Ireland and Leinster rugby out-half Ross Byrne knows about patience and what he has learned about being ready for the big moment to come on the pitch has translated into his new business venture.
12 months ago we reported on the early stage idea of Starfolio, a platform to link brands and sporting and other stars using technology to forge the initial relationship.
It has, as is often the case, taken a little longer than imagined to bring to the market but in the past week, the service has gone live and is garnering good reviews.
It is the result of two years of research, building a network, and building a platform, as well as raising the funding needed to bring it to life.
The plan now is to see Starfolio become a major operator in the fast-growing area of branding and influencer marketing.
It follows Sport Endorse, active and with an established base since being launched by Declan Bourke and Trevor Twamley in 2016. They have assisted in talent for campaigns run by Sports Direct, SuperValu and Specsavers and have started to make noise in international markets.
The global influencer industry is estimated to be worth $16.4 Billion so there is a space for multiple platforms.
“From my experience as a professional rugby player and thanks to my contacts across various sports, I could see that many highly talented people were not maximising their earnings potential primarily because brand and marketing people didn’t know how to contact them or were afraid they might not have the right sized budgets,” said Byrne.
“Our team and investors believe there is a gap in the marketplace for our platform to make it easy for businesses and the corporate world to see who is available for specific events and campaigns.”
“In a nutshell, our platform makes it easy for stars to market themselves. It outlines which services and sponsorships are available and those looking for a personality for a specific function or gig have just one click to see who is offering what in the marketplace. We are here to facilitate the easy transaction of bookings for brands and talent.”
Padraig O’Hora, Bernard Jackman, Billy Dardis, and others are among the sporting talent that can be booked on the service and the database is searchable by service and budget.
A video message or an Instagram post all the way up to speaker appearances and ambassador campaigns are on the menu
“We will be working both with agents, who represent stars and with individuals who want to manage their own profiles,” said co-founder and CEO Michael Rogers.
“We are here to drive new revenue-generating opportunities to both.”
