SC Launch Inc. invests in event data company

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SC Launch Inc. has invested in another South Carolina startup.

The nonprofit corporation affiliated with the S.C. Research Authority is investing $300,0000 in Bandwagon Fan Club Inc.

The Greenville startup is a B2B identity infrastructure company that helps customers, primarily live event organizers and experience creators, transparently aggregate, manage and store customer identity information. The money will be used to help the company, founded by Harold Hughes, fund further development and expand its workforce.

“Their founder had an idea, took advantage of technological advances, and created a needed service in the events industry,” said Lee MacIlwinen, SCRA investment manager in a news release. “Bandwagon’s flagship product, Aura, has been used internationally to manage and store customer information, in a transparent and secure manner.”

Bandwagon’s platform uses permission-only blockchain, encryption and multi-party computing to help customers partner with other stakeholders to safely and securely gather large groups, both in-person and virtually.

Founder and CEO Harold Hughes was inspired by his interest in using technology to improve the community experience and address the event industry’s particular set of needs.

“Our solution meets their needs of managing customer data to improve their events, making them more profitable and with more attendance,” Hughes said. “We also believe that transparency can be increased without losing trust; we’ve created a philosophy built on this trust, and we operate according to it daily.”

Bandwagon earned statewide attention when it became an SCRA member company in 2016. Four years later Google granted Hughes a $100,000 grant as part of its Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. Bandwagon was one of 76 recipients and the only South Carolina company.

“Bandwagon is poised to revolutionize the entertainment, sports, and general events industry. Their platform, designed for in-person, large gatherings, also works with virtual gatherings, which have become more prevalent,” SCRA Executive Director Bob Quinn said “Post-pandemic, we’ll continue to see in-person and virtual options for popular events.”