Celebrity shout-out Platform, Minly, is Creating Personalized Experiences Between Celebrities and Fans
In discussing the uniqueness of Minly’s service, then we are looking at a startup interested in spreading positivity. Minly, an Egypt-based creator economy platform launched in 2020. Mohamed El-Shinnawy, Tarek Hosny, Tarek ElGanainy, Ahmed Abbas and Bassel El-Toukhy all co-founded the startup.
Minly’s focus is to provide tools for innovators to create what it describes as ‘authentic connections’. This platform enables them connect with their fans and audience at scale. Minly has already experienced rapid growth since its launch in 2020. The startup has more than 50,000 users. This is followed by an impressive list of popular regional celebrities ranging from actors, athletes, musicians, and social media influencers.
Minly enables fans across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) to buy personalised video messages and shoutouts – for themselves or their loved ones – from leading celebrities of the region. There is also the option to record reactions and publish them.
“Minly is fundamentally changing the relationship between celebrities and fans in the MENA region, and has an enormous opportunity for growth,” said Peter Orth one of Minly’s board members.
In June last year, Minly raised an oversubscribed seed round of $3.6M. The seed round accelerated Minly’s expansion into the MENA region. According to Mohamed El-Shinnawy, co-founder and CTO of Minly, the startup now has the opportunity to build this category’s first unicorn in MENA.
How Minly Works
Minly bridges the gap between fans and celebrities. The platform creates a safe and secure space to personalize this connection. Fans can browse from a catalog of top celebrities, and request a personalized video shout-out from their favorite star.
Celebrities on Minly set the prices of shout-outs themselves with some guidance from the startup. Price ranges for every celebrity.
Alternatively, fans can exchange messages and voice notes with the celebrities on the platform albeit for a fee lower than video shoutouts.
Tarek Hosny, Minly’s CEO spoke on the startup’s vision to create a leading digital platform for stars in the region.
“Our top priority is spreading positive experiences for fans and celebrities alike. Minly fills an unsolved need by providing both of them with more authentic connectivity than social media. Over time, we think that Minly has the chance to usher forward a new category of personalized digital content and entertainment,” said Hosny.
Minly’s platform systematically monitors content shared and recorded. This is to ensure a positive experience for both users and celebrities.
With the booming interest in celebrity engagement, Minly is well positioned for swift and steady growth in the years ahead. The company’s business model leaves it uniquely situated to tap into growing enthusiasm.