The Movement
The Movement is a San Diego-based private technology company operating a patented social commerce and mobile payments platform that pays users for participation. It serves college students, small businesses, and global Territory Owner channel partners, with current operations in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What The Movement does
The Movement is a privately held technology company headquartered in San Diego, California, that operates a social commerce platform designed to deliver income to users rather than extracting profits to shareholders. The company was founded in October 2000 as SMS.ac, transitioned through FanBox and Empowr phases, and rebranded to The Movement around 2020 after a five-year alpha test with 800,000 users worldwide. The platform combines a social network, mobile billing/payment infrastructure, a peer-to-peer product sharing/rental marketplace, and a user earnings system in which participants are paid for platform activities via virtual currency potentially withdrawable as cash. Core technology is protected by six granted US patents (Nos. 7,826,421; 7,835,720; 7,826,822; 7,826,829; 7,860,484; 7,848,736) covering the Movement Network and its services.
The company monetizes primarily through small business advertising with a guaranteed 2x revenue return model, plus e-commerce and delivery services, premium subscriptions, and usage-based virtual currency transactions. It distributes via a Territory Owner channel model in which local executives globally own, operate, and monetize geographic territories, with college and university students serving as the primary market entry point who receive a $100 signup credit for local shop and restaurant discounts. The platform is available on iOS, Android, and web (movement.college), with a Platform Developer API ecosystem enabling third-party applications on the Movement Network. As of 2024, the company has university territory rollouts across all 50 US states, all Canadian provinces, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, with a publicly stated goal of expanding to 180 countries by December 2025 and helping 4 billion people worldwide earn a minimum of $25 per day.
The Movement is led by Managing Co-Founder Mike Pousti and President Chuck Trautman, with the broader team described as technologists and university professors. The company positions itself as the world's first digital economy built without Wall Street, governed and controlled by users through democratic norms rather than shareholder profit extraction. No institutional investors, funding rounds, revenue figures, or headcount data are disclosed in available sources, indicating founder-capitalized operations through a 24-year development cycle. The company explicitly identifies addressing income inequality, global poverty, and climate change as its mission, with the sharing/rental marketplace positioned as a sustainability mechanism to reduce pollution from mass manufacturing.
The Movement firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Movement
- Legal name
- The Movement
- Website
- https://movement.college
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Movement is a San Diego-based private technology company operating a patented social commerce and mobile payments platform that pays users for participation. It serves college students, small businesses, and global Territory Owner channel partners, with current operations in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Movement industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Commerce Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social Commerce & Marketplace Communities (MPACAJAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-commerce & Online Business (Marketplaces, DTC) (EDAMAHAH), Social Marketplace Aggregators (Multi-seller in Social Feed) (CRAFANAB)
Keywords
Where The Movement is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Movement business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Small Business Advertising: Guaranteed advertising model where small businesses purchasing advertising receive 2x revenue as what they spend. Platform monetizes through advertising spend while guaranteeing ROI.
- E-commerce Services: Delivery services and e-commerce tools provided to small businesses at affordable rates. Revenue generated through service fees without Wall Street pressure to maximize quarterly profits.
- Platform Services: Various platform services including premium features, subscriptions, and transaction fees. Eight different revenue streams available for territory owners.
- User Monetization: Virtual currency and earnings system where users can earn through various activities on the platform and potentially withdraw as cash
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier with $100 signup credit |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Territory Owner model with 8 revenue streams |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Movement product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Movement operates a social commerce platform that allows users to earn income through multiple on-platform activities while transacting with local merchants. It bundles a mobile billing/payment network, a small-business advertising product with a guaranteed 2x revenue return, and a peer-to-peer product sharing/rental marketplace, all delivered via mobile apps, a web platform, and developer APIs. The model is structured so that profits are distributed back to users and small business partners rather than extracted to Wall Street shareholders.
Product overview
The Movement is a unified social commerce platform representing the world's first digital economy built without Wall Street. The core offering consists of The Movement Platform (web and mobile), complemented by iOS and Android native applications available on major app stores. The company employs a Territory Ownership go-to-market model where local executives own and operate regional territories, with college students as the primary market entry point. Key services include guaranteed small business advertising (2x revenue return), a peer-to-peer product sharing/rental marketplace, and multiple income streams for users. The platform's architecture supports Platform Developers through internal APIs to build applications on the Movement Network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Movement Platform Core social commerce platform that constitutes the world's first digital economy built without Wall Street. It enables users to earn income through multiple platform activities while giving small businesses guaranteed-ROI advertising and affordable commerce tools, and is governed by users using democratic concepts and norms.
- Movement iOS App Native iOS application for The Movement platform, available on the Apple App Store for college students and university users to sign up, earn, share/rent, and shop.
- Movement Android App Native Android application for The Movement platform, available on the Google Play Store for college students and university users to sign up, earn, share/rent, and shop.
- Small Business Advertising Services Advertising product for local small businesses, shops, and restaurants that guarantees 2x as much revenue as the business spends on ads and is paired with affordable delivery and e-commerce tools. Targets SMB owners and operators who want predictable ROI and access to a monetized user base with disposable income.
- Product Sharing/Rental Marketplace Peer-to-peer product sharing and rental platform that incentivizes users to rent items from each other instead of individually owning them, reducing pollution from mass manufacturing and transport. Available to platform users as one of the core income and engagement activities on The Movement.
- Platform Developer APIs Developer-facing APIs that allow external developers to build applications on the Movement Network and operate them using platform data, as referenced in The Movement's Platform Developer terms.
Quantifiable outcome
- Help 4 billion people earn minimum $25/day (from $5/day baseline)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Movement
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Movement technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Movement partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Movement competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Depop: Social-first peer-to-peer marketplace popular with Gen Z for fashion and lifestyle resale. Comparable as a social commerce platform driven by younger demographics, similar to The Movement's college-student-first go-to-market strategy.
- TikTok Shop: TikTok's integrated social commerce platform combining short-form video content with shoppable experiences and creator monetization. Directly comparable as a social commerce platform that pays creators/users and integrates small business advertising within a social feed.
- OfferUp: Mobile-first local marketplace for buying and selling used goods with social/trust features. Comparable as a peer-to-peer commerce platform with local discovery, similar to The Movement's emphasis on local merchants and community-based commerce.
- Nextdoor: Hyperlocal community-based social network with local business advertising and marketplace features. Comparable as a community-governed social platform with local business monetization and territory/region-based structure similar to The Movement's territory owner model.
- Poshmark: Social marketplace for individuals to buy and sell fashion and lifestyle goods, with social features like parties and sharing. Comparable as a peer-to-peer social commerce platform with individual sellers and a community-driven commerce model.
- Mercari: C2C marketplace app for buying and selling used and new goods with social and gamified elements. Comparable as a mobile-first social commerce marketplace enabling individual users to monetize items, similar to The Movement's sharing/rental and user earnings model.
Broad incumbents
- Instagram Shopping: Meta's shoppable social platform with integrated checkout, creator monetization, and small business advertising. Comparable as social commerce with multi-seller marketplace and advertising-funded small business acquisition, though it operates within Instagram's broader social network.
- Etsy: Multi-seller online marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique goods with a strong community of small business sellers. Comparable as a multi-seller social marketplace empowering individual sellers, though Etsy is a much larger established incumbent.
- Facebook Marketplace: Meta-operated social commerce marketplace embedded in Facebook. Both platforms enable peer-to-peer and small business commerce within a social feed, but Facebook Marketplace operates as a feature within a much larger social network rather than a standalone commerce community.
Emerging players
- Cash App: Block's mobile payment and financial services platform with social and peer-to-peer payment features. Comparable for its mobile-first payment infrastructure and user earnings features (e.g., Cash App rewards), paralleling The Movement's mobile billing network and user earnings system.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Movement social profiles
Digital presenceThe Movement financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Movement leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Movement funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Movement M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Movement
What does The Movement do?
The Movement operates a social commerce platform that allows users to earn income through multiple on-platform activities while transacting with local merchants. It bundles a mobile billing/payment network, a small-business advertising product with a guaranteed 2x revenue return, and a peer-to-peer product sharing/rental marketplace, all delivered via mobile apps, a web platform, and developer APIs. The model is structured so that profits are distributed back to users and small business partners rather than extracted to Wall Street shareholders.
Is The Movement a public or private company?
The Movement is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Movement founded?
The Movement was founded in 2000.
Where is The Movement based?
The Movement is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Movement make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Small Business Advertising is the primary driver. The others are E-commerce Services, platform Services and user Monetization.
Who are The Movement's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Depop, TikTok Shop, OfferUp, Nextdoor, Poshmark and Mercari. Broad incumbents are Instagram Shopping, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace. Cash App is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Movement have an API?
Yes. The Movement operates a Platform Developer ecosystem with Platform APIs that allow developers to build Platform Applications on the Movement Network. The Terms of Service indicate that developers can access data through these APIs to operate their applications. Specific API types (REST, GraphQL), authentication methods, rate limits, and public documentation URLs are not explicitly stated in the available source material.
What industry is The Movement in?
The Movement's product category is Social Commerce Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAJAJ, Social Commerce & Marketplace Communities, with a secondary code of EDAMAHAH, E-commerce & Online Business (Marketplaces, DTC). Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 7310.