Only available for iOS and Android (no option for desktop) Appost presents itself with a different proposal: not to be a bookmaker, but a GPS for those who want to navigate this world, bringing tips and education to bettors.
It was created by administrator Juliano Fontes, a specialist in sports betting and author of the book ‘Invista em Futebol’ (Invest in Football), and businessman Marcel Szajubok, former president of international giant of cosmetics and beauty firm Jeunesse in Brazil. Among the partners in the venture are sports journalist Benjamin Back, Benja, known for his work at SBT and Fox Sports, Thyago Luciano and Vicente Junior.
The platform is essentially focused on football betting, which according to Juliano represents the majority of the national market. According to him, today the industry's portals in Brazil have around 30 million entries, with 72% of them putting their money into football. “Just to give you an idea, the world average of these sites is 64% (in football betting),” highlights Juliano, who also serves as the startup's CEO. He also explains the option to keep the product for mobile devices only: “64% [of gamblers] in Brazil bet via mobile.”
How it works?
Apppost presents itself as an educational and informative application. In its free plan (released for 7 days), it brings information about teams and championships to the user, similar to what other apps do.
However, according to Juliano, Appost aims to go deeper into the analytical part. The company invested in a development team to have its own tools, such as performance graphs and simulation of results based on in-app statistics. With just 1 minute of play, the application can start giving tips on what to bet on the games of the more than 200 championships that are followed.
These more advanced features are part of the paid version of the application, which also has betting tips, aimed at the public that doesn't want to think too much about the odds – in this case, the odds of each team in a match.
Another focus of Appost is the educational and interactive part. It has several video classes, bringing explanatory content for those who are starting to bet, as well as more advanced lessons for those who want to go deeper into this world. The founders also plan to include social functionality on the platform, where players can exchange information and interact on results.
As the CEO explains, this differentiated focus also answers the question of the company not wanting to become a betting platform, a highly disputed market that also requires a large volume of obligations in terms of compliance.
The app has been on the market for about a year, but according to the CEO, it has not yet entered a more aggressive promotional phase, which should begin in the coming months. To help with this strategy, in the second half of 2021, the company received an undisclosed contribution of value, through a seed capital round.
Premium plan
Appost's premium plan costs R$ 19. For Juliano, this is an affordable value, to attract both hardcore gamblers and more casual gamblers, who just want to take the betting tips and make some extra money.
The startup's goal is to close 2022 with 300,000 registered users, with 2% to 3% of that amount paying monthly fees.
“Our goal is to be an attractive platform for both casual gamblers, who set aside R$ 100 to R$ 200 monthly to play with, and those few who are dedicated to studying the market and transforming betting into a way to profit,” the CEO points out. To top it off, the company explores other means of monetization, such as in-app advertising.
About the application's hit rate, Juliano presents the results of the most recent guesses. In one day, there were 6 hits out of 8 guesses. In another there were 9 hits in 10 tips. According to the entrepreneur, the app works with an average accuracy of 70%.
Return expectation
In Juliano's view, Brazil’s sports betting market has everything to take off once and for all in 2021 – and one of the main reasons for this lies in the regulation of the practice.
This issue must be analyzed and approved by the end of 2022, the maximum period stipulated by the government to formalize the segment, and in time for the World Cup.
With the favorable scenario, Appost plans to reach breakeven in 2022, with the plan to pursue a series A soon. Among the plans for the future are the launch of a marketplace, in which gamblers will be able to offer their services to other gamblers, and the expansion to Latin American countries.
“We want to be the largest educational and inspirational platform and the largest online football betting community in Latin America. We designed our model to work as a niche social network, where football fans can follow matches and interact with other fans,” concludes Fontes.
Source: Startups
