Top Tier Authentics (TTA) is a company that has developed the world’s first Experiential Authenticity Platform, enabling instant verification of any product, artwork or collectible while powering new and immersive digital experiences, unique benefits and interactive features. Pulse 2.0 interviewed TTA co-founder Andrew Rosen to learn more about the company.
Andrew Rosen’s Background
[TTA Co-founders Dima Azarenko (left) and Andrew Rosen (right) at the University of Georgia’s “House of Payne” Practice Facility]
What is Rosen’s background? Rosen said:
“TTA co-founder Dima Azarenko and I both bring diverse backgrounds spanning tech, business and startups. Plus, we’re both avid collectors.”
“Prior to launching TTA, I held leadership roles and consulted at global enterprises like Saskcan Pulse, now known as Alliance Grain Traders; retail giant Sears; and Air Canada Vacations, where I helped expand and vertically align its Air Canada Rouge subsidiary. I also led business development for M&A transactions at Canada’s premier construction sales and consulting firm, the Milborne Group.”
“Dima’s journey is equally remarkable. Dima led product development and marketing teams for leading tech companies such as Atrius and Codal, successfully launched numerous commercial apps and founded his own blockchain company prior to launching TTA. This includes leading product development at a decentralized data application that, under his leadership, rose to a valuation of $100+ million. His contributions to decentralized infrastructure have been highly influential in both the web3 and enterprise world.”
“Dima and I then consulted and incubated startups developing game-changing technologies before starting Top Tier Authentics. Our expertise lies in transforming disruptive innovations into sustainable businesses. Top Tier Authentics has rapidly emerged to not only address the critical gap of authenticity in the consumer market but also transform it. It’s backed by a highly experienced advisory board that has led some of the largest companies and investments in sports, gaming, entertainment and emerging tech.”
[TTA Co-founders Dima Azarenko (left) and Andrew Rosen (right)]
Formation Of TTA
How did the idea for TTA come together? Rosen shared:
“We initially saw a major inefficiency in the sports memorabilia space: the vast majority of items were being authenticated with either a paper card or a QR code that led to a static page saying an item was authenticated.”
“Reputable certificates or QR codes can be very easily faked with minimal skill. This is a major reason why between half and 80% of all collectibles are fake. While collectors can contact graders to verify items, this process can be time consuming. Therefore, we realized there was no mass market solution for reliably verifying authenticity, and that a massive element of consumer experiences was being obscured.”
“We recognized that leveraging the immutable nature of blockchain on the backend with an interactive user-friendly digital front end would not only enable a more reliable method of authentication, but it would also be vastly more scalable and open a whole new way for consumers to participate with teams and brands.”
“We also designed our solution to help brands track the journey of their product and actually take a proactive approach to combating counterfeiting, rather than just reacting to it during a crisis. And we wanted to make the authentication process more transparent for the end consumer.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Rosen reflected:
“The readiness in which others have shown enthusiasm over our solution has been exciting. For instance, we were able to close our first two rounds of funding in only about two weeks, with many successful and highly educated investors jumping on board immediately.”
“We’ve also engaged with larger tech companies and retailers, and expect to announce new partnerships soon. Meeting with these companies has opened the doors for broader adoption.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Rosen explained:
“We’ve developed a first-of-its-kind interactive verification technology that solves one of the biggest problems for collectors and retail customers: how to know merchandise is genuine and authentic. The solution extends beyond just authenticity assurance, enabling immersive experiences that give each product a unique, shareable and engaging life of its own.”
“Utilizing advanced technologies, like immutable blockchain records, automated 3D model processing, augmented reality and more, our proprietary platform enables instant product certification, while bringing real-time, immersive consumer experiences.”
“To this end, every collectable or item we authenticate comes with a unique, tamper-proof, encrypted QR code. When scanned, users are taken to an interactive 3D Certificate of Authentication (COA), which can be customized in virtually any way to include interactive elements or media, such as videos of players signing a collectible in the moment, the creation of art or the story behind the brand.”
Similarly, our verification of attendance (VOA) can help enhance any event – either physical or virtual. Users can scan the VOA to access added benefits and experiences and connect with other participants.
“For athletes, artists and brands, our solution increases the value of products, merchandise and events while enabling consumers and collectors to connect on a deeper level. It also enables robust behavioral analytics from every touchpoint to identify key trends and opportunities. For instance, by looking at who interacts with the COAs, organizations can offer ‘superfans’ special deals, additional benefits or invitations to events with similar enthusiasts.”
“While we’ve seen large success with collectibles, our technology can be embedded on a large scale to authenticate a plethora of different branded items, from supplements, cosmetics, skin care, designer apparel or even fine art.”
“Organizations can use our turnkey solution via a self-service model, or our creative team can work with them to design customizable COAs or VOAs. We also use our solution and partnerships to release exclusive collectibles. Typically, these items contain multi-signed items from sports teams or memorabilia that is distinctly unique and designed to bring fans closer to athletes or celebrities.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges has Rosen faced in building the company? Rosen acknowledged:
“While the benefits of blockchain technology are pivotal to our solution, we wanted to ensure it was user friendly and use the technology to reduce inefficiencies and friction in the market without making it complicated or using excess jargon. We achieved this by not requiring the use of cryptocurrency or specialized wallets. By extracting that layer we’ve taken steps to ensure that the only thing needed to interact with our digital COAs is an email address.”
Evolution Of TTA’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Rosen noted:
“While we’ve found initial success in the sports memorabilia space, our technology can be customized and adapted for a wide range of industries and retail platforms. This year we will unveil new partnerships and integrations that will broaden our scope to consumer goods, beverage companies, certificates of attendance at sporting events and a lot more.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Rosen cited:
“Last year, we forged partnerships with some of the largest and most prominent athletes, professional sports teams, leading gaming companies and toy makers. We also began engaging with some of the largest ecommerce platforms.”
“On December 29, 2023, we launched exclusive collections of officially licensed college football signed team memorabilia available exclusively via the Amazon Fanshop. These collections contained unique, multi-signed items from defense, offense and specialty positions and were among the first Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) collections from the University of Tennessee Volunteers, the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and the current national championship winning team – the University of Michigan Wolverines.”
“Some of the memorabilia for Michigan even featured unique inscriptions, such as “building everyone together” (BET), on a select few items.”
Customer Success Stories
After asking Rosen about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“While we are a new company, our current NIL collections have already received widespread acclaim.”
“Another moment that stands out is when we authenticated our first piece of art by Coach Rusty (Instagram: coach_rusty). People were amazed that they could finally watch the process of the art being created. In addition, we noticed that the number of times a consumer engages with the QR code and the art on average is 3-5 times, showing that people enjoy viewing the creation process and likely show it off to friends and family.”
“That’s when we realized our technology could be applied to collectibles and basically any industry that needed authentication and wanted to tell a story in a more engaging way.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Rosen assessed:
“The total value spent on counterfeit products worldwide is over $3 trillion. Our product is one of the most innovative solutions to not only combat this problem but turn the issue of guaranteeing authenticity into an opportunity to engage with consumers in a more meaningful way.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Rosen affirmed:
“The authenticity market is ripe for disruption, with very limited ways for businesses to tap into it and engage with consumers.”
“Currently, there is no other company that adds the level of interactive elements, authenticity, and traceability that we provide. This makes us stand out.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Rosen pointed out:
“We plan to integrate with e-commerce platforms and vendors, who can leverage our technology to both provide greater trust in the buying process and unique digital experiences.”
“We are also working in tandem with The Collective Association, and throughout 2024, will unveil several other memorabilia collections, and launches on major marketplaces.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Rosen concluded:
“To see TTA’s latest memorabilia and collections, visit the Top Tier Authentics Amazon brand store at www.amazon.com/tta. And for more information on Top Tier Authentics and how our product works, visit www.toptierauth.com/enterprise.”
