CharityStars, the startup that organizes charity auctions with celebrities won 2,000,000 – EconomyUp

  the CharityStars CharityStars, the Italian of online charity auctions platform , close a round of 2 million euro to which took part 360 Capital Partners (already former investor), the investment platform FocusFuturo , which it is also linked to the footballer of Roma Stephan El Sharaawy , the founder-president of BravoFly Rumbo Group and judge of Shark Tank Fabio Cannavale (through Shark Bites) and Rancilio Cube .

the online platform, which is based in Milan and offices in London, the first four months of 2016 has increased its collection of 120% compared to 2015. the year CharityStars last had transacted 1.8 million euro of sales online , retaining a fee averaging around 20% (which could soon subside).

[Read also the article on loan obtained exactly one year ago: CharityStars, 1 million euro by Moratti and Unicredit]

Among the most famous of 2015 auctions there were an organized lunch with the founder of Candy Crush Riccardo Zacconi , sold for 25 thousand euro, a ‘ Andy Warhol art work sold for 27 thousand euro, an Valentino Rossi helmet sold 15 thousand and a T-shirt Messi with personalized dedication sold to 11 thousand euro.

“We have become a partner of choice for over 400 non-profit organizations,” says Francesco Nazari Fusetti , cofounder of the project along with the the founders of CharityStars: Manuela Ravalli, Francesco Nazari Fusetti and Domenico Gravagno members Manuela Ravalli and Domenico Gravagno . A day on average each association organizes 10 auctions a year on our site. Our goal is to reach 2,000 active associations by 2018 and double the average sales receipt, which today is about 500 euro. “

 “After the United Kingdom” continues Fusetti “we want to begin to open up to the US and Chinese market. On the latter we already have several thousand users who follow us constantly and have become top spenders. We just launched the Chinese version of website and we want to invest in targeted marketing campaigns. For us it would be also the first campaigns of paid acquisition online , since we have so far benefited from free of charge made by the vIP promotions via their social channels’ .

 Among the innovations of 2016, in addition to the web site redesign and launch lottery , there was a significant change on the business model: if before only associations could upload auction platform now also opens at private users, such as artists or private collectors , they can offer for sale their works and memorabilia and decide how much to donate the proceeds to charity.

 Among the celebrities who participated in the auction there are some who have chosen to become the startup lender. This is the case of Fabio Cannavale , which in 2015 had auctioned the opportunity to meet him trying on himself the operation of the portal. “It was a great surprise to find that someone could pay 3 thousand Euros for a lunch with me,” admits the number one Bravofly. “CharityStars is an innovative and disruptive tool for fundraising. A unique marketplace of its kind that has the potential to become the benchmark for the sector in which it operates.”