> near .com saturation
What on earth are you talking about? If a name is taken, a name is taken.
What on earth are you talking about? If a name is taken, a name is taken.
The character limit on DNS is 253; so you've got enough space to be imaginative.
Further; if your startup name is already taken, then you probably should make a new name. Someone who just browses the site won't be able to remember if it was a .io, or a .xyz, or .space. They really don't care, and the first thing they'll try is .com, since that was/is the unwritten standard.