Crowdwish Is Trying to Turn Your Wish List Into a Business

Bill Griffin isn’t building the company of his dreams. He’s trying to build the company of everybody else’s.

Griffin runs Crowdwish, a London-based startup with a mission that changes every day depending on which wish or dream he’s trying to fulfill.

The website allows people to submit wishes of their own, and vote for other wishes that they want to come true. At the end of each day — Crowdwish is on day number 413 — the startup tries to grant whatever wish sits at the top of the list.

On Friday, Griffin set about trying to help a couple plan their wedding. Last week, he sent a sun jar to someone who wished for “a bit of sunshine every day.”

Griffin is no genie, of course, and obviously some wishes aren’t really possible to solve. One user, for instance, recently submitted: “I wish for a life without anxiety or stress.”

“You can’t just grant wishes like some Disney princess,” he said.

When Griffin comes upon a wish he can’t grant, like the stress-related one above, he tries to get creative. His solution for that day: Sending wishers packs of “soothing” chewing gum. (We might have suggested a lifetime supply of Xanax.)

Griffin believes he can turn his feel-good company into a thriving business. Brands and businesses like to be associated with the wish-granting process, so he believes he can get sponsors or donors to help him out.

He also believes he’s sitting on a trove of valuable intent data. The company knows what things people want to buy or where they want to travel, and that info can be valuable.

But building a business on online advertising requires scale and Crowdwish is still small. Only 10,000 people have created accounts. Griffin hasn’t raised investment money yet, but hopes to do so this year.

He’s optimistic about the company’s chances, but then why wouldn’t he be? It’s basically his job.

“No matter what it is you’re asking for,” he said, “we can make something happen.”

https://twitter.com/crowdwish/status/561210072555323392

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.