Please tell us about yourself and your business.
Amanda Huh: Our company is called surprised. It is a self-service white label platform that creates memberships for brands. I am the co-founder and CMO, and my husband Stephen George is co-founder and CEO. Our partner Keith Hoerling is the CTO. Simply put, our platform allows brands to create digital membership cards that live in members' Apple and Google Wallets and allows them to deliver great benefits, build their community and capture powerful data. We are a super lightweight tool and create a frictionless experience for ours CLIENTS and their members.
What inspired the business?
Amanda Huh: During the pandemic, we have observed the closure of many businesses. Stephen has a strong background in the customer loyalty space and we wanted to build something that businesses could really rely on to generate sustainable revenue and connect with their consumers in a more meaningful way.
Stephen George: I was at Groupon so I've been in this loyalty and rewards space for a long time. We started building our platform in 2023 and pushed it live to our first customers in December. We started by talking to smaller businesses in food, drink, health, wellness and fashion. But like Groupon, any business in the world can benefit from using our platform. This is not just a rewards card where customers are collecting stars or points. These loyalty programs are passive – half the time you don't even remember you signed up – and are purely transactional. When a business has a membership, it creates a sense of belonging and community.
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How does it work?
Stephen George: Most of our customers have a virtual card that resides in a member's Apple or Google Wallet. We chose to take advantage of the existing infrastructure and appeal of these wallets – they have two and a half billion users – rather than building a brand new app. We also have some customers who have decided to have a physical card printed on metal with a QR code on the back. Either way, the idea is that this card is something people will show off, as a humble brag. It could be for your favorite sports team, a non-profit organization you support, a nice barbershop, a high-end nightclub or a restaurant. The card gives you a sense of belonging and also allows businesses to provide access to things a member really wants. For example, we have a restaurant group that wanted to give its investors a sense of belonging. So they gave each an investor card that gives them priority bookings and a free bottle of wine once a month. Now, a high-end restaurant can take this concept and monetize it by having a VIP pay a thousand dollars a month for a membership card that provides them with a $500 drink credit or some other great perk.
What is your business background?
Amanda Huh: My family is in the seafood industry. Our company is called Pacific American Fish Company and we are one of the largest import-export manufacturing and distribution companies in the United States. I built our DTC line and then my brother and I started a family office focused on technology investments. So I came from the investor side and now I've put on the founder's hat. So it's a very unique experience coming from both sides.
Stephen George: I started at Groupon as an intern. There were only four engineers in the company at the time, and it was back when it was called Groupon. I stayed with them until the IPO. It was a great learning experience for me, obviously I was only 20 years old and I became Head of Global Operations in three years. I continued to invest in startups and have built several companies over the past decade. I headed to LA from Chicago, where I met Amanda. We now have two children and run our business from our home in the town where Amanda grew up.
How did your experience as an investor help the fundraising process?
Amanda Huh: It's a big help because I understand what investors are really looking for. When I was an investor, it really had to do with how I connected with the founders as people. Basically, you are investing in someone who will do the right thing. So, from the founder's side, you want to communicate to investors that you are a compassionate person, that you are solution-oriented, and that you have the tenacity to make this concept a reality.
Stephen George: Amanda and I come from different business backgrounds. Her family business had been profitable for I think 40 years or more. They have never received money from outside. No debt. Nothing. I come from Groupon where we raised a billion dollars and relied on that outside funding. It was growth at any cost. So with Amaze, we try to balance that. We brought in some clients who wanted to do some small checks while building the product, but didn't really get much funding. Now that we have a product, we have customers signing up, and a clear go-to-market strategy, we're raising money. And I think that gives us an advantage that we don't have a big burnt pre-product.
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Any advice for those looking for funding?
Stephen George: For early-stage founders, the more you can prove that this is a viable business before getting funding, the better off you'll be. I think getting some money is fine, but make sure you don't let fundraising take over your attention. Allowing yourself to focus on the business is really important. Put your energy into the problem you're solving and build the right solution.
What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
Amanda Huh: For me, being an entrepreneur is connected to my parents' immigrant history. They came from South Korea in 1969 and built their business. So it's really about being a self-starter and creating a legacy for our kids and building something that's valuable to our community. And that's what Amaze is all about: we're giving businesses the power to build better relationships with their customers.
Stephen George: When you talk about success as a founder, we define that as having customers from year one who will still be able to really benefit from our platform in year 10. And my big advice to entrepreneurs reading this is to be patient. No matter what you are doing, it will always take longer than expected. And while you may have to pivot, change direction, or regroup, you just can't give up.