🟠🔴 How we got into Mastercard Start Path Pulse

& how to write an investor update

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On today’s edition: how to write an investor update pt.2 + How we got into Mastercard Start Path Pulse.

(new!) Do you have a passion for a topic & want to launch & monetize your own newsletter?  Apply Now

After 10+ calls & interviews we were able to convince close a partnership with a giant like Mastercard with our startup hypeal.com.

Although this is just an initial, exploratory partnership , it is a massive achievement since only a few startups have this opportunity & access to Mastercard internal APIs and customer portal visibility.

So how did this happen?

  • We outlined a fresh approach to a Mastercard-specifc problem that we could solve with our blockchain tech

  • We connected across the organization to get different perspectives on the problem and the current internal solutions

  • We outlined a plan on how we could make it happen fast as a lean team vs using massive investments in tech & people as a corporate player

& this is how we announced it to our investor update list:

These are the most significant updates of hypeal.com this month: 

  • 🌐 Focus on Open Loyalty. 69% of shoppers think loyalty programs are “too hard” & 70% of brands worry about 3rd party advertising decline. Swapping brand benefits with hypeal.com reduces complexity of managing multiple programs for consumers, while creating a new 1st party marketing opportunity for brands. --> Latest Pitch

  • 🟠🔴 We got accepted to Mastercard Start Path Pulse. In Pulse, hypeal.com will be visible to Mastercard teams and customers globally, have API directory access & Mastercard brand association.

  • 📈 8% (vs 2% Jan'24) of checkouts of loscarabeo.com contained a HYPE in Feb '24. A/B testing HYPES as Digital Collectibles vs Loyalty Cards increased conversion rate by 400% for the former. This is a great sign of early product market-fit.

  • 📊 MoM HYPE usage growth  +53% Feb '24, +36% Jan '24 - first MRR transaction completed thanks to our private shopify app launch, to be scaled with our public launch. Also, currently it costs us $3 to get a lead & $86 to get a free trial.

  • 🚀 19x HYPES live pages: see all. We tested launching HYPES for digital creators, although focusing on brands is working much better to integrate our solutions on existing stores. 

Interested in our current investment round?

Book here your 1:1 with me.


Thanks for following our journey!

& that’s a wrap.

Hope you enjoyed the investor update and that you’ll send monthly yours from now on.

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Not sure the best way to get started here? 

Select from these simple options to hit the ground running:

Option #1 Do you want to checkout all Free Resources on how to build a VC backed startup in 2024?  Get Free Access

Option #2 Do you want the VIP reader experience? Premium weekly resources, fundraising, priority investor intros, growth and more?  Join HYPES+

Option #3 Do you have a business, newsletter or project you want to promote in front of 14,000+ subscribers?  Apply To Get Featured

Option #4 Do you want to get involved in hypeal.com as an investor, brand or partner  Reply Now

Option #5 (new!) Do you want to launch & monetize your own newsletter  Apply Now

Anything else? Hit reply to this email and let’s chat.

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Premium Resources (Updated Weekly)

  •  Cap Table Seed Round Simulator Upgrade for Example

    • When to use? When investor asks for round valuation

  • $200k hypeal.com pre-seed round, Closed Sep ‘23 Upgrade for Example.

    • When to use? Pre-revenue, pre-product, some user validation

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    • When to use? After you have your first leads/customers

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