Inspired by his experiences as a top-level Australian athlete, Ben Dixon wanted to find a way for celebrities and their biggest fans to connect through technology. Just like that, Vello was born. Knowing more about sports than startups, Ben reached out to Appetiser to guide him on his journey.
Ben needed to convey the true value of his idea to excite potential investors and raise funds for development. So our team created an interactive prototype design of the highest quality. Ben then used these designs to raise over $1 million for Vello.
Many of Vello’s investors are famous icons, including cricket coach Ricky Ponting, footballer Dane Swan, swimming champ Michael Klim, celebrity chef George Calombaris, star surfer Mark Visser and Sportsbet founder Matt Tripp.
The idea has grown to become a platform where everyone has access to their favourite celebrities through direct messaging, exclusive content and 1-on-1 video recordings. Vello is a social media experience you don’t want to miss.
The exciting startup has also signed partnerships with leading agencies that manage celebrities in Australia and the US. Vello has now built a database of over 1,000 high-profile celebrities and a fan base of over 150 million, and it hasn’t stopped there.
This year, Vello will look to launch on the stock market in Canada and is on its way to breaking the US market — every startup’s dream!
