Even with 100 followers – this app turns everyone into an influencer
The purchased products must be published on Tiktok or Instagram
Source: Getty Images / Westend61
Buy pants, show them on Instagram, get your money back. This is how the principle of Yamuntu works. Well-known investors have also recognized the potential of the cashback app. And it can also be really worthwhile for the 20 partner shops.
SWoundioun Sissoko received his first million euros in venture capital at the age of 21. In June, the inventor of the cashback app Yamuntu completed his financing round – after around two years of work. With the tool from the Hamburg start-up, anyone can become an influencer and earn money with products. Surveys believe that this is a dream job, especially for Generation Z.
The potential influencers register on Yamuntu and buy from one of the currently 20 partner shops. These are About You, the streetwear brand Overkill and the sock manufacturer Snocks.
The purchased products must then be published on Tiktok or Instagram and provided with a sticker. For example, it says “Sponsored by About You”. Yamuntu provides these markings via the app.
The shoppers then receive a refund of five to 30 euros, depending on the size of the shopping basket. The only requirement: you must have at least 100 followers.
For the online shops, this means greater reach for little money, according to the founder. Unlike influencers with hundreds of thousands of fans, for whom the providers sometimes spend large sums of money, Yamuntu’s target group shares authentic images, which are mainly seen by the circle of friends. That creates trust. And stickers like “Sponsored by About You” also mean “Prestige” to users.
Money for Yamuntu from the Trivago founder
The start-up receives a commission of between 15 and 25 percent from the shop for each order. The cashback is also calculated as a percentage. For example, with a shopping cart of 100 euros, Yamuntu receives 20 euros from the dealer, of which around ten euros go to the customer, the rest goes to the start-up’s till.
Sissoko does not want to say how much the Hamburg-based company has implemented so far and how many customers they have. According to estimates by the analysis tool Airnow Data, 60,000 people have downloaded the app since the end of 2019.
The idea for the cashback tool came to the founder during his high school graduation in 2018. A year later, he spun off the project at the Next Commerce Accelerator.
The 20-year-old Oliver Krause has been responsible for product development for the app for a year. Shortly afterwards, long-time About You developer Martin Westphal was persuaded to swap his well-paid job for a position as CTO at the young start-up.
Well-known investors also see the potential of the app. Various business angels joined the seed round in June, including Trivago founder Rolf Schrömgens and Mister Spex co-founder Philipp Frenkel. Within a year, the team grew from three to 15 people.
Most of the employees are also in their early 20s and embody the app’s target group. Some dropped out of school to work as freelancers, others already have several years of work experience.
.