In 2019, we (Ayman Al-Zamil and Brad Cowdrey) united around a novel idea: to empower everyday people to rally behind the brands they adore and genuinely believe in. Our vision was to foster engaging brand experiences where individuals could express their authentic voices, enjoy time with friends who share their beliefs, and connect with others who have similar interests, values, and experiences. We envisioned a space where people could share real images and genuine videos of their daily enjoyment of products, services, restaurants, and cuisines they love.

The core idea was to conceptualize an app that would encapsulate all these elements within an easy-to-use, fun interface. An app that could enable anyone, anywhere to connect and champion brands, big or small, that resonate with them and earn extra money in the process.

The first question that crossed our minds was, how could we bring this vision to fruition? What could we do to amalgamate these kinds of experiences? How would people react to the idea of monetizing while retaining authenticity? What would they think about engaging with brands while preserving their values? How would people perceive this new spectrum of experiences? And, what name would suit this incredible venture?

One thing was clear: everyone adored the idea. The concept captivated us so much that we sought opinions from everyone we encountered, keen on understanding how it could potentially shape the future. Astoundingly, the response was unanimous—from executives to individual contributors, everyday people to business leaders. Everyone agreed that this was a great if not groundbreaking idea, and indeed, it became our sole focus. We intuitively sensed that this was the onset of a grand journey, brimming with excitement, challenges, and fulfillment. This intuition proved to be more accurate than we could have ever imagined.

Convinced about the potential, we sprung into action. Brad relocated to San Francisco, California, recognizing it as the ideal locale to cultivate the technology and concepts for the project. Simultaneously, on the other side of the globe, Ayman and his team dove into developing our brand strategy and materials. We reached out to our professional networks, particularly global business leaders and thought leaders, including our professors at Harvard Business School and beyond. We engaged with everyone we respected and knew would provide honest thoughts on the venture.

Our efforts not only garnered invaluable insights from remarkable individuals but also helped us secure the necessary funding for this grand adventure. And as they say, the rest is history; we were off to the races.

Every day at EyCrowd, we immerse ourselves in a learning odyssey. As we conduct numerous data-driven experiments and explore varied techniques and approaches, each week unfolds with new learnings, discoveries to be made, and horizons to be explored. We’ve honed the ability to rapidly integrate new insights and feedback, tackle uncharted territories, and apply best practices and proven techniques concurrently. The level of commitment, energy, and horsepower required to bring EyCrowd to the world is immense. We are forever grateful to our investors, partners, advisors, and our exceptional team for their relentless efforts in realizing EyCrowd’s vision. EyCrowd truly is a game-changer. Welcome to the EyCrowd journey 🙏 🚀.

Best,

Brad and Ayman  

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LinkedIn Profiles: 

Brad Cowdrey

Ayman Al-Zamil

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