The phrase ships passing in the night alludes to two people briefly crossing paths, only to move on and never to see each other again.
Partnerships however, are much more heartwarming and when done right, a good partnership is all about forming meaningful long-lasting relationships, bonded by mutual goals and interests.
For ZED RUN, the goal of all partnerships is just that — the union of visionaries and creatives collaborating to uncover new value and deliver exciting opportunities for partners and community.
From the auctioning of ultra-rare ATARI-branded skins to the debut of the utility-driven ZED PASS, ZED RUN partnerships have always been focused on teaming up with first-class, iconic brands that deliver more value to our community.
We sat down with Roman Tirone to give us insight into the world of partnerships at ZED RUN, as the team methodically works to ensure each one plays a different role in the ecosystem and contribute to the long-term vision.
As part of the partnerships team, you’ve managed to bring globally recognised brands such as ATARI, Stella Artois, NASCAR, and Netflix to the platform. When connecting with these companies, what sticks out to you as the universal ‘ah ha’ moment for some of these teams as they realise they want to be a part of the product Virtually Human is building?
Roman: When they see the bond our community has with their racehorses. It’s true ownership and a genuine connection. In Web 3.0, commercialisation looks a lot different than it did before. Big brands are looking for ways to genuinely integrate with communities, and it’s typically the strength and passion of ours that stands out.
Looking into 2022, what do you see the future of partnerships at ZED RUN looking like? What will your focus be in terms of adding utility to every racehorse in the ecosystem, regardless of prestige?
Partnerships in the future of ZED RUN will become far more universal. The team is at work with some of the biggest brands in the world to create value for our community. Our top metric of success headed into next year is positive community sentiment. How can we leverage the strengths of a brand to add value to our community? We’re exploring some amazing ideas that boost engagement and deliver more value to everyone in the ecosystem, elevating the experience for stables of any size.
Everyone enjoys a good high-stakes race, but obviously, not everyone is able to participate in the deep end of the entry pool. How do you see sponsored races playing out for the average stable at ZED RUN?
Racing at ZED RUN should always keep you at the edge of your seat. No matter how big or small your stable is, a window of opportunity to win big can always present itself. The serendipity of being in the right place at the right time with the right horse, can quite literally, change your life. That’s what we’re looking at with sponsorship racing outside of Class 1. Sponsored races that touch every racehorse on the platform.
Do you foresee future sponsorship pools being used to sponsor an entire tournament?
Absolutely. And the prizes and prize pools will only continue to increase as we grow with our community.
As ZED RUN moves into 2022, skins will play an increasingly important factor in the game. Do you foresee the implementation of future sponsorship race pools being exclusive to horses wrapped in a partner’s skin?
That is something we have experimented with internally for quite a while. There are a number of new capabilities we can explore when it comes to racehorse skins, and I think rewarding players for winning a race with a racehorse wrapped in a branded skin will come into play. Skins will continue to be a major factor in 2022.
Sponsorship will be as commonplace at ZED RUN as it is in any major sport, and we’re excited to continue drawing in the new as we continue building the future of entertainment.
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