Blast
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched2 / 4
Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Blast was a US startup that built 'the first high-yield savings account for gamers', spun out of micro-investing app Acorns and led by Acorns co-founder Walter Cruttenden. The Blast app let gamers link their gaming activity to their bank accounts: users saved based on time played or in-game achievements, held funds in an FDIC-insured account earning 1-2% APY, and could earn publisher-funded 'dividends' for missions plus weekly cash prizes (up to $1,000 for leaderboard winners). Launch partners included Zynga, Pocket Gems and Disruptor Beam. It raised $12 million in seed funding ($5M in March 2018, topped up $7M in July 2018 from Tony Robbins, CreditEase and RX3). Note: input says founded 2021, but press coverage shows the company operating and raising from March 2018 - the input year may refer to a re-incorporation.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Product or service closed
The BlastHQ.com homepage states the gamer savings app has been closed and is no longer in service and offers remaining-fund support. Page copyright year is 2022; no day-level date. Distinct from the 22 Dec 2021 going-concern Ant Money merger, which is not treated as the failure ending.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.