*By Michael Teich* Trufan, a new platform letting brands and influencers reward their most loyal fans on social media, has attracted the attention of big names in sports and entertainment, but CEO Swish Goswami told Cheddar he's taking a "very Canadian approach" by catering to mom-and-pop shops as well. The Toronto-based company uses a proprietary algorithm to identify a social media user's most influential and engaged followers, who can then be targeted with special promotions, ads or other messaging. The tool is still about a month away from launch but has already caught the attention of some notable names in sports. It raised $1 million from investors including the Los Angeles Lakers' Kyle Kuzma and the CEO of DraftKings Jason Robins. Brands working with Trufan in private beta include Under Armour ($UAA), Western Union, and the esports organization 100 Thieves. Influencers who gave the platform a test-run included Kevin Hart, Gucci Mane, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade. "For a lot of the market for social media management tools, they don't really cater to mom-and-pop shops and small businesses that we like to do. So we're taking a very Canadian approach," he said, "which is to say we're trying to go after people that were just overlooked by a really big market." Pricing for the monthly subscription platform starts at $9.99 per month for small businesses and then rises to an enterprise pricing tier for big brands. While the initial focus has been on the sports community, Goswami said he eventually plans to expand Trufan's reach. "Three big spaces are e-commerce, the cannabis industry because it is legalized in Canada where I'm from, and finally esports," he said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-influencer-program-rewarding-fans-for-loyalty).

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Is U.S. Restaurants’ Breakfast Boom Contributing to High Egg Prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
Load More