The Most Promising Retail Startups of 2022, According to Top VCs

Steve Ahern, KB Partners

Recommended startup 1: Tixologi

Relationship: Investor 

Total startup funding: $2.25 million

What it does: Tixologi makes blockchain-based ticketing software designed to eliminate the “pain points” of the ticketing experience, Asher Weiss, the CEO and cofounder of Tixologi, told Insider.

Why it’s on the list: The ticketing industry is due for a refresh. Tixologi and its investors, including KB Partners, think blockchain is the answer. Blockchain is essentially a permanent digital ledger. When used for ticketing, it can prevent counterfeiting by letting fans easily trace back to see if a ticket is authentic. 

It can also help event companies gather data on fans because in order to accept a ticket, a fan must have a Tixologi account. The account’s data can be used to make marketing efforts more targeted and effective. 

Tixologi’s platform also can convert tickets into non-fungible tokens or digital collectibles.

“In the future, all tickets will be blockchain-based and all will likely be NFTs,” Weiss told Insider. “We feel confident we can be the industry leader.” 

The company is nearing its official launch after raising $2.25 million in venture capital. While sports is a natural first market for Tixologi, Steve Ahern, a partner at KB Partners, said there’s significant room to expand. 

“One of the things that’s exciting about the ticketing space is there’s an application beyond purely sports,” he said. “There’s a really solid market there. Some of the biggest success stories in sports have been ticketing companies.”

Recommended startup 2: Real

Relationship: No financial interest

Total startup funding: Self-funded, according to the company

What it does: A social-sports app designed to connect fans and provide a community where they can discuss live games on a play-by-play level.

Why it’s on the list: Ever notice a spike in traffic on social media during big events like the Oscars or the Super Bowl? The Real app builds on that phenomenon, but is aimed strictly at sports fans who regularly watch the games of a specific team or the performances of specific players. 

The app also has a notification system that can alert fans to pivotal moments, such as when bases are loaded in a baseball game. NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and NCAA men’s basketball games are available on the app. Louis and John Antonelli, the cofounder brothers of Real, plan to expand to other leagues and sports, including auto racing and ultimate fighting. 

“Real has done a very solid job developing a platform that keeps fans engaged around the most exciting moments in sports,” Ahern told Insider. “They’ve quickly found a way to bring Gen Z back to live sports and created an amazing community of sports fans along the way.”

The company launched in March 2021 and is self-funded. It has 88,000 active members and a 4.9-out-of-5-star rating on the App Store.

“We’re trying to avoid the true venture-capital route,” Antonelli said. “If we do need an influx to get us over a gap, we’ll probably do a friends-and-family round.”