After a very successful Valor Week kickoff in Coronado, the team from Valor is hosting a closeout event at Nicky Rottens Bar & Burger Joint on Wednesday, May 14 at 5 pm. In partnership with Navy Veteran Austen Alexander of Battle Bunker, they will have a fitness competition and prizes as well as catering, all powered by Valor. Freddie Rothschild, founder and CEO of Valor said, “Last week was a great success, we got to connect with the military community in Coronado as well as many of the businesses that have partnered with us. The on-the-spot feedback was extremely valuable as we saw members download and use the app in front of us. We learned a great deal. It was energizing for our team to see how excited the military community was to have this app available.”
During Valor Week in Coronado, the app was downloaded 5,300 times, and more than 500 active military members and veterans became Valor members by linking their credit card to the app. Leading up to Valor Week the team at Valor went door-to-door to businesses on Coronado to partner in this venture. They were able to partner with 37 businesses prior to the launch, and throughout Valor Week five additional businesses reached out to the Valor team to discuss a partnership. Valor members spent about $9,000 at local businesses that partner with Valor during the kickoff week, and that is only expected to grow as more users adopt the app.
I had the opportunity to talk with the Valor’s founder Freddie Rothschild, who explained how it all started. “I came up with the idea for Valor after talking to countless veterans who told me they only used their military discount on bigger purchases. That surprised me after finding out that it’s so widely available at every type of business. Eventually it clicked: many just felt uncomfortable asking. Especially when the savings felt too small to justify the awkwardness. That stuck with me. I’ve never served myself, but I was raised to respect those who dedicate their lives to helping others. Both of my dad’s grandfathers served in the military, and my dad is a doctor. That sense of public service was always present in our home. It shaped how I see the world and what I feel responsible for. Valor grew out the belief that showing appreciation should be the easiest thing in the world to do.”
Freddie and his small team are working hard to grow the network and continually improve the product. He shared that they know it is not perfect, but they are taking feedback and making improvements every day.
My personal experience with the app started a few weeks prior to Coronado’s kickoff week when I saw it shared on LinkedIn through a friend’s post. I downloaded the app but didn’t immediately become a member because I was hesitant to link my credit card to an app I knew nothing about. When The Coronado Times asked me if I could cover the Valor Week event, I decided to try the app out myself. After meeting the Valor team at Trident Coffee, and fully understanding how the app worked, I was sold.
The questions I needed answered before adding a credit card to the app were: Is there a membership fee? Answer: No.
Do I need to use the Valor app to pay for purchases in order to get the discount? Answer: No, if you go to a business that is partnered with Valor all you have to do is use your credit card that is linked to the app when you pay. You don’t ask for a discount or tell them you have the Valor app, you just pay as normal and three days later the discount appears as cash in your Valor app. You can transfer that money from your wallet into your bank.
How can Valor make money without a membership fee? Answer: Valor is a startup, backed by Venture Capitalist firm Andreesen Horowitz, with a mission to automate the military discount process and help service-members and their families connect with local businesses that support them through military discounts. Businesses that partner with Valor pay a small percentage to Valor when their patrons use their linked card for purchases.
How do they verify your service affiliation? Answer: Valor uses trusted verification partners like SheerlD and Quandis to confirm military affiliation during sign-up.
Currently the app supports adding Active Duty Military, Reservists and Veterans. They will be adding the ability for military spouses to join by the end of May. I personally appreciate having the Valor app for many reasons, especially because living in Coronado is expensive (totally worth it, but expensive) and every little bit of savings helps.
Coronado and its local businesses are, and always have been, very supportive of the military, and want to show their appreciation to those who serve, while military families appreciate that support and discounts. The team at Valor hopes their app will help make that happen. For more information, visit joinvalor.com.
