Fandiem
Setting the Scene
Many nonprofits are struggling to connect with younger, digitally native audiences.
Younger generations aren’t less charitable, but traditional fundraising tactics like email appeals, cold outreach, and galas simply don’t resonate with donors who value access, experience, and authenticity.
At the same time, artist’s teams are looking for fresh, low-lift ways to deepen fan engagement, grow their audience, and amplify priority moments like tours, releases, and brand partnerships.
This week’s company provides a turnkey platform that enables organizations to empower talent to rally their fans around meaningful causes they care about, with high-impact campaigns, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and authenticated collectibles.
In a Sentence
Fandiem is a turnkey sweepstakes and auction platform that aligns organizations with artists to engage their fanbase to raise funds for the causes they care about.
Platform: A legally compliant, fully managed system for running donate-to-win campaigns, combining fundraising mechanics with cultural relevance and viral fan engagement.
Organizations: Artists, athletes, festivals, and nonprofits partner with Fandiem to activate their fanbase for good, running high-impact campaigns without building or managing infrastructure themselves.
Fan-Powered: The campaigns are fueled by fans who donate and bid for a chance to win exclusive experiences or memorabilia, turning passion into real philanthropic impact.
Bulleted Version:
- Think of Fandiem as GoFundMe for donations, but instead of just giving, fans donate for the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences and collectibles, all in support of the causes their favorite celebrities care about.
The Basics
- Headquarters: Connecticut
- Employee Count: 6 full-time, 8 part-time
- Investors:
Dundee Partners, Deblock Fund, Phil Sarna, Coran Capshaw
- Funding amount: $1.7M
- Business model: Revenue share from sweepstakes and memorabilia auctions (20–25% platform take)
- Early traction: $10M in annualized platform GMV, 2.5M+ opted-in music fans, 60% YoY growth, and campaigns with top artists including Paul McCartney, Metallica, Pearl Jam, U2, and Billie Eilish.
Due Diligence
WHAT WE LIKE
Market Opportunity: Fandiem connects the $331B nonprofit sector and $4.2B music memorabilia market to the $100B+ global fan economy.
Marketing value: Beyond fundraising, Fandiem acts as a full-funnel marketing engine by expanding fan reach, driving high-intent engagement and amplifying priority moments like tours, releases, and brand partnerships.
Data Flywheel: Each campaign deepens Fandiem’s own database of 2.5M+ opted-in fans, providing unmatched insight into fan behavior, charitable preferences, and engagement patterns that can drive future monetization.
POTENTIAL RISKS
Take Rate: Some fans may push back on platforms earning revenue from charitable donations, even if the model is legally compliant and transparent.
Talent: Many artists support causes passively; the challenge is getting them to actively engage or promote these campaigns regularly.
Sustained Fan Engagement: Fandiem’s scaling model depends on keeping fans active beyond the initial campaign; as attention spans shrink, the company must layer in new incentives, collectibles, and community features to maintain engagement over time.
Founder Profile
Jared Heiman, CEO: Former partnerships and sales leader at Condé Nast, Rdio, and Grooveshark; two-time founder with deep industry relationships across music and digital media.
Paul Peck, President: Co-founder of the Okeechobee Music Festival and longtime producer at Bonnaroo and Superfly, bringing top-tier artist access and live-event expertise.
Ross Gassman, VP Product & Growth: Previously led marketing at Loud And Live with experience building fan engagement and digital campaign ecosystems.
Julio Marin, VP Marketing: Brand strategist and creative executive with previous leadership roles at Jose Cruz Productions and Zenith; focused on storytelling and brand amplification.
Comps
Omaze: Digital sweepstakes pioneer that raised $150M+ for nonprofits; now solely focused on UK operations.
Propeller: A take-action model for entries, partnering with major artists and pre-approved nonprofits; lacks Fandiem’s open charity model and first-party data sharing.
CharityBuzz: Luxury auction site for exclusive experiences and high-end items; offers limited marketing and fulfillment support compared to Fandiem’s end-to-end model.
Prizeo: Celebrity sweepstakes platform; Fandiem differentiates by partnering with major fan-reach platforms such as Bandsintown and Ticketmaster/Live Nation.
Why Fandiem
By bridging nonprofits and fanbases, activating celebrity-led campaigns, and making giving feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, this company is hitting all the right notes.
