Revlo is a fan-engagement platform for Twitch broadcasters.
Currently, more than 15k broadcasters use Revlo's platform--with a reach of more than 5 million fans.
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What it does
When you're a popular Twitch broadcaster like Monstercat, the music label that has more than 578,000 followers, it's almost impossible to create one-to-one interactions with your fans. At any given minute there are thousands of people on your channel, all vying for your attention.
But making each viewer feel special is valuable: Engaged viewers are happy viewers. And happy viewers spend more time and money, which benefits the streamer -- and ultimately grows the entire e-games industry.
Revlo is a platform that lets broadcasters create fun, personal experiences for their loyal fans. Using Revlo, broadcasters can create custom digital currencies that fans can earn by simply watching their channel. Fans can later exchange the digital dollars for experiences or real-life prizes.
When Monstercat started using Revlo, their average viewer watching time doubled, and engagement soared. “25% of new subscribers retrieved a reward on Revlo within one week, and 18% redeemed a reward within a day,” said Gavin Johnson, Head of Gaming at Monstercat. “The likelihood that a new viewer would return the following week more than doubled.”
Rampage Jackson, the UFC fighter, implemented Revlo and saw a 45% lift in view length, along with a 35% increase in the chat. Similarly, Trick2G, the 14th largest streamer on Twitch by follower size, increased view length by 41%.
It’s sometimes hard to explain to people outside the Twitch community why Revlo is special. One thing that sets them apart from other loyalty program is how personalized its experience is: Broadcasters can fully customize their currencies (Fangs, the popular Twitch streamer focused on FIFA soccer, named her currency “AmazeBalls”) and create their own contests and prizes. “Revlo really makes my fans stay longer and get more out of it. If I forget to turn on Revlo, my fans revolt,” says Fangs.
Also, Revlo is the only fully functional web platform of its kind that integrates with Twitch Chat. It’s hosted on the cloud, rather than a local file, which ensures reliability and performance. While existing loyalty platforms cost money for fans to engage with, Revlo is F2P (free-to-play).
Why now?
In just a year, Twitch grew from 50 million monthly active viewers to 100 million monthly active viewers. On YouTube, PewDiePie has over 43M subscribers and on Vine, 18-year-old Nash Grier has over 12M followers. The livestreaming and personal broadcasting market is growing as more fans favor channels that let them connect directly with creators.
This growth has led content creators away from the old B2B system of selling their work to production companies. More and more creators are distributing their work directly to fans. However, the tools for broadcasters are still lacking. We believe Revlo will provide better ways for creators to manage their communities while making money doing the work they love.
What’s next?
Today, Revlo works with Twitch broadcasters. Eventually, they plan to expand and become the loyalty layer across many platforms, allowing all types of content creators to interact directly with their fanbase.
What we liked about Revlo
Viewer engagement is what makes Twitch Twitch. Revlo is the best tool out there helping broadcasters engage with viewers, which is why we were excited to fund them!
Justin Kan, Partner, Y Combinator
In a very short time they have reached hundreds of thousands of viewers and over 10k active broadcasters. They have built something influencers on Twitch want and we believe in the long term value those folks will deliver to advertisers.
Geoff Ralston, Partner, Y Combinator
About the Founders
Revlo is founded by James Sun, Adam Hueniken, and Julie Topp, three lifelong gamers.
James Sun, 21, dropped out of Middlebury College after his freshman year. He was named one of Plan Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 and was heavily involved in a non-profit that earned him the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Adam Hueniken, 23, graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science. Before building Revlo, he worked at Microsoft and Pivotal Labs. He has built an extensive Minecraft world with over 3,000 bookshelves over the past 4 years.
Julie Topp, 23, graduated from OCAD University with a Bachelor of Design. She is a MyPlanet Fellow and was a freelance designer for five years before starting Revlo. For her senior thesis, Julie created a concept for a commercialized product that helped premature infants develop their lungs faster using sound therapy.
Meet the Batch is a part of a new series on The Macro covering YC's current batch of startups. Revlo is a startup participating in Y Combinator's Summer 2016 batch.