A $3.2M seed round, built on the investor-ready prototype and pitch deck WANDR delivered in four weeks, took Crowdlink from a business plan to a funded product.
Crowdlink is a digital marketing platform for the creator economy, founded in 2018 by two entertainment insiders: Jonathan Clay, of the Americana duo Jamestown Revival, and artist manager Aston Teague, later joined by co-founder Donnie Gerault. The idea was simple to say and hard to prove: creators generate unique, trackable links, their fans share those links for rewards, and every share drives measurable buzz. The more a fan shares, the bigger the reward, and the bigger the reach for the creator.
When they came to WANDR, the founders had conviction, a market thesis, and a rough deck. What they did not have was a validated product or the investor-ready assets to raise the money that would build it.
A big idea that no one had yet made investable.
Two founders with a compelling thesis needed to become fundraise-ready fast: validate the idea, define the product, and package it well enough to open investor conversations, all inside a four-week window.
Crowdlink had a strong belief and a market thesis, but no tested product and no defined MVP. It was unclear which features to build first, or whether real users on either side actually wanted the thing.
The product only works if the value lands for creators and for fans at the same time. Creators want cheaper reach and data; fans want recognition and rewards. If either side did not show up, the flywheel would never spin.
Crowdlink was entering a space defended by Facebook and Instagram and dotted with niche players like Surkus, SocialToaster, and Patreon. Standing out required a sharp, defensible value proposition, not just another link tool.
To fund the build and hit their target of being ready by late 2020, the founders needed an investor-ready prototype and pitch deck in about four weeks. The clock, not the feature list, set the scope.
From business plan to
Investor-ready product.
Rather than design on instinct, WANDR pressure-tested six assumptions with the people who would use the product. Eight interviews across the target market, four fans and four creators and digital agencies, opened the sprint, a 104-response survey sized the pattern, and a competitive map showed where Crowdlink could actually win.
Four fans and four creators and agencies were interviewed in depth. Creators needed cheaper reach and proof it worked: "it’s a lot of work to spread the word about a show, but most people don’t see it." Fans wanted to be recognized for promotion they were already doing for free.
A 104-response survey confirmed the pattern: fans share only for artists they truly believe in. "If the music is good I am willing to share. If it’s not, nothing in the world will make me." The takeaway for design: rewards had to feel like recognition, never a payout.
Testing six assumptions surfaced the real pain: creators juggle too many platforms, generating and sharing links was "a super clunky experience," and choice-heavy landing pages were "a big dropoff." Sharing had to be effortless and live wherever the fan already was.
A student who discovers new artists constantly and shares in private group chats. Hates losing a link a friend sent her. “Typically if it’s just one song I send it in a group chat.”
A young professional who wants to be an artist’s number-one fan and be recognized for it. Frustrated by getting all his “ducks in a row” across too many platforms.
A singer-songwriter who runs her own marketing, then realizes a big campaign barely reached anyone. Shares her whole self and wants real reach.
A busy musician focused on the craft, with a team for marketing. Wants to connect with and reward fans, and dislikes contests that “feel icky.”
Own the connection. Design both sides. Make it
The competitive map put every rival in the transactional corner (link shorteners, contest tools) or the purely social one. The whole social-and-emotional quadrant sat empty, exactly where fans said they lived: "they want a connection, not a transaction." Crowdlink was designed to own it.
The creator side lets an artist add content, generate trackable crowdl.ink links, set reward tiers, and read a real analytics dashboard of top channels, top fans, and impact. The fan side plugs into the phone’s native share sheet so sharing is effortless, then counts every click toward points and rewards. Fans "loved the ability to share privately and have it count."
The flows became interactive prototypes for both the fan and creator journeys and a cohesive visual identity, then went into an investor pitch deck built to raise, tight enough to demo live and polished enough to put in front of investors.
The tools to shorten a link or run a contest already existed. What no one had built was a way for a fan to promote an artist they love and be recognized for it. The research kept returning to the same line, "they want a connection, not a transaction," and the competitive map showed the entire social-and-emotional corner sitting open. That, not another link shortener, was the product worth funding, and the reason two first-time founders could walk into investor rooms with something genuinely differentiated.
By the end of the sprint, Crowdlink had a validated two-sided product, an investor-ready pitch package, and the foundation to raise. The company went on to do exactly that.
Crowdlink raised a $3.2M seed round on the prototype and pitch deck WANDR built, as the founders confirmed directly to the WANDR team. The raise is the founders’ achievement; WANDR built the fundraising assets, not a direct design result.
The final design was elegant and was exactly what we were looking for. They hit every milestone and delivered on time.
