Do good and meet your favorite celebrity: VIPrize combines charitable fundraising with reward-based crowdfunding. Prominent supporters include Eva Padberg, Jens Lehmann, Uli Hoeneß, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Sebastian Vettel and and most recently Lukas Podolski. We asked the founders Marc Adam and Matthias Hitzfeld our 7 questions!
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your portal!
Marc Adam: We've known each other for many years and worked together at PREMIERE about eleven years ago. Matthias was already focused on sports marketing back then, and as VP of Interactive Business, I streamed the first Champions League matches live online with my team. I spent the next few years at Microsoft in Munich and the USA, while Matthias worked at UEFA marketing company TEAM Marketing AG in Lucerne and at adidas in Herzogenaurach in Global Sports Marketing Football. But we never lost contact.
Matthias Hitzfeld: When Marc and I bumped into each other again as neighbors in Munich, I told him about my idea. We decided to tackle the VIPrize charity project together—we had no shortage of know-how, contacts, expertise, or implementation skills. On our fundraising platform VIPrize.org, you can win exclusive, money-can't-buy experiences with celebrities by donating to their social projects. The higher the donation, the greater the chances of winning and the more extraordinary the prizes from the celebrities, such as signed fan merchandise, Skype calls, thank-you tweets, and other prizes guaranteed depending on the donation amount.
Marc AdamUnlike traditional online auctions, where only the highest bidder wins, with us everyone has a chance to win the main prize—an exclusive experience with the celebrity—with just a small donation. Registering or sharing the promotions on Facebook, Twitter, or by email gives you additional chances to win.
2. But that's been around for a long time!
Matthias Hitzfeld: We're currently the only ones in Germany offering this type of charity fundraising mechanism using celebrities, social media, and our own proprietary viral features. There are several similar approaches in the US that inspired us. Meanwhile, the Americans are already copying numerous features we've integrated, such as the voucher codes that companies or individuals can give away for special occasions or corporate events.
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Marc Adam: In addition to the legal review and the approvals we obtained beforehand from various authorities, the biggest challenge was convincing the first charities and their celebrity ambassadors to launch a fundraising campaign with us. With the Laureus Foundation, we found an exciting partner with many celebrity ambassadors very early on, through whom we have already implemented campaigns and are planning many more. With the support of Uli Hoeneß, Sebastian Vettel, Lukas Podolski, and many other A-list celebrities who are committed to a good cause and are willing to activate their social media networks for it, it is becoming increasingly easier for us to convince new, interesting and committed partners of our concept.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
Matthias Hitzfeld: We're very satisfied so far. For example, our FC Bayern Munich campaign has already generated over €50,000 in donations for FC Bayern Hilfe eV. Due to their greater social media reach, we expect even higher donation amounts for the campaigns with Lukas Podolski and the YouTubers 'Die Lochis' (in support of the Lukas Podolski Foundation and the Tribute to Bambi Foundation). We're also constantly optimizing our technical platform. A few weeks ago, we introduced SMS donations and also created a B2B approach for corporate events.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Matthias Hitzfeld: Munich is a permanent fixture in both of our lives. We never considered starting the project anywhere else. We both see Munich as the ideal location for our very specific project. More and more companies are choosing Munich as a location, especially when it comes to digitalization. Here, you can find the right target group for your concept, and even the government support for startups is exemplary. Industry and research work more closely together in Munich than at almost any other location.
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Marc Adam: We are initially focusing on continuing to grow and entering into further collaborations with major charities, their ambassadors, and brands for whom our emotional environment with its mix of celebrities and charities is very attractive. The acquisition of new charities or celebrities depends heavily on our commitment as founders and our network. In addition to the B2C solution we initially established, we have now also developed a B2B solution: It allows companies to give away raffles or voucher codes for exclusive experiences with a celebrity to their employees or customers, for example at company events. This is where we see the greatest potential to significantly and positively influence donation behavior and willingness to donate in Germany. The trends for online and corporate donations are growing the fastest: a total of almost six billion euros were donated in Germany last year, not including large donations of more than 2,500 euros.
7. Who is your dream celebrity for VIPrize?
Marc Adam: We've already written to the Vatican twice to discuss an action with the Pope. If we can convince him of our mechanism, even Uli Hoeneß would give us a high-five!
