Tackling Tech: Former Indianapolis Colts Player To Relocate Fundraising Platform From Silicon Valley To Houston
Mike T. Brown wants to build the future of fundraising, and he is ditching Silicon Valley to do it in Houston's rising innovation sector.
The Houston native and former Indianapolis Colts player said he recognized that charitable giving was out-of-date and decided to combine giving with gaming to make it more engaging. In 2016 he founded Win-Win, a tech startup that links fans with the charitable causes backed by professional athletes through a gamified donation platform.
In July, Brown is relocating the platform from Silicon Valley to The Cannon, a West Houston entrepreneurial hub and coworking campus. While he previously would have had to move to Austin, which has a strong entrepreneurial network, Houston is ramping up its innovation ecosystem to support startups like Win-Win, he said.
“I couldn’t be more excited about returning to Houston to become a part of the city’s tech revolution,” said Brown, who has played football for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, Duke University and Alief Taylor High School in Houston.
“After visiting The Cannon, I immediately felt the energy and have witnessed their commitment to pushing Houston’s tech startup movement. I can’t wait to get fully plugged into the city’s ecosystem, to start hiring local talent and raising money from local investors.”
The Amazon H2Q search exposed a lackluster innovation infrastructure in Houston. Since then, public and private entities have partnered to provide more spaces, resources and opportunities for entrepreneurs and the startup community.
A key component is the Innovation District, a 4-mile stretch from Downtown to the Texas Medical Center, which is anchored by The Ion. In addition, coworking platforms, startup accelerators and innovation hubs like The Cannon are entering Houston's untapped market. Many offer programs that can connect companies with funding.
“Houston has long needed better entrepreneurial resources to stop our startups from leaving for greener pastures, and we are excited to be part of the local entrepreneurial growth over the last couple of years, helping to provide a landing spot for a young, growing company like Win-Win,” The Cannon founder and CEO Lawson Gow said. Gow is speaking at Bisnow’s Houston State of Office event Aug. 28.
“On top of that, Houston is extremely well-positioned to be the home for sports-tech startups, and Mike moving back can be a great catalyst towards continuing to establish our city as a sports-tech hub.”
Win-Win capitalizes on the fantasy sports gaming model. Professional athletes create sports tournaments for NBA, NFL and collegiate sports match-ups then invite their fans to participate.
Fans can enter the tournament for free but are incentivized to make a fully tax-deductible donation of any amount to the charitable cause selected by the athlete. Participants earn points based on the accuracy of their tournament selections.
Every participant wins a prize. Top-tier prizes include courtside tickets, dinner with the player or a FaceTime call with the player. Lower-tier prizes include autographed paraphernalia, Twitter shoutouts or branded sponsorship gifts.
Win-Win has hosted 41 tournaments in its beta stage, partnering with professional athletes such as the Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins, who is also a Win-Win investor, the Dallas Cowboys’ Jaylon Smith, the Los Angeles Rams’ Marcus Peters and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Luol Deng. The vertical expansion of Win-Win includes targeting professional sports teams, universities and entertainers.
Win-Win has already raised $1.4M from investors in New York, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, including 500 Startups, Backstage Capital, Sand Hill Angels and Black Star Fund. It recently opened its second round of funding, including an equity crowdfunding campaign hosted on the Republic platform. The campaign has raised $40K so far with a $1M cap, Brown said.
“We ultimately want to help impact the world,” Brown said. “Everyone gets what they want while raising the awarenesses for these causes.”
