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Comment by fitzwatermellow | Hacker News Reader

I have noticed Revlo on Twitch! ("what on earth is a goon dollar???") No brainer selection for YC. Looks like a compelling digital currency solution for fan bases. And this space, whatever you want to call it, "internet video viewer engaement", is gargantuan, nascent.

Just curious, without given too much away, what's the endgame with Revlo? Create the ultimate platform on top of Twitch, Youtube, etc. that content creators can then use to run karaoke contests, create mini games, raffle prizes and such? Or scouting and developing talent and creating their own studio and channels? Good luck and congrats!

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Adam (one of the cofounders) here. Our long-term goal is definitely to help creators interact with and engage their fans regardless of what platform they use. Twitch was a natural starting point because interaction already plays such a critical role in the content.

Hi Adam,

do you think that Revlo suffers from the typical "building on top of someone else's platform" problem? It seems to me that this game always end up with you either being acquired by the platform or being screwed over. What's your view on this?

Congratulations on the work so far! :-)

I think it's absolutely a challenge building on someone else's platform, but I don't think those are the only two outcomes. Think of a company like Hootsuite, it leverages these social platforms but solves a set of needs for businesses that Twitter or Facebook can't solve themselves.

These streamers are building their livelihood and businesses off of multiple platforms and have a number of needs that Twitch isn't likely to solve. How do I keep my community engaged when I'm not live-streaming on twitch? How do I work with brands and sponsors?

This is definitely a winner since there's a dearth of tools that help streamers monetize their audiences in a more engaging way. I wonder if this becomes something that Twitch would want to build into the streams themselves so it's seamless and can embed the mini games and raffles in real time into the video feed?

The other thing that came to mind was that Revlo could probably find a huge audience in the adult entertainment space where cam sites have been the most popular format in the past few years. The combination of real time interaction with entertainers and the amateur (girl next door) aspect have really fueled the popularity of the format. My research suggests that the tools for streamers are severely lacking for an audience that is heavily monetized.

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