The entrepreneurial community on the First Coast is home to a number of intriguing startups, with 2021 seeing an expansion of their ranks. ¶ Whether the companies were founded by seasoned veterans collecting money from venture capitalists or teenagers looking to grow a new social media platform, several startups are a must-watch for 2022. As First Coast Inno expands its coverage of the area’s innovation economy, here’s some of the companies we’re keeping an eye on.
Perspective, a social media platform that aims to promote thoughtful discussion and reward those willing to engage across the aisle, was founded by two high school students. After receiving a round of funding in 2021, the company is seeking a second round and is preparing to release a beta version of the app to the public in the first quarter.
What was your biggest accomplishment in 2021?
I believe our biggest accomplishment in 2021 was securing seed round funding. We first secured $160,000 off a safe agreement for from nine individual investors. There is going to be a further round of investment this year.
What are your goals for 2022?
We're going to launch our beta in [February.] We are finalizing the last round of [user interface] issues. We're also adding some new proprietary features ahead of launch. Nothing is ever perfect but we are trying to get as close to perfection as possible. That's one of our biggest goals but after that, our next goal is to have 50,000 to 100,000 users by the end of the year.
Are you seeking another round of investment? If so, what are you looking for/any details that you can share?
We're hoping to close with a large partner for funding between $1.5 million to $3 million, which will give us about a year of operating runway. After that, we'll be looking for Series A funding to the tune of about $15 million. But that is all subject to change because we have declined to put a valuation on the company so far. We've been raising most of our capital through safe agreements.
What, if any, hurdles do you foresee having to overcome to accomplish your goals?
The biggest challenge for us will be marketing. I want to be creative in our marketing. I can go out and say, 'hey, we're a social media platform dedicated to increasing bipartisanship.' But I want to go that extra mile and describe it in such a creative way that it's basically a new social media. It's not just a social media platform. It's a new type of social media. It's a new way to have people from other sites communicate. And I think that is a very hard process to do that creatively. I think that's going to be one of our biggest obstacles.
What makes your company unique in the industry, and/or locally?
Locally, there are a lot of financial and health tech companies but no one is doing what we are doing. So we are very unique in that aspect. Industry-wide though, no one is doing what we are doing either. We're very unique in that we are kind of flipping social media on its head and attacking it from another angle.
