GZV #19: 💥Special Announcement, A New Bank, and some New Sports Commentators.
Startups. Trends. Markets. All from a Gen Z view.
💥💥💥💥💥Special Announcement💥💥💥💥💥
Hi, Everyone.
It has been about a year since I had the idea for GZV. Increasingly, investors are sourcing some of the startups and founders featured here.
Due to this interest and the many great deals I source, but can’t always feature, I am excited to announce GZV Sourced:
GZV Sourced will come out every other week and will feature multiple startups (Next will have at least 5+ early stage startups). Certain deals will offer introductions to the founders.
This additional newsletter will be subscription based at $9.99 a month or $99 for the year (a 17% discount). The first 5 people to sign up for GZV Sourced will receive a 25% discount for their first 12 months.
💥 As for the FREE version of GZV, I will now be publishing every week! Each edition will feature one startup and either a trend or analysis piece. The startup section will also be more detailed, and more concise.
Now, onto the newsletter.
🦃 Happy Turkey Day! 🦃
Enjoy today’s newsletter and as always, if you like what you see, please share!
Find me on twitter:
As always feel free to contact me for any consulting or strategy work you need. Thomas@genzvoice.com
Enjoy!
Let me introduce you to HMBradley…
Problem:
Banking is old.
Product:
“HMBradley rewards you for how you spend and save – not by how many zeros are in your account”. Essentially this is banking reimagined, a new and modern platform that makes sense in our daily lives.
Differentiating Factors:
You get different APY based on the % you save (up to 3%!).
All your money lives in one account.
Save toward goals or plans for the future.
Modern dashboard to help make tracking everything easy.
CEO:
Zach (@zbruhnke) is a serial entrepreneur and YC alum, experience counts in the startup world and he has it.
💥GEN Z VIEW: I see success in the Gen Z Market for this product.
Like HMBradley says, Banking is old, and Gen Z doesn't like old. Usually kids do their finances through the same bank that their parents use because it’s familiar, and safe, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Most college kids know what it’s like to have no cash and recognize the power of saving, with HMBradley they now have even more incentives to do so.
Simplicity and modern products usually resonate very well with Gen Z consumers, HMB does exactly this.
Fundraising?
Just completed a Series A of $18.25m
Investment Idea:
Banking is an industry that has more or less stayed the same throughout the years, now it is changing. This isn’t only happening to banking, other industries are being changed from the way they have been operating for years. Usually, these old industries are operated very inefficiently, which Gen Z hates. Watch for the change in different industries and invest in companies on the forefront, these ones usually resonate with Gen Z.
Gen Z Trend: New Commentators for Sports
Explain this to me…
Well, recently we have been seeing some popular streamers on Twitch actually commentate for NFL games. The idea behind this is that some Gen Z’ers and kids in high school want to hear their favorite streamers talk about a football game rather than Joe Buck.
How is there not copyright?
The NFL has a contract with Twitch which allows them to show certain games. I would imagine that in the near future we will see other sports leagues do the same, such as the NHL, MLB, and PGA.
Why does this work?
Well, to some Gen Z’ers these streamers and influencers are viewed as their idols and they would rather listen to their coverage of a game over a TV announcer. Personally, if I have someone like Spittin’ Chiclets (Barstool Sports hockey podcast) commentating on hockey games, I would probably tune in because the commentary would be hilarious and entertaining to me.
What does the future hold for a product like this?
Well like Will Hershey said, the future will definitely have betting and prizes incorporated into this. Watching sports will be more than watching sports, you’ll be able to listen to your favorite influencers commentary, bet along with other people, win prizes, and more. This will result in more revenue for every party involved and more entertainment for the user.
Investment Idea:
All the pieces for a product like this haven’t come together yet, and there could definitely be someone building it. In my mind I would be looking for a company that is using influencers to spice up other entertaining parts of life, like watching sports.
Feel free to email or text with any questions or comments about the newsletter, Gen Z, or startups.
thomas@genzvoice.com