Brands need true connection with consumers to win their trust and sell

A’s (Athletes/Artists) who have generated authentic engagement from their audiences have earned personal connection & trust with those followers. A’s are influencers, so what better way to drive sales for B’s (Brands) than through those athletes and artists where there is already trust with the end consumer. 

A2B was co-founded by Paul (Strategic Sales leader & Parkour Dad), Gabe (TMPST CEO & Hollywood stunt dude), and David (Next level tech guru) in 2020. After the TMPST brand had expanded its reach to over 5m people, Gabe saw the gaps between athletes and the brands they desire to team up with. He, Paul, and David met up for a lakeside chat where they committed their individual talents to building a platform that connects the dots in the most efficient way possible. Based on the idea that “the quickest way from point A to point  B is a straight line,” A2B was born.

Athletes and Brands want to partner, but it's hard work and the path to ROI is rarely clear

So we're launching A2B with a goal of removing impediments that often kill athlete & brand relationships

• Athlete and Brand partnerships initially require lots of time & energy to build trust and develop concepts that will eventually lead to brand views or sales. A2B’s platform gets straight to the point by dramatically decreasing those upfront efforts directly connecting trusted A’s to enthusiastically committed & engaged B’s.
• Focused on the micro- and nano-influencers, we've designed A2B to support athletes and artists with <100k followers. Athlete-creators possess extraordinary and often undervalued potential. Traditionally, brand partnerships were reserved for highly renowned and accomplished influencers. However, brands are now awakening to the escalating risks associated with exclusively relying on a select few prominent influencers. A single misstep has the potential to trigger a significant backlash, resulting in the cancellation or withdrawal of support from both the influencer and the brands associated with them. By embracing a diversified approach that supports a multitude of smaller creators, brands not only mitigate these risks but also forge a deeper, more authentic connection with an equally substantial and undeniably more engaged audience. What's more, this approach can be achieved at a comparable or even reduced cost, as smaller athlete creators often offer greater flexibility for collaboration opportunities as they are growing their own personal brands.

• Direct sales on influencer pages increase the authenticity of ambassadorships. Athlete-creators don’t want to send their audience away to support brands, rather they want brands to support their communities right where they are. 
• A2B is a community of Athletes, Artists, and Brands formed to maximize the benefits of social commerce through our integrated platform. We offer creators a personalized 360-degree solution to nurture their audience and develop brand relationships through an ecosystem they can finally control and own. Our network provides brands an opportunity to transform affiliate creators into true brand ambassadors, thus creating new & authentic sales channels through our growing number of athletes and artists. 

Quality & authenticity of interaction is core to A2B's values. We felt it essential to give our collective audiences the opportunity to invest at this early stage of A2B as a startup, but not before we had invested our time, money, and energy to making sure there was market demand for A2B's platform.

We are currently onboarding trusted A's and B's who are excited to be part of our beta launch. Several have already signed up and our launch plan is simple:

• Pilot with these A's and B's
• Refine
• Let in the next batch of A's & B's from our pipeline
• Refine. Repeat.
• Open up to A's and B's everywhere

We offer exclusive incentives to early adopters and partner brands to help kickstart engagement and foster a strong sense of community.

Business model

We make money by connecting brands with athletes and artists to do business—creating one home for influence, audience, and growth. 

The business model for the online community connecting brands and athletes will likely involve several revenue streams. Here's how we plan to start:

Membership fees: A2B is free to Athletes and Artists. The platform will charge brands a monthly or annual fee to access the community and connect with potential partners. Athletes/Artists will have the option to upgrade for a fee, in a later version of the platform. These upgrades will allow A’s to have customizable controls and sell their own products through the platform.

Transaction fees: The platform will take a small transaction/processing fee for sales done through A’s pages.

Commission-based revenue: A2B plans to charge a percentage of any deals or collaborations facilitated through the platform. For example, if a brand hires an athlete through the platform, A2B, acting as agent, would take a commission on that transaction.

What are future monetization opportunities we plan to test?

Advertising: The platform could sell advertising space to brands who want to reach the community of athletes and other brands. This could include banner ads, sponsored content, or other forms of advertising that offer brands an opportunity to further extend their campaigns. Athletes will always have the ability to opt out of ad placement on their pages.

Data monetization: The platform could collect data on the preferences and behaviors of its users and sell that data to other companies looking to understand the sports & entertainment industry better. Athletes will always have the ownership and control to opt out of data monetization.

What’s next?

Looking to the future, our online community for athletes and brands has big plans for growth and expansion. Here are a few key areas that we will be focusing on in the coming months and years:

International expansion: We will be looking to expand our community to athletes, artists, and brands around the world, with a focus on crucial sports markets in Europe, Asia, and beyond.

Partnerships and integrations: We will seek strategic partnerships and integrations with other companies in the sports & entertainment industry to provide our members with even more opportunities for collaboration and growth.

New features and functionality: We will continually enhance our platform with new features and functionality to make it even easier for athletes and brands to connect and work together. AI and automated payouts are current subjects of focus.

Data-driven insights: We will invest in advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities to provide our members with valuable insights and data-driven recommendations for partnerships and collaborations.

Shake up the social structure: Once a large enough amount of data is accumulated for our platform to sell ad space at profitable rates, we will share a portion of the ad-revenue to the Athletes/Artists that have helped to generate all of that data. This is a much more supportive way to inspire influencers to use the A2B platform and feel a sense of ownership as they help to grow it into a competitor of the more established social media platforms. 

We are committed to building a world-class platform that connects athletes and brands in a dynamic and supportive community. With our unique approach and access to millions of followers of our athletes and brands, we are poised for great success and growth in the coming years.

Before we dive in further though, let's talk about something we're all familiar with... risks...

Nah, we're not talking about those insane death-defying stunts that'll have you risking life and limb.

We're talking about something just as exhilarating: financial risks.

A2B, our kickass super early startup, is all about embracing the thrills and spills of the unknown. Yeah, there's a boatload of risks that could potentially trip us up, but we're not here to sugarcoat it. If things go sideways and we crash and burn, your investment could go up in smoke.

And even if we soar high and succeed, there's always the chance that our expenses outweigh the cash flow or we can't score a profitable selling price, which means you would most likely lose your investment.

If that financial hit would be a major burden, putting a damper on your love for us, then we encourage you not to invest.

We’re grateful for the people who’ve supported us this far and don’t want to let an investment of any kind, large or small, spoil our relationships.

The minimum investment is just a hundred bucks, but the golden rule is, never invest more than you’re willing to lose.

Now, for all you badasses out there who are ready and willing we're stoked to have you on board! We aim to change the game and truly believe that together we can empower athletes AND amplify the brands that support them.

FAQ

How does this work?

• (1) Join Wefunder by clicking ‘Sign Up’ in the top right corner. While we are prioritizing our customers for this crowdfund, those who are not A2B customers are welcome to make reservations as well.
• If you’re new to Wefunder: use your A2B email address to sign up. After the campaign closes, you can change it to your personal email in Settings.
• If you’ve already used Wefunder: use your A2B email address so that we can identify you as a A2B customer. You can change it in Settings, and can reverse this change after the campaign closes.
• If you’re not yet a A2B customer: Use any email address you prefer.
• (2) Choose an amount you’re comfortable with
• - You can commit any amount you’d like up to your legal max, from $100USD.
• (3) Confirm reservation
• Wefunder will reserve your chosen amount. When the campaign ends, you’ll confirm your reservation, and the funds will be deposited to A2B.
• If we exceed our maximum raise, we’ll refund some contributions (more on refunds below).

What happens if the maximum raise is exceeded?

We aren't planning to take more than $2m, so if we become oversubscribed, we may need to refund you some or all of your reservation amount. We will be prioritizing the TMPST audience first, and will accept investments from non-TMPST audience after this.

What is the minimum investment?

The minimum check size is $100USD.

What's the maximum I am legally allowed to invest?

Through Regulation Crowdfunding everyone can invest up to $2,200. How much you're able to invest above that depends on your net income and net worth. You can see how much you're allowed to invest by adding those two numbers under "Investor Limits" here: https://wefunder.com/settings

While you may be legally able to invest more, your investment may be lowered depending on the interest we receive in this round.

Do I need to be an accredited investor?

No. Wefunder allows you to invest without being an accredited investor. All you have to do is sign up and invest.

Do I have to do anything for A2B as an investor?

No. All you do is invest. 

When will my investment leave my account?

If you fund your Wefunder Cash account, your funds will move from your account immediately, similar to online shopping. You can also choose to wait to fund your reservation until after we've filed with the SEC (September 27th). Once we've filed with the SEC you'll be able to pay via bank account, wire transfer, credit card, or check.

Wefunder will email you to confirm your commitment once we file our Form C with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and close the campaign. Once you confirm, the funds and the campaign is closed are permanently deposited into A2B via Wefunder. This is irreversible and confirmed investments cannot be refunded.

For other questions, please check out Wefunder's FAQs or contact [email protected].