Introduction
VU is unique in focusing on user tastes and preferences without bias toward paid advertisers. Quickly find where to stream your favorites and discover new movies and shows you never would have known about otherwise.
Deal Highlights
- Closed SAFE at $1M
- MVP in Beta on both Android and iOS app stores
- 1800 registered users
- 11,000 customer waitlist
- Content from 27+ streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.
- Registered Trademarks
- Featured on NASDAQ TV’s #TradeTalks
- SXSW Innovation Award Finalist (2020)
- Pepperdine Most Fundable Company Semi-Finalist (2020)
- The Startup Pill’s top picks for the best Video Streaming startups 2021
Problem
For the first time ever, people can access every story ever told by movie and television studios. However, they live across dozens of streaming services, each neatly packaged and walled from one another. Users report spending a vexing 20 minutes searching for what to watch and where they have to watch it.
Solution
VUniverse is a platform-agnostic complement to streaming services, making it easier to figure out which shows and movies live where. All recommendations are tailored to user preferences, and VU protects user privacy and never monetizes user data. The VU algorithm synergizes mathematics with the science of human behavior. We cross hundreds of thousands of titles with millions of combinations of emotive tags to quickly and accurately identify programming suited to user individuality.
Vuniverse features:
- Search movies, TV shows & people. Filter by year, service, rating, descriptive genres, popular tags, movie/show. Smart-search & autofill popular searches
- Personalized algorithm; trending & popular titles, coming soon titles; watch with friends
- Create & share watchlists, randomizer, decision breaker & decision tracking tools, watch party invites.
Business Model
A consumer subscription model designed to support the values of the consumers who value their time and privacy as well as the entertainment industry.
Individual subscription: $3.99. Family (up to 6 members): $7.99
The TAM is 102M users in 49M households who subscribe to 3 or more streaming services.
Market
The US streaming market is massive, with 102M+ users in 49M+ households who subscribe to 3 or more streaming services. Additionally, the US market for paid apps (non-gaming) topped $6.2B in 2019.
Press
- #TradeTalks: A New Platform to Simplify Your Streaming Services
- Startup VUniverse Looks To Guide Streaming Viewers Overwhelmed By Algorithms
- This startup thinks it’s cracked streaming TV’s ‘where’s what I want to watch?’ problem
- VUniverse Could Be the Streaming Service Organizer We’ve Been Waiting For
- VUniverse wants to simplify streaming video recommendations
- #TradeTalks: The Effects of the Streaming Wars
NASDAQ TV
Deadline
Fast Company
Slash Film
Fierce Video
NASDAQ TV
Team
Evelyn is an executive producer in both the entertainment content and advertising worlds. She co-founded The Golden Trailer Awards with her sister in 1999, creating an award show to recognize the best in film trailers. Now in its 21st year, the show receives thousands of entries from around the globe competing for awards in 106 categories spanning all facets of filmed entertainment promotion. As a commercial producer, Evelyn has worked independently and in collaboration with top creative agencies and many iconic brands, developing a long-standing reputation for getting difficult campaigns produced on time and under budget. Evelyn graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Hillsdale college. She currently is active with the school and serves on the Alumni Board for Hillsdale College as well as serves on the board of the Nashville Film Institute.
Monica is Executive Producer and Co-Founder of Trailer Central and The Golden Trailer Awards, which have annually recognized the best in filmed entertainment previews for the past 20 years. In 2017, Monica wrote, directed, and produced the feature film Above All Things, and was recognized in the Annual New Directors Showcase by SHOOT Magazine as a ‘director to watch’. Monica studied at Oxford and earned a dual Film and Business degree from NYU’s Tisch School of Film and Television Production before beginning her career with the esteemed Jim Henson Productions.
Judith (Jude) Byrnes brings a wealth of software management experience to Team VU. She’s led software teams from concept to worldwide deployment in the Department of Defense and private sector. From the Navy’s first enterprise-wide decision support system (Enterprise Knowledge Management (eKM)) to DoD’s National Security Personnel System software to the Marine Corps’ police qualification tracking system to a trucker’s ability to make an overnight parking reservation, the common thread is her focused approach to feature delivery while ensuring the protection of user data. As the Operations Officer for VUniverse, Jude capitalizes on her network of software engineers, product and resource management experience and execution expertise to lead the day-to-day business and software development and deployment of VU.
Joey is a results-oriented technology leader who brings over 2 decades of experience to VUniverse. He joins VUniverse from MoviePass, where as CTO, he led all software engineering efforts. Highlights of his career prior to MoviePass, include leading engineering teams at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, TIAA-CREF & Lua Technologies. As a painter, musician, and photographer, Joey also brings an empathetic spirit to VUniverse, that informs his approach to building products users fall in love with.
Scott Weiland’s expertise in UI/UX and design is unrivaled. Prior to VUniverse Scott was the VP, Creative Director of Experience Design for Publicis and the Executive Creative Director for R/GA overseeing brand relaunches for Nike:ID, Samsung, HP, Barnes & Noble, Verizon, Verizon Wireless, Goldman Sachs, Citibank Rewards and HBOGo. Scott received his Master's of Fine Arts Degree from Parsons School of Design.
Advisors and Investors
William is an experienced risk management leader with a Fortune 10 ranked multi-national. He is an expert on leadership, digital transformation, privacy, technology, and risk. William served with the US Secret Service and Department of Defense in various security, intelligence, and risk management leadership roles before leaving in 2014 to create the Global Threat Management Team at Twitter, Inc. He serves on the boards of several start-up companies helping them identify and manage technology, regulatory, and operational risk – especially in the areas of privacy, trust & safety, and cybersecurity. Will is currently the Executive Head of Security, Risk, & Crisis Management at GE Digital in San Ramon, CA.
Papageorge is CEO of Genuine Overkill, a Creative, Insights & Strategy shop based in Downtown Las Vegas, with a strong competency in creating branded experiences. Prior to starting Genuine Overkill, Papageorge was a founding partner of New York-based experiential shop, Mirrorball – best known for delivering strong cultural relevance to brands like Dos Equis, Amstel Light, Tecate, Jack Daniels, Harley-Davidson, and Perrier. Papageorge is outspoken about his general disdain for “brand-centric” marketing, and has developed his unique marketing approach around a simple belief that the intersection of brands and culture does not have to be one in which brands impose themselves into our lives, but rather, one where they support, enable and enhance the things and experiences that we as humans value most. Steve’s creative leadership has earned 11 Ex Awards, 5 Reggie Awards, an Adweek Buzz Award and a spot on Event Marketer’s Hot List for 10 consecutive years.
Nestor is an experienced production and advertising leader. He is an expert on experiential, post and music production. As the co-founder of New Dawn Collective he has launched the careers of dozens of artists. Lead production manager for Verizon’s 5G experiential initiatives 2018 - 2020.
Use of Proceeds
If the offering's maximum amount of $250,000 is raised:
Use | Value | % of Proceeds |
---|---|---|
Product Development | $100,000 | 40.0% |
Intellectual Property | $25,000 | 10.0% |
Legal Privacy Experts | $12,500 | 5.0% |
Customer Acquisition | $100,250 | 40.1% |
Intermediary fees | $12,250 | 4.9% |
Terms
This number includes all funds raised by the Company in this round on Netcapital. This is an offering of Common Stock, under registration exemption 4(a)(6), in VUniverse, Inc.. This offering must reach its target of at least $10,000 by its offering deadline of January 24, 2022 at 11:59pm ET. If this offering does not reach its target by the offering deadline, then your money will be refunded.
If the offering is successful at raising the maximum amount, then the company’s implied valuation after the offering (sometimes called its post-money valuation) will be:
Pitch Deck
Financials
SEC Filings
The Offering Statement is a formal description of the company and this transaction. It’s filed with the SEC to comply with the requirements of exemption 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act of 1933.
We’re also required to share links to each of the SEC filings related to this offering with investors.
Understand the Risks
Be sure to understand the risks of this type of investment. No regulatory body (not the SEC, not any state regulator) has passed upon the merits of or given its approval to the securities, the terms of the offering, or the accuracy or completeness of any offering materials or information posted herein. That’s typical for Regulation CF offerings like this one.
Neither Netcapital nor any of its directors, officers, employees, representatives, affiliates, or agents shall have any liability whatsoever arising from any error or incompleteness of fact or opinion in, or lack of care in the preparation or publication of, the materials and communication herein or the terms or valuation of any securities offering.
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond the company’s control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties, and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy, and liquidity. No obligation exists to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
More Info
Updates
- Oct 10, 2024We apologize for the delay in updates. Progress...
- Jul 28, 2022Android users - have you seen VU by VUniverse...
- Jul 28, 2022iOS users - have you seen VU by VUniverse in...
- Apr 29, 2022The VU web app is live! To register, go to...
- Mar 17, 2022VUniverse is pleased to announce that long-time...
- Jan 25, 2022Primary offering finalized, sellingshares
- Dec 31, 2021Last day to invest before we close at midnight...
- Dec 10, 2021VUniverse is pleased to announce its...
- Dec 1, 2021Hear from a Founder: For more insight on the...
- Sep 21, 2021Learn more about the support we're receiving as...
- Sep 10, 2021So thrilled to be accepted into the Rural...
- Jul 26, 2021Join us for Netcapital's Demo Day TOMORROW...
- Jul 22, 2021VUniverse founders hosting Golden Trailer...
- Jul 19, 2021Join us for a webinar TOMORROW, Tuesday 7/20...
- Jul 9, 2021So pleased to announce we have reached the 55%...
- Jun 25, 2021Join Founder Evelyn Watters at the Netcapital...
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