The first crowdinvesting projects in Russia: about Pikulenko and Aslanyan's auto portal
Hello!
As noted in the next topic about the need to create crowdinvesting systems, the best platform for evaluating IT projects is Habr itself. Therefore, the autoportal with the participation of the two most popular automotive experts in Russia: A. Pikulenko and S. Aslanian is given to your court.
These people know, it seems, every motorist in Russia . They enjoy special popularity and prestige not only among car owners, but also among automakers, representative offices and car dealers. Let's look at the project - and you will say if it can become successful in Russia.
In the past topic about crowdinvesting and our ecosystem for him was a sea of ​​questions about the possibility of investing in Russia. You asked me to show specific cases on the basis of which you can already figure out whether it is worth it or not. Today is an unusual half-crowdsourcing project with a crowd-investing investment model.
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Project management is Alexey Buryak, who has extensive experience in managing media projects and Sergey Aslanyan, one of the leading automotive journalists in Russia. Together they have been developing the project idea for 2 years. A. Buryak is little known in the IT environment: his network projects were only an addition to the main business: during journalistic work, election campaigns, development projects, etc.
Alexey listened to Sergei Aslanyan’s radio programs many times, and then one day he began to search for a text archive, and was very surprised when he learned that he wasn’t online. Immediately after that, they decided to make a personal site for the journalist, but after evaluating all the possibilities, the idea was transformed into a car portal. Because even together, Aslanyan and Pikulenko will not be able to saturate a sufficient number of users with information to monetize. This is where the mass of applied functions and alternative sources of content supplementing the non-competitive author appeared.
Of course, at the first stage a clear assessment was needed, and not the opinion of friends and colleagues.
To check the popularity of the first experts of the project in the network, it was necessary just to look at Wordstat Yandex and compare it with the popularity index of future competitors:
Thus, even if the project does not advance, about 15-20 thousand users per month will find it only because of the need to consult the archive of experts.
Then an analyst of the best sites on the automotive topic in Russia was carried out: the details are in the project card on Smartmarket.net right here . In short, the market is huge, but there is no platform with guaranteed answers anywhere. About cars we love to say everything, but the places where professionals are ironically responsible for their words and guarantee the result - no. The fact is that very often in our market when a journalist says something, there is a feeling that he defends not only his point of view, but also the interests of a certain brand. Therefore, the most important feature of the new project is impartiality. Experts should be responsible for every word.
Of course, further field tests were needed. Alexey and Sergey tested the rates of attracting users on the basis of a personal page in FB, on the Youtube channel, Vkontakte. The “sandbox” of S. Aslanyan’s original site gathered a thousand subscribers in one month. Thus, the numbers were obtained with which it was possible to go to the investor at the Smartmarket, especially since the amount required was far from cosmic - only 2.491.000 rubles at the seed stage (at the Smartmarket the volume of seed investment is limited to 3 million rubles).
Alexey:
The layout of the future portal
Below is a brief interview with Alexey about the work of the project:
What is the first goal of the project?
How will users participate in the life of the portal?
What user roles are there in the project?
How will price data be uploaded?
What are your plans?
What is the main task of the site?
Are there any difficulties with the publication of "Mooks of choice" on the network?
Will there be text versions (audio transcripts)?
Where do the first national experts come from?
Do not you think that your model is a bit like Autokadabru? What can you say about this resource?
Such communities have a common problem: when users feel the power, they begin to sharply criticize almost all brands without exception. You are planning to create an ecosystem where brands will almost be friends of users. How can this be achieved?
How will the objectivity of information be maintained? For example, can a representative of an automaker enter the team of experts?
What kind of advertising do you plan to earn?
Will this site be the main one for a car enthusiast, or will it bypass several at once? How do you think this is happening now?
The target amount of the amsrus.ru project is 2.491.000 rubles. In the first hours after the start of the fundraising, applications for 270,000 rubles have already been collected (and the official launch of the crowdinvestment platform has not yet taken place). The financial plan, Alexey's CV, market analysis and other details on the project are available on his page on the Smartmarket. There you can follow the fate of the project . On April 9, at 21:00, Alexey Buryak, CEO of the AMSRUS project, will hold a webinar on the topic: “What is AMSRUS and why do you need to invest in it?”.
Actually, the question to you is: how do you think such a project will succeed? Would you invest in it? It would be interesting to delve into its financial records and learn more about how to develop such communities from the inside?
As noted in the next topic about the need to create crowdinvesting systems, the best platform for evaluating IT projects is Habr itself. Therefore, the autoportal with the participation of the two most popular automotive experts in Russia: A. Pikulenko and S. Aslanian is given to your court.
These people know, it seems, every motorist in Russia . They enjoy special popularity and prestige not only among car owners, but also among automakers, representative offices and car dealers. Let's look at the project - and you will say if it can become successful in Russia.
In the past topic about crowdinvesting and our ecosystem for him was a sea of ​​questions about the possibility of investing in Russia. You asked me to show specific cases on the basis of which you can already figure out whether it is worth it or not. Today is an unusual half-crowdsourcing project with a crowd-investing investment model.
')
Project management is Alexey Buryak, who has extensive experience in managing media projects and Sergey Aslanyan, one of the leading automotive journalists in Russia. Together they have been developing the project idea for 2 years. A. Buryak is little known in the IT environment: his network projects were only an addition to the main business: during journalistic work, election campaigns, development projects, etc.
Alexey listened to Sergei Aslanyan’s radio programs many times, and then one day he began to search for a text archive, and was very surprised when he learned that he wasn’t online. Immediately after that, they decided to make a personal site for the journalist, but after evaluating all the possibilities, the idea was transformed into a car portal. Because even together, Aslanyan and Pikulenko will not be able to saturate a sufficient number of users with information to monetize. This is where the mass of applied functions and alternative sources of content supplementing the non-competitive author appeared.
Of course, at the first stage a clear assessment was needed, and not the opinion of friends and colleagues.
To check the popularity of the first experts of the project in the network, it was necessary just to look at Wordstat Yandex and compare it with the popularity index of future competitors:
— 12.246 ( 20-30% - ) — 5.815 . — 3.596 () — 993 (drive.ru) — 865 — 748 — 513 — 265 () — 136 ( ) — 53 Thus, even if the project does not advance, about 15-20 thousand users per month will find it only because of the need to consult the archive of experts.
Then an analyst of the best sites on the automotive topic in Russia was carried out: the details are in the project card on Smartmarket.net right here . In short, the market is huge, but there is no platform with guaranteed answers anywhere. About cars we love to say everything, but the places where professionals are ironically responsible for their words and guarantee the result - no. The fact is that very often in our market when a journalist says something, there is a feeling that he defends not only his point of view, but also the interests of a certain brand. Therefore, the most important feature of the new project is impartiality. Experts should be responsible for every word.
Of course, further field tests were needed. Alexey and Sergey tested the rates of attracting users on the basis of a personal page in FB, on the Youtube channel, Vkontakte. The “sandbox” of S. Aslanyan’s original site gathered a thousand subscribers in one month. Thus, the numbers were obtained with which it was possible to go to the investor at the Smartmarket, especially since the amount required was far from cosmic - only 2.491.000 rubles at the seed stage (at the Smartmarket the volume of seed investment is limited to 3 million rubles).
Alexey:
After weighing all the pros and cons, we realized that caudfading is the best way for us. Everyone, including our consultants, found the conditions most acceptable. In our plans there are two more rounds of attracting investments, the last of which is planned to receive and launch a faranshiza of the world-famous automobile publication.
The minimum package amount is 30 thousand rubles. We collect 2.5 million rubles - there will be no more than 84 investors. This is not a very large and very useful diversification of investors.
Verification of the project went well, without comments and significant additions. After the first meeting, the project announced the forms of monetization. At the same time, one of the issues from our site was the existence of actual agreements with counterparties. Amsrus.ru already has several verbal agreements with large offline projects of the sphere (since all participants in the project are “their own”), and this will be on paper in the near future. One of the startups with which AMSRUS is joining forces has attracted $ 1.5 million at the zero round. Data on the agreements will appear in the project card upon the conclusion of contracts.
The layout of the future portal
Below is a brief interview with Alexey about the work of the project:
What is the first goal of the project?
First of all, we will make S. Aslanyan’s “Flour of Choice” popular radio heading publicly available on the Internet. With the archive for the last 3-4 years. Even if the dynamics of changes in the assessment of a particular car by an autoexpert will be visible. For example, in 2007 he considered this model average, and in 2009 it was already good. This may be found in the archive of Sergei Stepanovich.
How will users participate in the life of the portal?
The best (by rating) 20 users every quarter will be declared “people's experts”, and for this they will be entitled to publish materials, participate as an official representative in various events on behalf of the portal (test drives, conferences, exhibitions, presentations), and certain cases and speak on behalf of the site. They will form most of the content: notes, reviews, news on regional auto topics. The percentage of “popular” content will depend on the quality of materials from “popular experts”. They also have the responsibility to answer the questions of ordinary users, although to a greater extent applicants in the top 20 will deal with this, because this is their main chance to become a “national expert”.
What user roles are there in the project?
• Users
• folk experts
• Supervisory Board (a kind of “Pantheon” - generally accepted automotive experts throughout the country. At the start, these are Aslanian and Pikulenko).
• Dealers - representatives of trading companies that officially represent their interests on the portal.
• Administrators - full-time employees.
Account types will not be combined.
How will price data be uploaded?
We will take prices for the digest of trading platforms several times a day from open popular trading platforms, which will not amount to significant labor costs. If the user wants to see specific offers and contacts of the seller - he will go to the donor’s page (trading platform) thereby, we will be interested in working with us.
What are your plans?
• Collaboration with foreign publications;
• Own analytical and research work;
• the formation of unique informational occasions (an example is the trial with the VW Tiguan brake system). "We must quote, not us."
• Own YouTube channel where we will post all of our video events worth seeing: tests, raids, meetings with users, video presentations of new car brands and a number of effective marketing videos of innovations.
What is the main task of the site?
The main task of the site: it helps users with car selection. Moreover, not only giving out figures, but also reviews of observers and experts who statistically highlight the advantages and disadvantages of a particular car. The latest marketing trend: “disclaim responsibility from the client,” so the advice of a guru in an increasingly difficult choice becomes more popular
Are there any difficulties with the publication of "Mooks of choice" on the network?
Yes. This is a big problem - we are still working on versions of combining mathematical and prose, expert assessments. We are looking for the most convenient and concise comparison algorithm. But this problem is solved - we will upgrade until we find an option that suits the majority of users.
Will there be text versions (audio transcripts)?
Sure to! This is the first thing that will appear on the site and will be updated daily.
Where do the first national experts come from?
There are already candidates selected among the followers of S. Aslanyan’s Facebook page.
Do not you think that your model is a bit like Autokadabru? What can you say about this resource?
Resource is great! With clearly defined goals. Although you can tighten marketing and improve sales. But our idea is not like Autokadabru. We are different. We have a different age segment of the target audience - a little older. In terms of content, we are different: more analytical, informational materials, news. Comparing cars and so on. The only thing in which we coincide is the community of car owners.
Such communities have a common problem: when users feel the power, they begin to sharply criticize almost all brands without exception. You are planning to create an ecosystem where brands will almost be friends of users. How can this be achieved?
We do not plan to impose a friendship with brands against the will of users. We are creating a meritocratic system: the power of the user, and already he will decide - with whom to be friends. When a certain number of users are reached, brand advocates will appear. I will not dissemble - we admit the appearance of "purchased users." But not among the experts. This we will check.
How will the objectivity of information be maintained? For example, can a representative of an automaker enter the team of experts?
The current representative can not. At the conditional “third” stage of development, representatives of the automakers will have a different type of account.
What kind of advertising do you plan to earn?
Banner and teaser ads. For the first two years. We plan to beat the competition in new advertising formats. Of course, this will not work from the very start of the project. At the end of the first year, we will implement a system for displaying targeted advertisements. The user will see advertisements for exactly those cars that he is looking for on the portal. Teaser ads will be directed to car dealerships - advertising budgets of which have recently been significantly limited. In addition to new models, we will try to shake up the advertising services market, which is practically not advertised - trade in.
Will this site be the main one for a car enthusiast, or will it bypass several at once? How do you think this is happening now?
Now the user goes around several sites - prices in one place, analytics and comparison in other places. There are claims to unification, but where marketing fails, where the optimal form of interaction with users is not achieved, where there is no decent content. Our goal: to reach the level of the smart network - online community of car owners with a lot of applied functions. Accordingly, with the successful implementation of the plan for integration with automotive offline projects we will receive:
• Not only the online point of concentration of automotive users, but also a constant source of attraction and retention of users;
• Increasing the volume and quality of content;
• A sharp expansion of the range of services for the regular user;
• Additional user motivation factors.
Summary
The target amount of the amsrus.ru project is 2.491.000 rubles. In the first hours after the start of the fundraising, applications for 270,000 rubles have already been collected (and the official launch of the crowdinvestment platform has not yet taken place). The financial plan, Alexey's CV, market analysis and other details on the project are available on his page on the Smartmarket. There you can follow the fate of the project . On April 9, at 21:00, Alexey Buryak, CEO of the AMSRUS project, will hold a webinar on the topic: “What is AMSRUS and why do you need to invest in it?”.
Actually, the question to you is: how do you think such a project will succeed? Would you invest in it? It would be interesting to delve into its financial records and learn more about how to develop such communities from the inside?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/175379/
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