In 2018, a groundbreaking report from The Alan Turing Institute detailed how using blockchain would fundamentally improve...
Problem
Filling walls within style, budget and today's schedule is a huge challenge, especially for large scale projects
Traditional gallery model is a limited and expensive source of artwork. Designers and architects can't sacrifice the integrity of their projects using stock imagery or posters, which can look cheap and unfinished. However, the current process for purchasing artwork is expensive and inefficient - the visual art furnishing market still operates in a localized, segmented structure, and the end products don't always reflect the owners’ or occupiers’ tastes. Furthermore, authenticity and certification have always been an issue in the visual arts collectables market.
Solution
Customizable, gallery-quality art with one click
The Alpha’a platform offers the quality of a gallery and the high-speed of the web, in addition to customization options and accessible pricing. With cloud based inventory, and works produced on demand, we rely on a network of suppliers across three continents that allows us to import and export art across international borders.
We bring in talent through crowd curation and special projects (social/environmental, independent curatorial partnerships), and users/collectors get a say in what they want. Our process allows clients to stay under budget and fill walls without sacrificing quality or value. In addition, our blockchain integration tracks ownership and transactional history on the full chain of custody of a piece of artwork.
Product
Alpha’a licenses artwork from artists all over the world
We ship limited edition prints, certified through smart contracts. We’re an enterprise platform providing our logistical network and standardized quality and finishes to large scale projects.
Alpha’a’s platform uses image recognition to suggest artwork according to the clients’ requirements, and creates digital portfolios where our clients can track the value of their physical, original works and limited edition collections. Since we price based on scarcity, an affordable purchase can become a long term investment in an existing or rising artistic star.
We are inventory free, making us the largest art gallery in the world while holding no art. We have supply chain across North America, South America and Europe allows us to import and export art cross border without the hassle of logistics or cross border taxation.
We have the unique capacity to roll out projects throughout the whole real estate and prop tech industry. This improves not only the design process but how people live and work - using artwork to build environments has proven to improve the well being of individuals.
We allow our clients to discover and collect in a faster and easier way but also keep track and trade their collections through our certification platform, alphaa.io.
Traction
Connecting 9K+ artists to our users
Since launch, Alpha’a has seen tangible growth and positive reactions. Over 1,100 pieces of art have been sold on Alpha'a since inception (with an average purchase value of $240). We now have 9K+ artists users on our platform, and our revenue growth has averaged 30% over the past 6 months. We've also joined Metaprop, and have channel partnerships in place with companies such as Gilt, Zola and Envizzo. We are working on our first major hospitality project with a major international brand.
Featured in:
Customers
Empowering artists and curators
Our target customer is looking to furnish large spaces with interesting independent art that promotes their values. We primarily serve major hotel and hospitality companies, as well as larger independent co-working or residential spaces.
Business model
An online marketplace for the art world
Alpha’a sells limited edition prints to companies, our unit economics are as follows:
- 80% gross margins (after paying for printing and framing costs)
45% adjusted gross margins (after paying artists and curators)
Our average purchase order is $1500, equivalent to around 10 prints
Our return purchase ratio is over 50%.
Market
Tapping into a $6B niche addressable market
When considering the mass scope of the art market, the hospitality market is grossly underserved, despite the high potential it has to promote art. By focusing on hospitality and large-scale projects, Alpha’a has targeted a market worth approximately $6B. This is massive shadow market. For example, hotels in the US make up 264 M Sq ft. of space, co-working spaces have over 27 M sq ft of space, and world’s best high rises class-A addresses and large scale projects have a total of 307 B sq ft of space. There is ample opportunity to serve t
Competition
The only crowdsourced art marketplace for large scale projects
Alpha’a is the only platform offering artwork at accessible prices to anyone looking to furnish a space. While companies like Kalisher provide art to large spaces, they commission art from a select group of artists, where we crowdsource the art directly from a diverse open marketplace of artists. This offers a wider selection to our buyers and also gives more artists the opportunity to showcase and sell their work.
How we’re different from our competitors:
- Price point: Alpha'a believes great art can be affordable and appeals to the business clientele
- Curation: We use crowd curation, social and environmental causes, and special projects with independent curators to bring in our talent.
- Customization: Since we produce everything on demand, all our works are available in custom sizes and finishes
- Global supply chain: allowing us to import and export art cross border
Inventory: we hold none
QR codes in client spaces provide a path from B2B to B2B2C
Blockchain link for works allows ease of trade
Vision and strategy
Driving the art market forward
By meeting our investment goal, we plan to expand our production line and connect more artists with curators on a global scale. We aim to become the biggest art collective in the world while physically holding no art, and dream of making art available to everyone. In a business that’s all about talent, funds will also be used to attain more undiscovered great artists, giving them a global platform to enhance their image and promote their work.
Funding
Over $600K raised to date
Alpha'a has raised over $600K to date from prominent investors, including but not limited to:
Founders
Our team has the perfect combination of market savy know how and outside critical perspective.
Manuela Seve, Co-founder and CEO
Seve initiated her carreer in finance (Fundamental Equity analysis at Gavea Investments) and has always been involved in the Latin American art scene through her family, the Seve family is one of the most traditional players in Brazilian modern art. Her experiences in the startup space include the founding of Geração Alpha, alongside other enterprises.
Renata Thomé, Co-founder and CCO
Thomé has access to collectors, artists, dealers and many other art professionals. Her past experiences include major galleries, and auction houses (David Zwirner & Christies) alongside the development of built to suit projects for the art Start Up Paddle 8
Haroldo Tinoco, Co-founder and CTO
Haroldo is an experienced Full-stack developer, he has experience as head developer for huge projects, for example: The Voice and Big Brother mobile applications.
Manages team of 4 developers out of Brazil