Meet Max Weintraub, our Business Development Manager based in San Francisco! Besides enjoying hikes and exploring the city, Max is passionate about games with deep expertise in user acquisition (UA). We talked to Max about how he thinks about capital and app growth, what makes working at Braavo different from other tech companies, and his advice to early-stage app founders.

What brought you to Braavo? 

Prior to Braavo, I was working at a large mobile ad network on the UA team. My job was to help gaming studios grow. Every day, I saw up close what happens when small game studios don’t have access to capital when they need it. I saw so many studios with truly great games, but without the capital on hand to scale, their growth would eventually stop, and they’d lose out to bigger advertisers in the market. 

When Braavo got in touch with me, I was really excited by the potential. There’s a huge need for the capital for app growth that Braavo offers for mobile apps, and in the game space in particular. There are so many great games and mobile app companies that no one has heard of, and they just need a little help. Success is not about going viral, you can’t just get featured by the App Store and expect to see your revenue magically take off. You need to put in the work, and you need cash flow to get there. That’s where Braavo comes in.

Have you always been into gaming?

I’ve been passionate about gaming for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was a PC console gamer and I played all kinds of games – sports, FPS, action, RPG, old school games like Oregon Trail, Mortal Kombat, and Age of Empires. That’s how and why I got into this space in the first place. After I graduated, I started working with a mobile app development company, which led me to roles at Supersonic and ironSource. That’s where I learned everything about every possible mobile game and how they advertise and grow their revenue. 

What is your role as a business development manager like?

I find new partners and help them grow their business. Your app doesn’t have to be new, but it does need to be a solid product with a revenue stream and growth potential. Many of our partners don’t have a marketing background, or they’re business owners that have been totally focused on building their app, not growth marketing, UA, or growing revenue. I work with these partners and educate them on what they should do to grow, while providing additional capital.

What makes Braavo different from traditional fintech and/or mobile companies?

I’ve encountered a lot of mobile companies where they’re all about creating these structured deals with their own best interests in mind, and not the client’s. At Braavo, I’m here to support our clients with capital for app growth, and to do what’s best for their companies and where they want to be.

Our product is unique. Many companies offer funding or analytics, but not both, and not with the same level of trust, quality, and simplicity that we do. 

We also work with all of the ad networks, which is big especially for game studios. I can educate our partners on how to make the most of where they’re at, with whichever network they’re on. 

If there’s one piece of advice you’d give an early-stage app founder about to start paid UA for the first time, what would it be?

Trust the process. Facebook and Google are massive advertising platforms for a reason – it’s because they work. You’re not going to see results from $100 per day in ad spend. You need to be willing to invest in test campaigns to allow Facebook and Google’s algorithms to do their thing. 

Virality and everlasting organic growth does not really exist. The only way to grow your app and increase your visibility is by running marketing campaigns. Advertisements are how people consume content, and it’s how they find new apps. 

The added bonus of advertising is the sheer number of impressions you’ll get. You may only get a few hundred installs per day on your campaigns to start, but you will also get tens of thousands of impressions. Those are now users who are familiar with your app who were not before – and will eventually come back to install your app. 

What is the best part about working at Braavo?

Empathizing with our clients, helping them grow, and the opportunity in the space. Seeing a company grow monthly revenue from 50K to 200K in just a few months is really empowering. There’s a huge need in the mobile and web space for what we do, and it’s a testament to how many people give us referrals and that trust us to grow their business.

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We’re building better financing for mobile growth, and we’re looking for the right people to help us scale. Excited by what we do? Check out our career opportunities here. Besides fun team off-sites, lunches, and happy hours, we offer comprehensive benefits, a flexible work environment, and an open culture that promotes growth.