The Business of Making Dreams Come True

Want one of your dreams to come true? Wishing on a star is SO last year – just log on to Dreamise!

It’s a crowdfunding web platform where users make a free account, post their dream (currently limited to a five hundred dollar value), and try to score the most votes. (Users can also vote for others, which boosts their own dreams’ rating.) The dream that scores the highest is then fulfilled by the Dreamise team.

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All kinds of dreams are fair game, from “superhero suit for my son,” to “see the Black Keys in concert,” “the perfect proposal,” and “massage by a cute Asian woman.” (Not sure about that last one!)

While you might imagine a band of fairy godmothers behind the scenes, the Dreamise team is actually led by three Russian dudes: founder Nikolay, CPO Vlad, and CTO Max.

“Without those guys, Dreamise never would have come to life,” said Nikolay of his team.

I got a chance to interview Nikolay and ask him more about how three men from Moscow got into the business of making dreams come true.

“I got excited about one simple idea: everyone getting an opportunity to fulfill his or her dreams. I know there are so many people who are full of desires that they can’t afford for some reason, and I believe that miracles should be free,” he said.

Like many startup owners, Nikolay had to make some personal sacrifices to get things off the ground, including quitting his previous business, letting go of his political career, and selling his flat to pay loan bills.

“I realized all that wasn’t making me happy, and that all I want to do is make Dreamise,” he said.

While it is currently funded out-of-pocket, the Dreamise team has developed a monetization model and are looking to partner with stores to encourage donors to fund dreams.

One past winner, Breanna Famoso, said that she was shocked to learn that she won.

“I never win anything! It was something I set up when I was bored one night, because I figured it didn’t hurt to try.”

Breanna had submitted a wish for a Barkbox subscription (a service that ships a bundle of doggy goodies once a month) for her two English shepherds, Tesla and Finn.
“So far they have enjoyed every toy and treat that has come with it. The box is always full of treats made in the U.S., organic treats, and healthy treats. The toys are things I’d never have thought to purchase myself. The pups get excited every month when I bring the box home for them to open.”Another winner, John Halbert, had listed his dream of a virtual reality headset – specifically, an Oculus Rift developer’s kit. The company Oculus was recently acquired by Facebook, which hopes to expand the scope of the headset beyond gaming. (Mark Zuckerberg recently posted a status saying, “Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world, or consulting with a doctor face-to-face – just by putting on goggles in your home.”)
“Finding out [that I’d won] was surreal. I got woken up by my friend calling me on the phone congratulating me,” John said.While he hasn’t received his headset yet due to delays in Oculus’s inventory, John believes it will be well worth the wait.“I’m truly grateful I came across Dreamise. It proves your dreams actually CAN come true.”The Dreamise team hopes to fund many more dreams to come. But when someone grants other people’s wishes for a living, what kind of dreams do they have of their own?

“I hope soon we’ll get the funding to move to the U.S. and meet all of our winners in person,” Nikolay said.

“After my trip to Las Vegas, I’d like to move there. My dream is to drive around the U.S.A. and meet all different people; I love to make friends.”

Follow Dreamise on Twitter or Facebook.

Here’s to making a difference,

Callie Rose