Startup interview: Shopflix co-founders Matt Matros and Lindsey Kilbride

RTIH gets the lowdown on Shopflix, which launched in June and is pitched as Netflix meets Peloton meets QVC. 

RTIH: Tell us about yourself and Shopflix

MM & LK: Shopflix is a streaming, shoppable content platform that's giving consumers a better way to discover their next favourite brands and products. 

We tell great brand and founder stories, hosted by influencers and industry experts. Our viewers can watch videos 24-7 both livestreaming and on-demand, all with a click to buy.

As co-founders, Matt has 2x successful exits (PROTEIN BAR to L Catterton and LIMITLESS to Keurig Dr Pepper) and Lindsey, Trunk Club 'first 10' employee with four years pre- and four years post-sale to Nordstrom.

We have known each other for nearly two decades, meeting at the University of Michigan where Lindsey was pursuing her undergraduate engineering degree and Matt his MBA. 

RTIH: What was the inspiration behind setting the brand up?

MM: My wife and I were expecting our first child in the summer of 2020, and with the pandemic closing bricks and mortar retail establishments, we weren’t able to touch, feel, test and experience some of their most important purchases. 

We found that going to a park, watching couples engage with their strollers and asking questions about the brands and products was a much richer experience than viewing static site images or reading online reviews. 

While e-commerce is quickly growing in share of total retail purchases, the experience of “shopping” has yet to effectively translate into the virtual world. Buying, hunting, searching and transacting – sure, but the connection between brands and consumers is weakening. 

With this and the influence of livestream shopping in China, the idea for Shopflix was born. I reached out to Lindsey in late October 2021, after a few hours on Zoom and a few days in a coworking space in Chicago –we decided to do this together. 

Shopflix raised a pre-seed round of $1.64 million led by Chicago Ventures, Network Ventures and Chingona Ventures and launched in June with an iPhone /Android app.

There is also a web experience and we rely heavily on YouTube (and soon Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook) for distribution of our content and to raise awareness for our brand partners.

RTIH: What has been the industry reaction thus far?

MM & LK: We’ve found that brands are starved for new ways to connect with customers and tell their stories. 

The barrier to entry for DTC brands is lower than ever before, but current channels to gain awareness and attract new shoppers are crowded and costly. 

We are seeking brands that have interesting founder journeys, unique products, are category innovators and overall have a great story to tell! Shopflix currently has 60+ brand partners from a growing assortment of excellent DTC brands across categories such as fashion, beauty and wellness, tech, home, fitness, kids, pets and more.

In terms of viewership, our site, app and social channels are amassing a growing cohort of engaged viewers as we drop new shows and episodes every week. 

RTIH: What has been your biggest challenge/setback?

MM & LK: Since we recently launched and are rapidly growing, we spend a lot of time discussing the benefits to brands of partnering with Shopflix and the value of joining our journey from awareness to acquisition. 

Our approach is content first, commerce second, and we are still early in our evolution so we will have more metrics soon re: CPM vs CAC.  

We provide our brand partners with several benefits, including: highly produced content highlighting their brand/story to reuse as they see fit.

Influencer marketing, as every show is hosted by an industry expert with a strong social following who posts on behalf of the brand; Distribution through our app, site and social channels.

Growth marketing, as we are buying search terms each brand selects in order to boost views and awareness; And last but certainly not least, a new retail channel as every video is shoppable with a simple click to buy. 

Our current focus is now translated a quickly growing audience (~500 app downloads, nearly 200K views on our YouTube channel in under a month, etc.) into a strong shopper base as well.

Our Shopify pings daily, we aspire for it to ping daily for each brand partner soon. 

RTIH: What are the biggest challenges facing the omnichannel retail sector right now?

MM & LK: Finding, connecting with and serving your customer on their terms is difficult for brands with so many options. Open a physical store? Invest in a killer e-commerce experience? Bet big on social media and influencer marketing? 

How does one get expansive reach without losing the personal connection?

In the same vein, discovering the right brands and products to fit your needs and values is tough for consumers in a sea of social media, where the physical retail experience and curation and service from trusted bricks and mortar stores continues to recede. 

Enter Shopflix. We want to connect with customers in a convenient way. Help turn online transactions back into engaging experiences. 

We want to tell stories, demonstrate products, highlight category innovators with more than simply a static photo and also make it incredibly easy for the viewer to consumer our content and buy the product at a one stop shop. 

RTIH: What's the best question about your brand asked of you recently by an investor and/or a customer?

MM & LK: Honestly the best question for us was a brand recently asking “can I purchase four shows?” after we pitched them as they saw such value in promoting their different product lines in different ways. 

Some of our content will inspire you, other shows will educate and explain, still others will make you laugh out loud. Each brand has a unique way they’d like their story to be told – and we work closely with them and our writers room to ensure we get it right. 

RTIH: What can we expect to see from Shopflix over the next 12 months?

MM & LK: More! A greater assortment of cool brands and products to shop, different approaches to storytelling with new hosts and show concepts.

Also, improvements to our product to keep viewers engaged and promote the shopping experience, and more ads, views and followers as we double down on our growth marketing efforts on behalf of Shopflix’s great brand partners. 

StartupsStaff WriterShopflix, Startups, Matt Matros, Lindsey Kilbride, Influencers, Livestreaming, Shoppable content platforms, E-commerce, Online retail, Funding rounds, YouTube, Mobile retail, DTC brandsComment