How the Heck Do You Say LMNTRIX? A Tale of Dance, Domains, and Discounts

Picture this: I’m in my kitchen, half-listening to my son’s latest movie obsession, Step Up, blaring from the living room. On the screen, a dance crew called LMNTRIX (yes, all caps, because apparently lowercase is for the weak) catches my eye. It’s bold, it’s quirky, and it’s got zero to do with cybersecurity. Perfect. I scribble it down in my Notes app, right next to “Razorback” (don’t ask). Fast forward a decade, and that random movie moment birthed the name of my MXDR company, LMNTRIX. Here’s the absurd, serendipitous story of how it all went down.

If you know me from my earthwave days, you already know I despise generic cybersecurity names. “Cyber”? Snooze. “Security”? Yawn. “Trust”? Please, I’d rather name my company after my dog’s favorite chew toy. So, when I was plotting my next venture while still at Dimension Data, LMNTRIX felt like a rebellious middle finger to the branding gurus who’d probably faint at the sight of it.

But the universe had other plans. When I tried to snag razorback.com, the domain owner wanted USD $70,000. Hard pass. So, I moved to LMNTRIX. Surprise, surprise—it was also taken, this time by a guy in South Africa. I reached out, expecting another ridiculous price tag, but this dude was thrilled to offload it for $500. Apparently, he and his wife saw the same Step Up movie, thought LMNTRIX would be a killer name for a yoga retreat, but never got it off the ground. Five years of renewing a $15 domain later, he was stoked to make a profit. Within 30 minutes, I owned LMNTRIX.com. Score. 

Now, here’s where it gets fun. I tell every prospect that if they can pronounce LMNTRIX correctly, they get a 30% discount. Spoiler: nobody’s nailed it. Is it “Elementrix”? “Lemontrix”? “L-M-N-Trix”? "Lateral Movement Neutralization Tricks"? Your guess is as good as mine. It’s become my favorite icebreaker, and I’m secretly thrilled it’s saving me money. 

But wait, it gets better. A few years after LMNTRIX launched, IBM decided to one-up me in the “unpronounceable name” game. They paid a cool million to a fancy branding firm for… Kyndryl. No, it’s not a new cholesterol med—it’s their global IT services spinoff. I mean, props for creativity, but I’m pretty sure LMNTRIX still wins the “what even is that” award. 

So, that’s the story of LMNTRIX—a name born from a dance movie, a cheap domain deal, and my stubborn refusal to be boring. Next time you’re struggling to say it, just remember: mispronounce it, and I keep my 30%. Dance your way to a discount if you dare.