Gerry Lianos, TechRound100 Judge Talks About What He Wants To See From This Years’ Entrants

Tell us about yourself

 

I’m Gerry, the CEO of Raffolux. My background is in fundraising and tech, and five years ago I co-founded Raffolux, where we’re transforming the traditional raffle into a mass-market digital experience. My co-founder and I created Raffolux with two goals in mind; one, to disrupt the traditional lottery fundraising model and its participants’ fatigue of play; and two, to make donating to a good cause you care about fun.

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time volunteering with local charities, and there was a fairly widespread incentive problem in convincing people to donate – even to causes that they really cared about. Raffolux helps to solve this issue by giving people the chance to win something awesome alongside every donation, and we currently generate over 5,000 winning experiences every single week on our platform.

 

Tell us about your company

 

Raffolux is an online raffle and fundraising platform where customers have the chance to win amazing prizes from just 10p a ticket, whilst supporting good causes around the UK. Since launching in 2019, Raffolux has given away £20 million in prizes, created more than 500,000 winning experiences, and raised over £680,000 for charities across the UK.

We’ve been extremely fortunate to have worked with hundreds of good causes, including Oxfam, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the National Autistic Society and many more, both as part of our work at Raffolux and its affiliated brands. The money we raise is often put towards specific projects, such as efforts to prevent certain mutations from driving tumour growth in lymphoma, which we funded through Worldwide Cancer Research.

 

 

What advice do you have for companies entering the TechRound100?

 

Making sure that the unique aspects of your business are immediately clear is a big one. Don’t hesitate to dive right into the core of what makes your business different – whether it’s an innovative technology, a novel approach to a problem, or an undeserved market that you’re addressing.

 

How do you suggest entrants should stand out from the crowd?

 
Focus on what makes your business memorable. You want to demonstrate that you’re not just another player in your industry, but a leader or an innovator. Sharing stand-out metrics that highlight your growth or traction, showcasing a distinct approach, or illustrating how your business has uniquely solved a common pain point are all super helpful.

Personal touches, like a compelling founder story or how you relate to the company’s mission, tend to stick in the mind and really help in bringing the entry to life.

 

Any final thoughts?

 

Just to go for it – your passion and excitement for what you do is what makes your entry so interesting. It’s not just about what you do, but why you do it. Good luck!