How important are domain names vs. company names?

Hi guys, so I'm in a bit of a situation here with my co founder. We have a very new startup, and we've chosen a company name that we both really like, but it's unfortunately (no surprise) proving to be a bit of a headache with getting a decent domain that even vaguely resembles our chosen company name.

We've done some research and we've read a lot of opinions that it's highly beneficial to get the right domain right off the bat - so much so, that it's apparently advised to rethink the company name in light of this. We've ALSO found some research where folks say it's simply not that important right now, after all: once you can generate cash, you can fit that bill of $15k that seems to be standard when inquiring about purchasing domains.

What do you guys think?