The Miami-based start-up will create exclusive celebrity campaigns with the entertainment media giant
MIAMI, FLA. (November 3, 2021) – GrapeStars, the first celebrity wine, and spirit online sales platform in the United States, is announcing a partnership with Accelerate360, an omnichannel distribution, data, and media company. This partnership represents a $6.6 million media marketing investment to further build the GrapeStar brand. The new site and app, which allows celebrities and celebrity-endorsed brands to promote their wines and spirits directly to their followers on social media, will work with the media company to create branded content featuring the most in-demand celebrity brands.
“The GrapeStars platform is truly innovative, and its founders are entrepreneurs in every sense of the word,” said Matt Ratner, Manager Partner & Chief Strategy Officer at Accelerate360. “We are excited to welcome them to our portfolio of disruptive companies at NextUp360 Ventures and find ways to collaborate on their continued growth through our various businesses at Accelerate360.”
“One of the biggest challenges for any early-stage company is exposure, especially in today’s world,” said GrapeStars Co-Founder Robert Pelletier. “We are excited for the ability to access one of the leading media companies in A360 Media with brands like Us Weekly, Life & Style, and Men’s Journal, as well as the incredible creative and marketing assets, which provides extraordinary resources.”
GrapeStars is just one of the significant new tech start-ups to come out of Miami, but not the last, with the city recently named by Forbes as the second-biggest emerging tech in the United States.
Accelerate360’s media group, A360 Media, boasts some of pop culture’s best-known titles and engages nearly 70 million consumers monthly across print, digital and social media. Today, A360 Media has the #1 market share in total newsstand circulation in their category and are the fastest-growing brands online. The partnership with GrapeStars will allow the tech company to leverage first-party data that aligns with target audiences to seamlessly reach them through quality editorial content.
As part of the partnership, GrapeStars will have access to a world-class suite of services as well as a unique investment model designed to drive growth and consumer engagement, including Omnichannel Sales Strategy and Implementation, Turnkey 3PL Logistics (DSD/DTC), Consumer Media, Strategic Brand and, Marketing Services, eCommerce Strategy and Platform Management, Product Sourcing, and Data Services.
In addition to its media partnership, GrapeStars has also enlisted the talents of BVK. With offices in Miami, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay, the full-service marketing firm will help lead the overall brand strategy and support digital, social, and public relations efforts.
In November, the national campaigns for GrapeStars will begin running in Accelerate360’s A360 Media titles, including Star Magazine & Us Weekly. They will feature celebrities such as Kate Hudson, LeBron James, Sting, Bill Murray, Blake Shelton, John Legend, Steven Soderbergh, Rita Ora, and many others.
About GrapeStars
Founded by the Brothers Pelletier, Robert, and Jean-Jean, along with Stephan Fortier, Stefan Lindqvist, and Charles-Andre Sauve, GrapeStars is a game-changing app where celebrities can promote their wine and spirits brands directly to fans via social media through the first-ever, virtual direct-to-consumer sales channel in 45 states. Until today, consumers have struggled to find any of these 250+ celebrity brands at retailers. Now through GrapeStars, fans can get those brands and products shipped directly to their doorstep.
The innovative app provides users with a highly engaging experience with several unique features. For example, fans can discover previously unknown products from celebrities, read up on the latest industry news from the brand’s blog, or browse exclusive celeb news and content. Future pipelined features will allow GrapeStars to become not only a marketplace but a social media platform for fans to interact with their favorite celebrities through augmented reality (AR) and AI features. Other pipelined features include a virtual sommelier giving users recommendations, chat room between users, and live streams of shows and events. Additionally, users will soon be able to “give back” via GrapeStars Round-Up, linked to a charity affiliated with a celebrity of choice.
