That is the idea behind Sttartup, a new monthly t-shirt subscription service that will deliver you two new shirts each month. Each monthly box will feature shirts from two startups, include information about what they do, and an incentive for you to check them out. For example, one of the featured startups may be a BBQ brand and include a bottle of their product. The next month it may be a startup such as Sniply that allows you to stay top of mind even when sharing content on social media that you don’t own. Like other subscription based programs such as Loot Crate or Dollar Beard Club, Sttartup has a very specific audience in mind: entrepreneurs. From leaders creating their own company to the early-stage employees making them grow, the startup community regularly likes to support its peers. Sttartup also acts as an additional marketing platform, which is entirely free for the business sharing their brand and services in the form of an awesome branded t-shirt.
From Swag to Awareness
The service itself is quite meta in the sense that they are also just now breaking into the startup world. That means their marketing budgets are small and they have to get creative. To kick things off, starting today at SXSW, they are launching a guerrilla marketing campaign. They’ve hired a street team with LED backpacks to draw in the techies, and will be handing out information how they can obtain a very special t-shirt. The shirt in question will be a reprint of the sold out Glasshole Kitty Product Hunt shirt. Best of all, you don’t actually need to attend SXSW to get in on the launch promotion.
Validating Ideas
For Lawson, the idea of Sttartup has a very simple back history that included self-validation. Initially Lawson looked at services like CafePress, but ultimately decided both the quality of the digital print and the overall cost would not be ideal. He found a startup in Florida that produces custom screen printed designs, works directly with the startup to ensure their brand guides are being followed, and are able to produce the shirts directly for subscribers. Currently they have 20 startup involved and 40 more set to be onboarded. Sttartup currently offers two options, a monthly recurring subscription and an annual subscription. The subscriptions cost $39 per month or $420 per year.