Company: BetaBait
Website: www.betabait.com
Founders: Cody Barbierri and Rory Thompson
Headquarters: Bridgeport, CT
Year Founded: 2011
Twitter: @betabait
Brief Company Description: A place for startups to connect with early adopters who love new apps.
By Cody Barbierri, co-founder
Product Overview
Launched in 2011, BetaBait is a service for startups to connect with early adopters who love to test and try new web, mobile and social applications. BetaBait’s mission is to become the destination for startups to find beta users and testers, while providing consumer and professional early adopters access to the newest applications. With the notion of early access to the latest apps, our users have opted-in to receive a daily email spotlighting all beta opportunities. BetaBait currently has a growing community of more than 400 beta users and testers and 80 startups. BetaBait is 100 percent free.
Founders’ Story
My co-founder and I have helped startups for a number of years figure out how to approach their technology, marketing and social media strategies. A major part of the startup process was to find beta users and testers who would help to work out bugs or jumpstart a public launch. After many conversations and countless hours of research, we determined that there had to be an easy way to find these willing and eager early adopters. BetaBait was born.
Marketing/Promotion Strategy
Our initial marketing and promotional strategy is to focus on generating buzz among the technology and early adopter communities via coverage among top press as well as word of mouth within the social media landscape. Our platform enables users to share the apps that are of interest, which enables us to aggregate more sign ups. Finally, we have major plans around partnerships with key companies within the startup and entrepreneur circles, including angel investors, venture capitalists and like-minded startups. Our goal is to surround ourselves with well-connected and vibrant members of the startup community.
How We Differentiate from the Competition
Our closest competition are beta testing management services which help startups to manage the feedback of beta testers. Our approach is to not help manage the beta process, but rather help startups find the beta users they need to be successful.
Business Model
While a revenue model isn’t our main concern, we have several methods of generating revenue. The first is through sponsorship of our daily email. Any company who wishes to share its product or service can write up a simple description accompanied by their website. The description appears at the top of the daily email and is the first thing members read.
Future revenue models will include the ability for both startups and users to receive customized features and functions, including filtered emails or the ability to have their app spotlighted.
Current Needs
We are looking for more consumers who are interested in finding the newest web, social, and mobile applications as well as early stage startups who need beta users for their apps.
BetaBait – www.betabait.com
