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Utah-based Windwalk has raised $4.5 million in funding as it launches new “superfan” social software platform Harbor.
Investors taking part in the funding round included a16z Speedrun, Tirta Ventures and YCombinator.
Its new Harbor platform is designed to help companies unify audiences into one place.
Last month – before its official launch and during its closed beta – Harbor was said to have generated more than five million monthly active users for its partners, attracting developers including Immutable, EVE Frontier, NZXT and Monopoly Go maker Scopely.
Supreme superfans
Windwalk was first launched as a game development studio. But the company said that having only a small team and budget was a “massive disadvantage” in an industry so deeply tied to marketing and acquisition needs.
The team opted to grow its games through word of mouth from its “superfans”, therefore, while gamifying the acquisition process itself – from the pre-registration phase through the playtests, referrals and even feedback.
Ultimately, the tools developed along the way have now been implemented into Harbor as a hub to boost audience engagement and grow brands online.
It offers “homebases” that integrate with existing apps and websites, centralising resources to one place. And with fans theoretically going to that place for games, rewards and more, brands can advertise their referral campaigns, community events, UGC initiatives and more directly.
As well as a platform for games, its applications also extend to music, sports, e-commerce, and even politics.
“Consumer companies these days view driving new user growth as a crisis,” said Windwalk CEO Colin Feo.
“Their tried-and-true levers – ads, influencers, even cross-promo – have become zero-sum. How does a company excel when everyone is renting the same eyeballs at roughly the same price?”
“The only way to win is on the shoulders of your most passionate users: your superfans.”
