Founders' Niche Marketing: Concerts to Prison Tablets

The latest episode of the "Build Mode" podcast, hosted by Startup Battlefield editor Isabelle Johannessen, delves into unconventional go-to-market strategies with two innovative founders. Jas Schembri-Stothart, co-founder of Luna, and Andre Peart, founder of Untapped Solutions, shared their unique approaches to reaching highly specific niche audiences. Following their participation in the 2024 Startup Battlefield competition, they discussed how "guerrilla tactics" helped them connect with teenage girls and formerly incarcerated individuals, respectively.

This season of "Build Mode" highlights lessons learned from the world of go-to-market strategies. While a previous episode with Deon Nicholas, co-founder of Forethought AI, explored creating a company with a customer-first approach, this installment focuses on the experimental tactics that proved effective for two vastly different target demographics: teenage girls and formerly incarcerated workers.

Luna: Engaging Teens Beyond Social Ads

Luna, a well-being app designed for girls, faced the challenge of connecting with its young target demographic directly, given the founders were no longer teenagers themselves. To gather essential feedback and insights, co-founder Jas Schembri-Stothart and her team visited U.K. schools, engaging directly with students. This direct interaction not only provided valuable, albeit sometimes "harsh," feedback but also sparked interest among students to help develop the app.

These early adopters organically evolved into a network of brand ambassadors. These "behind the scenes queens" contributed to the app's development and created social content, forming an organic go-to-market team. Their efforts included setting up activations at major events, notably Taylor Swift concerts, strategically targeting large gatherings of their core audience where traditional social ads might fall short.

Untapped Solutions: Reaching Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

Untapped Solutions, described as a "LinkedIn for the formerly incarcerated," tackled a distinct set of obstacles. Founder Andre Peart's primary goal was to ensure the platform's accessibility to its target users within correctional facilities and during reentry, facilitating employment opportunities in a sector largely underserved by technology. Their strategy involved an aggressive speaking circuit, the establishment of their own National Reentry Coalition, and hosting dedicated events, which launched in April.

These initiatives, combined with strategic partnerships with agencies assisting the 600,000 individuals released from prison each year, have significantly expanded their reach. Peart proudly stated,

"We're in almost every prison system. So if you're on a tablet, you already have Untapped."

For a deeper dive into these innovative go-to-market strategies and more insights from the founders, the full "Build Mode" episode is available via the embedded video above, or you can listen and subscribe to Build Mode wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Feedback about the show can be sent to [email protected].