Mavn launches its app to connect influencers with brands and provide paid experiences

Mavn, a new female-founded startup that connects content creators with brands and other businesses, launched its app today, giving users access to a variety of experiences, from PR packages and paid posts to campaigns, photoshoots, events, dining at fancy restaurants and more.

The app is available on iOS and Android devices. Creators can scroll through categories like “Dining,” “Paid,” “Experiences,” “Mailers,” and “Nonprofit” and apply for any opportunity listed to be considered. Brands — which have access to an in-app dashboard with vetting tools, insights and a calendar feature — then review applicants and either accept, decline, or put them on a waitlist.

If a creator is accepted, they have the option to speak with the Mavn team or “concierge” via chat to discuss the next steps. Even before applying, users can message a Mavn employee to ask questions. Also, all contracts and payments are completed within the app. Influencers can upload photos and videos as well.

Mavn is currently only available for content creators who are based in Miami, Florida. The beta version rolled out on December 18, 2022.

The app will roll out to Los Angeles, California and New York later this year. Mavn also plans to eventually expand to international markets in the future, such as “select hot spot summer destinations” like St. Tropez, Mykonos, Tel Aviv and Ibiza, the company told TechCrunch.

At launch, opportunities range from paid campaigns with Crown Royal Regal Apple, FitTea and swimwear brand Natki Swim to free products like skincare, clothing, fitness supplements and more. Mavn also partners with nonprofit organizations like Charity Buzz, Angel Watching Over Me Foundation, Jamie’s Rescue and The Playing for Change Foundation.

Founder Olivia Ormos noted that she is in talks with the Miami Open tennis tournament and NFL’s Miami Dolphins for future experiences.

The app is free to use, however, users must fill out a questionnaire first to be considered. Instead of prioritizing follower count, Mavn has an interesting acceptance process—at least, in our opinion.

“It’s not only about the followers for me,” Ormos told us. “I accepted somebody that had 9,000 followers.”

Mavn focuses on accepting users based on factors like diversity, engagement and creativity, among others. An example of poor engagement would be if a creator has one million followers and only 200 people like their posts. Creators that hide all their comments may also not be considered, Ormos said, depending on the situation.

“I also look at the level of content creation and creativity. I think that somebody who’s on their way is just as exciting for me as somebody that’s already established,” she added. “I also look for mutuals. Do any of our creators have any friends in common? We look for trustworthiness.”

Mavn doesn’t just accept the typical “pretty model,” Ormos said. “I have a magician on the app. I have somebody who specializes in boating content. It’s all kinds of stuff and that was my goal going into it. So, I’m happy to see the diverse applicants.”

Creators must also be verified on social media and be 18 years old or older to be accepted.

Mavn claims to have received thousands of applicants already yet it has only accepted about 300 users so far with a combined following of approximately 50 million, according to the company. While Ormos declined to share the names of notable Mavn users, she did reveal that NBA players, Netflix and HBO actresses as well as top streaming Spotify artists have signed up.

Once a creator is accepted, there are two plans to choose from: Mavn and Mavn+. The basic Mavn plan requires an Instagram account to sign up, and creators can only apply for non-paid experiences.

Mavn+, on the other hand, requires users to sign up with their Facebook account in order to share their insights via Meta. This is to ensure that brands can see all the users’ insights to confirm if they are the right influencer to partner with, Ormos explained. Users that sign up with Mavn+ get access to paid opportunities.

Mavn plans to eventually launch paid subscription plans in the future, with Mavn+ being the most expensive.

Although Mavn takes 0% commission from creators, brands are required to pay a fee to be featured on the app. The fee for businesses ranges from $2,000 to $7,000 per month “depending on how big of a job it is,” Ormos said.

Ormos is the founder of marketing agency OO & CO, which is mainly known for organizing the annual Model Volleyball Tournament, where models representing top agencies (Next, Elite, Ford and more) compete against each other. In addition to marketing and events, OO & CO also provides services like brand awareness and talent management.

She came up with the idea for Mavn in April after seeing a “massive influx” of demand for influencers– a term that has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years.

“Business development was coming out of nowhere I couldn’t have one conversation that didn’t involve the word ‘influencer,’” she said. “Whether it was people asking us to help support getting influencers to an event, my social media clients wanting to dive into doing more user-generated content, pay-to-play campaigns, restaurants coming to us to do dining programs instead of doing traditional advertising and really using the influencer space to accomplish those things. And it got to a point where I just couldn’t handle the amount of manual work that went into doing influencer marketing.”

Mavn was mainly created to combat the upkeep of building a creator database as well as simplify communication between brand and influencer. However, it was also built to “put the creator in the driver’s seat,” Ormos added.

While similar platforms focus on businesses and their needs, Mavn claims to be an app where creators aren’t lost in the process.

“What I realized about other competitors is they’re highly focused on the businesses,” Ormos said. “They’re very much like, ‘We can get you influencers. We can help you do this.’ And I think the creator gets lost in this process and isn’t really empowered… So yes, of course, I’m not the first person to do this, but I think I’ve utilized my experience in the space. So many influencers have come to me with positive feedback that they really feel [Mavn is] simplified for them, and it doesn’t feel confusing. So I think that we’ve done it in a way that feels right for [content creators.]”

Mavn launches its app to connect influencers with brands and provide paid experiences by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch