Our Start-up of the Week is QuizWizards, creator of interactive quizzes that helps brands to get noticed and engage with users online.
“We create digital experiences between brands and their customers in the form of a fun, exciting quiz,” explained QuizWizards founder and CEO Rory McEvoy.
“We live in an age of the ‘attention economy’ where brands are competing against 2.77bn social media users – every brand, every friend, every news outlet and celeb, let alone Trump.
‘I came into entrepreneurship quite by accident’
– RORY MCEVOY
“The resulting pressure is on brands to create content that will cut through this clutter and deliver experiences that will resonate with their audience. This is a problem QuizWizards was born to solve.
“Our image-based, multiple-choice quizzes are fast and fun for players, easy to set up, and customisable for the brand. Our quizzes are fully gamified, with prizes and bonus points resulting in high levels of sign-up and social sharing. Valuable data capture from thousands of potential buyers can be used in retargeting advertising campaigns.”
The market
McEvoy said that the target market for QuizWizards includes digital media agencies, sports clubs and sponsors, gaming platforms, and consumer brands.
“We can add interactive content to layer across any digital campaign which agencies can use in pitches to their clients.
“We are an ideal fan engagement tool that sports clubs can use to engage their fans inside and outside of the stadium wall. The club’s weekly quiz can have content that is right up to date and includes simple in-game call to actions such as ‘20pc off the club’s new jersey’.
“Our platform appeals to the gaming world as our game of skill is an ideal soft lead generation tool for getting players – new and old – engaging with the brand’s products.
“We can create customised campaigns for consumer brands. For example, airline campaigns can focus on selling seats while the quiz can bring the excitement of travel in a quiz about their favourite destinations.”
The founder
McEvoy has been an accountant for 20 years working for large organisations such as Green Isle Foods, Greencore and United Drug.
“I came into entrepreneurship quite by accident. It literally started with a single tweet in 2013. In 2014, I left my accountancy career behind, entered the New Frontiers programme in IT Carlow and started my first award-winning quiz company, Twiznight.
“In 2017, I started developing QuizWizards and, with the help of our angel investor David Jennings, we have brought the platform to market readiness, with great feedback and results from brands who have started using it.”
The technology
QuizWizards creates customised quizzes based on a brand’s brief. These are matched to the brand’s colour scheme and they sit on its website.
“Our software handles everything from scoring, leader boards, to announcing the winners. We even have real-time, in-quiz support should a player have any issues. The brand has nothing to do but promote their quiz.
“This year, we also aim to develop a native Facebook app, which already is set to be trialled by a leading premiership club. We want to develop a client dashboard so that brands can set up their own quizzes. That’s where true scalability will occur. We also want to develop polls, questionnaires and educational arms to our platform.”
McEvoy said that the ultimate goal is to become the quality quiz platform that brands will choose when looking to create digital experiences with their audience.
“The North American market is where it’s at of course and we’ve already attracted interest from a sports accelerator there.”
Market-ready
McEvoy said that he feels QuizWizards is on the cusp of breaking through.
“We launched an early beta of the platform earlier in the year and, following successful trials and great feedback, we further enhanced the platform and interface to have a product that is now market-ready.
“During this time, we have been building relationships with digital agencies, brands and influencers in readiness for the product going to market. Feedback from brands has been incredibly encouraging and it’s great to be now generating sales. We’ve used Connector in Dublin on lead generation and this has worked incredibly well in enhancing our sales funnel.
“We’ve had our first international clients on board and had our first Spanish language World Cup quiz, which was hugely successful.
“Having Cian Corbett on board is a huge boost to us as his experience will be invaluable to us in best positioning ourselves in the digital media space.
“We are currently looking to attract investment. Our product has received funding to get to market readiness and, now that we have a market-ready product, funding now will help us gain market traction and feedback, and allow us to further develop the technology.”
Avoid rabbit holes
McEvoy said he would have preferred to have built the QuizWizards platform sooner.
“We’ve developed in line with funding. As this is a demanding space, we have spent considerable money in making the quiz as fast and stable as possible and the interface to be as professional as it can be, for leading brands to be comfortable using us.
“I’ve been in the start-up scene for four years now and have been well supported by Enterprise Ireland, New Frontiers, Innovation Vouchers and mentorship, plus funding and support from the Local Enterprise Office.”
His advice to start-ups is to avoid going down rabbit holes when it comes to seeking investment.
“It’s easier said than done, but sales cost you zero equity. My advice is to make sure to mind yourself before anyone else and exercise every day. I walk 40 minutes and it has dramatically reduced stress and increased my productivity.”
Want stories like this and more direct to your inbox? Sign up for Tech Trends, Silicon Republic’s weekly digest of need-to-know tech news.