⚡ How the Power of Social Media Rocketed an Ice-Cream Business to a 9-figure Valuation

Morning Innovators ⚡ In less than 5 minutes, we’ll cover…

🥳 The best funding opportunities, events and jobs in the start-up world
📰 The biggest news stories in the start-up world
🍡 How the power of social media powered an ice-cream business to a 9-figure valuation
🍕 How FOMO marketing helped a new entrant in the pizza market
👀 Our favourite start-up to keep an eye on this week
💸 A tool that helps you with your financial situation

✨ Last weeks most clicked link was this link to Solid Bond, helping to support pre-seed businesses secure funding.

Happy hustling,
Rich & Gary

🎤 Events/Opportunities

1️⃣ Episode 1 Ventures have announced a new £76m fund where they’ll be backing a new generation of B2B innovators at Pre-Seed and Seed, investing between £250k and £3m.

⭐ Applications for Tech Nation’s Rising Stars pitch competition have been extended to the 25th March.

🚀 Jason Calacanis’ Launch has a range of options for founders looking for funding support including a ‘founder university’ to help founders turn their idea into reality, an accelerator programme with the potential of receiving investment and a fund you can apply directly to for investment.

💧 There’s some interesting SeedLegals events coming up including:
Boost your app downloads, and
Scaling up: How to find office space for a growing team

💼 Job opportunities

🎒 Adventure Operations Coordinator, Flash Pack
🧑‍🏫 UI/UX Product Designer, Seneca Learning
📹 Chief of Staff, Natter

🤖 The founder of British AI start-up DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman has joined Microsoft to head up their new AI-specific arm, Microsoft AI. UKTN

🖼️ Robin Rombach, the maker of Stable Diffusion is leaving Stability AI. Sifted

📈 FinTech trading app Robinhood is preparing its third attempt at entering the UK market. Sifted

🛍️ OpenAI’s GPT store is filling up with bizarre, potentially copyright-infringing GPTs such as those that purport to generate art in the style of Disney and Marvel properties, but serve as little more than funnels to third-party paid services, and advertise themselves as being able to bypass AI content detection tools. TechCrunch

🍡 Mochi Magic: The Little Moons Saga - From Family Bakery to Social Media Stardom

Nestled within the comforting embrace of their parents' bakery, Howard and Vivien Wong embarked on an exploratory journey that would ultimately lead to the creation of Little Moons. Their lives were steeped in the art of baking, with weekends and holidays spent amidst flour and sweet scents. This environment wasn't just a workplace; it was a crucible for creativity and innovation. Vivien, drawing inspiration from her background in finance and a sudden urge to seize life by the reins following her father's cancer diagnosis, decided that the path of entrepreneurship was her true calling. Howard, sharing a similar drive, joined forces with his sister, and together, they ventured into the unknown with a shared vision.

Their "Eureka!" moment came unexpectedly. The siblings had always been enamored by the traditional mochi served in their family's bakery, a confection known for its soft, chewy texture. However, it was the fusion of mochi with ice cream that truly ignited their culinary imaginations. This wasn't just a new recipe; it was a revelation. The combination of the delicate, doughy exterior with the creamy, flavorful ice cream interior was unlike anything they had experienced. It was this innovative twist on a traditional treat that laid the foundation for Little Moons.

The initial phase of their journey was characterised by meticulous experimentation and refinement. They weren't just creating a product; they were crafting an experience. The siblings sought the expertise of top chefs, delving into the nuanced world of flavors and ingredients to ensure that each Little Moon was a masterpiece. This dedication to quality and innovation became the hallmark of their brand.

However, introducing a novel product like mochi ice cream to a market unfamiliar with its texture and concept presented significant hurdles. The siblings' strategy was to first capture the hearts of the culinary world by supplying their mochi ice cream to high-end restaurants. This approach not only validated their product among food connoisseurs but also created a buzz that transcended the restaurant scene.

The pivotal moment in Little Moons' journey came with the advent of social media, particularly TikTok. The platform, known for its virality and youth-centric audience, became the stage upon which Little Moons would perform its most enchanting act. Users, captivated by the allure of these colorful mochi balls, began sharing their quests to find them in stores, their taste tests, and even creative recipes incorporating Little Moons. This user-generated content phenomenon catapulted the brand into the social media stratosphere, amassing over 320 million impressions under hashtags like #LittleMoonsMochi.

Little Moons' strategic use of social media wasn't just about embracing the platform; it was about engaging with a community. They recognised the power of their audience's voice and amplified it, encouraging the sharing of experiences and building a narrative that resonated with millions. This approach not only expanded their reach but also solidified their place in the cultural zeitgeist.

The story of Little Moons is a testament to the power of innovation, the strength of family, and the boundless potential of social media to transform a local delicacy into a global phenomenon. As they continue to delight taste buds around the world, one can only wonder, what new horizons will Little Moons explore next?

When you’re a brand new company competing in a pretty established market, it’s hard to gain the trust of prospective customers and get them to pick you over their existing suppliers. This is the exact problem Slice (Then branded mypizza) faced.

So, they used some clever marketing to build credibility amongst prospective customers and become the massive company they are today! You might look at the picture and think “Branded cars, so what?”. Well, the founder of Slice, Ilir Sela, leased these two cars and covered them in company branding. Instead of actually driving these cars around, he would just leave them parked outside pizza places across the city they were trying to break into. Other pizza place owners would see these cars outside pizza places and feel as if they were missing out on customers using Slice, creating a huge level of FOMO. This FOMO drove sign ups to Slice through the roof and would catapult them into stardom.

We’re not suggesting that you can go and lease some cars and cover them in branding, but can you tactically place something in and around your dream customers? Maybe you can just give your friend a company uniform and have them looking super busy outside your dream customer’s HQ!

Each week we’re featuring one start-up we love. We’d love this to come from community recommendations, so if you know a start-up doing something awesome who deserves a shout-out, please reply to this email. 

The Deli Society is a UK-based online members' club tailored for food enthusiasts, offering access to a wide range of high-quality products sourced from artisan producers across the UK and Europe. Membership is free and grants access to exclusive products, member pricing, and food-related events. The platform features an extensive selection of goods, including bakery items, charcuterie, dairy, drinks, and sustainable seafood, catering to those who value quality, traceability, and sustainability in their food choices. The Deli Society aims to create a community for the next generation of foodies, making it easier to discover and enjoy hard-to-find, artisanal products.

Each week we highlight our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our innovator community have recommended.

This week, we’re sharing Harness Wealth - a platform designed to modernise advisory services, making it easier for individuals to discover and collaborate with financial, tax, and estate advisors. Tailored for those dealing with specific financial situations such as company equity, small businesses, and cryptocurrencies, Harness offers a suite of tools for equity planning, net worth tracking, and tax insights. Their marketplace features hand-picked firms, ensuring personalised support.

Next week we’ll be looking at one of my (Gary’s) favourite business stories. Learn how defining a super strong USP can help you out-perform even the biggest of competitors. As usual we’ll also be highlighting our favourite start-up of the week, funding opportunities, and plenty of awesome tips, tricks and tools.

P.S. Connect with us on LinkedIn…