and a Marker for a Market Shift

AIreviews now enters the new year with three pillars in place:

• a patent-protected AI product,

• a seven-figure .com asset, and

• a public roadmap leading to a 2026 launch.

Whether the startup succeeds will depend on execution, but the branding strategy and early signals are hard to ignore. This sale is more than a domain story—it’s a window into how AI startups are positioning themselves for mainstream adoption.

And it is one of the clearest signs yet that the quiet shift from AI back to .com is no longer subtle.
It’s accelerating.