Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Brown.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in a small town 45 minutes North of Boston called Newburyport. As someone who has always craved community and found meaning in gathering, I found an early passion for community building in high school, where I built one of the largest Jewish youth group in the North of Boston that stands today.
After finishing high school, I moved to Washington DC to chase a career in diplomacy, attending American University and studying International Relations with a focus in peace and conflict resolution and Chinese. This led me to move to Beijing in 2017 to pursue fluency in Mandarin and understand the nature of working in China, where I quickly let go of my desire to work in diplomacy. There I was selected for an internship at a digital marketing agency, supporting startups in China to advertise their products to US and UK-based audiences. One month into my internship, the primary photographer for the agency ran into visa issues and immediately departed the company. As an avid photographer in my free time, I pitched myself to the agency to take on the photography role; I won the opportunity. For the next six months,I traveled to some of the largest and most remote cities throughout China to increase Western tourism interest in China.
After returning to DC to complete my undergraduate degree, I accepted a role in Apple retail. I spent the remainder of my undergrad working on the sales floor and training incoming sales associates. During one of my shifts, a young man named Noah came in to purchase a laptop because he was preparing to move to LA to co-found a VC and celebrity-backed sunscreen company. Fascinated by Noah’s journey, we stayed connected after he purchased his laptop. Months later, I saw him share a Forbes article covering the successful fundraiser for his company; they raised 3 million pre-product from Founders Fund and Greycroft to innovate the DTC sunscreen market. I congratulated Noah on their success, and he suggested we sit down and catch up; our coffee catch-up quickly turned into an interview for their first hire. Three interviews later, I’m offered the opportunity to move to LA and join his team as the Director of Operations.
On January 10th, 2020, I landed in LA to take on the most extensive professional challenge of my life, bringing a DTC sunscreen company from FDA approval to launch and growth. I quickly fell in love with the fast-paced startup environment and knew building a company as a founder would soon be in my future. On May 1st, 2020, we launched with a bang, quickly attracting the support of the likes of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. After overcoming the logistical supply chain nightmare Covid created, the uncertain economic environment, and building a scalable operational and customer success infrastructure, I knew I could build my dream. My journey at Lumasol ended in 2020, and I moved back to Boston to support my family as my Father’s battle with brain cancer began declining.
During the pandemic, I fell in love with road biking, the physical and mental challenges, and the community aspect of riding with others – I was hooked. Coming back to LA from home, I struggled tremendously to find others to ride with and thought it should be easier for novice to semi-pro athletes to find others near them at their skill level in their respective sports. From there, GTHR (pronounced gather) was born, an app-based marketplace for cycling enthusiasts to find others near them based on their skill. Building my first company was a dream and tragedy come true; having the opportunity to join the LA founder community and participate in accelerators like Grid110 and Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp was a dream. One week before we were set to launch, I was involved in a traumatic cycling accident and nearly lost my life. Shoulder in sling and stitches in faces, we launched; however, the physical recovery and lack of product-market fit led us to shut down GTHR after 12 months of building.
One invasive shoulder surgery and bone graft transplant later, I am lost, wondering what’s next. A well-timed catch-up with an old friend, Andrew Smith, from academy tennis in Middle School would shine the light on what would come. A 20-minute catch-up turned into a two-hour brainstorm inspired by Andrew’s take, “I think QR codes should be able to do more for businesses, and in-store consumer experiences are constantly sub-par.” With my background in consumer at Apple and living in Beijing, understanding exactly how powerful a QR code could be, I was hooked to the problem statement. Andrew’s experience being an early employee at Klaviyo shed further light on the gaps in the e-commerce and retail market when it comes to data capture and personalization. Soon after this conversation, Swapt was born: a product that enables businesses to capture data and deliver personalized consumer experiences in the physical world powered by intelligent QR codes and NFC technology. We enable businesses to create experiences that match consumer behavior; whether it’s someone’s first time in your store or 10th, they should feel like VIPs. One year after this conversation, we are backed by incredible investors, have a full-time team of five, and growing daily.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Six months after I graduated college, I got a call from my Mom that would change my life, “Sit down. You need to get to Boston as soon as possible. The doctors found a mass in Dad’s brain, and he’s being transferred to the ICU in Boston to prep for emergency brain surgery.” Over the next 16 months since that conversation, I witnessed the true meaning of bravery, selflessness, and leadership. Following the tumor biopsy, we were informed that the tumor was a grade 4 glioblastoma, also known as a death sentence. This was one month before I was set to move to LA and build a sunscreen company; in my head, I had already given that up and was prepared to stay home and support my family. I remember telling Dad my plan so clearly, and his face went from smiling to stern, “I won’t let you do that. You need to chase this dream.”
Throughout the 16-month battle, there was no “Why me?” Instead, his focus was, “How do I make this experience better for others who will walk this path after me.” After leaving lumasol to move home and support as his primary physical caregiver, he knew how to improve this experience: “We need to help people in patient-facing roles improve their empathy output. Research correlates heightened empathy with increased white blood cell count.” After our terrible experience with a physician following his diagnosis, I knew he had found it. We quickly launched Voices of Empathy, a podcast interviewing patients, doctors, caregivers, and scholars focused on making empathy synonymous with the patient experience. Bringing his last dream to life is one of my greatest achievements. While Dad’s physical presence is no longer with us, I feel his soul everywhere I go, which fuels the fire within me.
As I look back on the tragedies I’ve faced over the last several years, losing my father intimately as his caregiver and three months later losing complete physical independence for half a year, I know that if I can get through that, I can get through anything.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Swapt?
At Swapt, we power businesses to capture data and deliver personalized consumer experiences in the physical world via intelligent QR codes and NFC technology.
We’re laser-focused on helping businesses supercharge their customer relationships. We’re a SaaS marketing automation platform helping businesses in the physical world understand their foot traffic and collect previously unavailable first-party data. Our platform offers real-time insights, targeted marketing campaigns, personalized rewards, and seamless in-person consumer experiences.
We’ve helped brands like Doordash, Chomps, and Outerknown capture new leads and increase purchase rates with our innovative customer engagement tools. Whether you are a small CPG company and/or retailer or a publicly traded company, no company is too small or large to deliver a great customer experience. We’re here to power that.
Contact Info:
- Website: swaptqr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nottrevorbrown/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevordavidbrown/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottrevorbrown
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@swaptqr
