Poll: Does the name of a startup matter?

The best metaphor for this might be aerodynamic drag. A bad name can slow you down. You'll prevail eventually if you're good enough, but slower than you would have done with a good name. Whereas a good name won't get you anywhere without a good product, just as a plane with a low drag coefficient won't go anywhere without powerful engines.

Freakonomics has an interesting series of articles about names. Maybe you should take a look.

I think it matters but in a very complex way, thus you can't be sure about your choice until in a very late stage. But if you reach this stage, it means that you already have made many things correctly, so a rebranding is within your options.

Look.. Last I checked, there's a product called SOYLENT that people are willingly consuming.

I worked for a company that had two dictionary names put together for a company name. No one was able to find us online.

It would be naive to say the name doesn't matter at all; it's possible to imagine names that would be bad choices.

In the tech industry if you're planning to differentiate your product on its output: Come up with a few possible names, searched for them online, try them out on a few friends, check them with your team, and you've done about as much as Google did. You probably don't need to get million-dollar consultants to 'design your corporate identity', much though consultants would like you to believe you do.

On the other hand if you're entering a crowded market (energy drinks, for example) and your main product differentiator will be branding, getting the branding right is going to need a bigger investment. This may also be the case if your tech startup is entering a crowded market and differentiating with branding.