SCRA announces investment in technology startup, Bandwagon
April 6, 2021
South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) announces its affiliate, SC Launch, Inc.’s, investment of $300,000 in Bandwagon Fan Club, Inc. The Greenville-based startup is a B2B identity infrastructure company that helps their customers transparently aggregate, manage, and store valuable consumer identity information. This investment will assist Bandwagon with development and expanding its workforce for key operations.
Bandwagon became an SCRA Member Company in 2016 and successfully progressed through the SC Launch program, receiving a $25,000 Project Development Fund Grant and becoming an SC Launch, Inc. Portfolio Company in 2019 by receiving its first investment of $200,000.
Bandwagon’s proprietary platform utilizes permission-only blockchain, encryption, and multi-party computing to help their customers, typically live event organizers and experience creators, collaborate with other stakeholders to deliver safety and security as they gather large groups of people together in-person and virtually.
“Their founder had an idea, took advantage of technological advances, and created a needed service in the events industry. Bandwagon’s flagship product, Aura, has been used internationally to manage and store customer information, in a transparent and secure manner,” said Lee MacIlwinen, SCRA Investment Manager.
“I’ve always been interested in using technology to improve communities. The event industry is a unique community with particular needs. Our solution meets their needs of managing customer data to improve their events, making them more profitable and with more attendance,” said Harold Hughes, Bandwagon Founder and CEO. “We also believe that transparency can be increased without losing trust; we’ve created a philosophy built on this trust, and we operate according to it daily.”
“Bandwagon is poised to revolutionize the entertainment, sports, and general events industry. Their platform, designed for in-person, large gatherings, also works with virtual gatherings, which have become more prevalent,” said Bob Quinn, SCRA Executive Director. “Post-pandemic, we’ll continue to see in-person and virtual options for popular events.”
Attracting the attention of Google, Bandwagon was the only company in South Carolina to receive an award from their Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. Learn more about Bandwagon.
About SC Launch Inc.
Established in 2006, SC Launch, Inc., is an independent, nonprofit corporation affiliated with SCRA, which provides loans and investments to selected South Carolina-based companies participating in the SC Launch program.
About SCRA
Chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina as a public, nonprofit corporation, South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy through the impact of its four programs. SC Academic Innovations provides funding and support to advance translational research and accelerate the growth of university-based startups. SC Facilities offers high-quality laboratory and administrative workspaces for technology-based startups and academic institutions. SC Industry Solutions facilitates and funds partnerships between and among startups, industry, and academia. SC Launch mentors and funds technology-based startups that may also receive investments from SCRA’s investment affiliate, SC Launch, Inc.
