FlickPlay

FlickPlay operates as a Web3 social platform that merges the physical and digital worlds through augmented reality (AR). The company was established in 2019 by Pierina Merino Alaimo, who currently serves as the CEO. Merino's background in architecture, including a role at Frank Gehry's firm designing Facebook's campus, and her experience launching a 3D printed product line for Nordstrom, informed her vision for FlickPlay. She was inspired by the community-building aspects of experiences like the Museum of Ice Cream and the real-world interaction model of Pokémon Go, aiming to bridge the gap between digital ownership and physical interaction.

The platform enables users to discover and collect digital assets, including NFTs, which are geotagged to real-world locations on an interactive map called the FlickMap. Users can then utilize these digital characters and items to create AR-based video content, effectively allowing them to "play" with their digital collectibles in their physical surroundings. This model is often described as a combination of TikTok's social video creation and Pokémon Go's location-based discovery. The application is available for iOS users, and upon downloading, users may receive a free digital avatar to begin their experience. Additional avatars can be acquired through the purchase of virtual Mystery Boxes.

FlickPlay's business model targets both consumers and intellectual property (IP) holders. For consumers, the app is free to download and offers a gamified experience where they can earn tokens to unlock collectibles or purchase items from local retailers, thereby driving foot traffic to partner businesses. For brands and IP owners, such as Bandai Namco, The Sandbox, and even participants in the Disney accelerator, FlickPlay offers a platform to transform their characters and IP into interactive digital toys. This provides a channel for fan engagement and organic brand promotion as users create and share content. The company has engaged in partnerships to create immersive experiences, such as a project with the City of Santa Monica to drive traffic to local merchants and a scavenger hunt on the Disney Lot. The company has raised a total of $6.3 million over two funding rounds, including a $5 million seed round in November 2021. Key investors include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Muse Capital, Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., and it has participated in accelerators for Disney and Warner Bros.

Keywords: augmented reality, Web3 social platform, digital collectibles, location-based gaming, NFT, Pierina Merino Alaimo, AR video, metaverse, gamified content creation, online-to-offline, digital toys, The Sandbox partnership, Disney accelerator, Bandai Namco investment, Lightspeed Venture Partners, interactive map, geo-minting, social wallet, virtual creativity, consumer engagement