FlipGive

Based in Toronto, Ontario, FlipGive is a financial technology and team funding platform that enables youth sports programs, schools, and community groups to raise money through cash back on everyday retail purchases. The company operates an affiliate commission business model that has successfully helped over 35,000 teams and 578,000 active users raise more than $20 million in total charitable donations. Users generate these funds without incurring additional costs by shopping through the application with major corporate partners such as Nike, Walmart, Amazon, and Starbucks. Operating with approximately 27 employees, the enterprise has secured $8.6 million in total venture funding, which includes a $5 million Series A round backed by institutional investors FJ Labs, Framework Venture Partners, and 500 Global. FlipGive was originally founded in 2008 by co-founders Mark Bachman, Nicholas Lee, and Steve Croth.

High-Level Overview

FlipGive is a Toronto-based technology company that operates a cashback shopping app and end-to-end fundraising platform designed for youth sports teams, schools, and community groups.[1][2][4][5] It enables teams to earn cashback on everyday purchases from over 800 brands, which funds expenses like tournaments, fees, and equipment, while also offering tools for budgeting, fee collection, and financial management—helping lower the cost to play sports and making them more accessible.[1][2][6] Launched in 2016 as a Certified B Corporation, FlipGive has facilitated over $50 million in cashback rewards to more than 50,000 teams across North America, with a white-label rewards platform for brands to drive shopper loyalty through community givebacks.[1][2][3][6] The company raised $5 million CAD in 2023 from investors like Thrive Venture Fund at BDC Capital and Framework Venture Partners to scale its embedded cashback platform.[1][3][5]

Origin Story

FlipGive was founded in 2016 in Toronto, Canada, by a team of sports parents who identified the financial barriers preventing kids from participating in youth sports, aiming to create effortless fundraising through everyday shopping.[1][2][4] The idea emerged from the founders' own experiences as busy families struggling with traditional fundraising, leading to a cashback model where supporters shop at popular retailers to earn rewards for teams—quickly gaining traction with early adopters.[2][4] Pivotal moments include the 2022 launch of its all-in-one fundraising and financial management platform, expanding beyond shopping to budgeting and transparency tools, and the 2023 funding round that supported scaling and the introduction of FlipGive Rewards for enterprise partners.[1][2][3]

Core Differentiators

• Passive Fundraising via Cashback: Teams earn from everyday spending on 800+ brands (e.g., shopping, dining, travel) without events or sales, with bonuses and grants multiplying earnings—over $50M distributed to date.[1][2][6]
• Comprehensive Financial Tools: Includes FlipGive Shop for rewards, FlipGive Budget for planning, fee collection, expense tracking, and reporting—tailored for volunteer-led youth sports teams.[2]
• B Corp and Community Focus: Certified B Corporation prioritizing accessibility; white-label platform helps brands build loyalty through targeted givebacks.[1][3]
• Proven Scale and Ease: Free for teams, mobile-first app used by 50,000+ groups; simple onboarding maximizes family participation.[4][6]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

FlipGive rides the wave of embedded finance and rewards tech in community fundraising, transforming consumer spending into social impact amid rising youth sports costs and post-pandemic demand for accessible activities.[2][5] Its timing aligns with fintech growth in niche verticals like sports tech, where market forces—such as e-commerce cashback normalization (e.g., Rakuten) and B2B white-label solutions—favor scalable, low-friction platforms.[1][3] By addressing the "equality gap" in youth sports (e.g., 50,000+ teams served), it influences the ecosystem through partnerships with 800+ brands, promoting loyalty via purpose-driven commerce and enabling more kids' participation in physical/mental health-boosting activities.[2][6]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

FlipGive is poised for expansion by deepening enterprise white-label adoption (e.g., FlipGive Rewards) and international growth beyond North America, leveraging its $8.6M total funding to integrate AI-driven personalization for higher cashback yields.[1][3][4] Trends like rising parental spending on youth activities, gamified rewards, and ESG-focused brand partnerships will propel it, potentially doubling teams served as sports tech consolidates. Its influence may evolve from niche fundraiser to broader community rewards leader, ensuring "cost should never keep kids on the sidelines" while unlocking shopper loyalty at scale—reinforcing its core mission since 2016.[2][6]