Sojo Studios

About Sojo Studios

Sojo Studios operated the cause marketing platform, Causely, which was founded in 2010 by Lincoln Brown, John Rougeux, and Brooke Peterson in Lexington, Kentucky. The venture was established to provide businesses with a novel method for generating word-of-mouth referrals and enhancing their brand reputation through charitable giving. The founders' backgrounds appear rooted in the Lexington business and startup community, with Lincoln Brown also noted as an angel investor and son of former Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown Jr. The company was part of a growing video game and tech development scene in Lexington.

The core of the business was a turnkey cause marketing solution that connected local businesses with nonprofit organizations. Causely's business model was centered on customer engagement; for every social media action a customer performed, such as checking in on Facebook or writing a review, the participating business would trigger a donation to a designated charity. This strategy served a dual purpose: it provided tangible marketing benefits to the client businesses, including increased social media impressions and authentic customer referrals, while simultaneously generating a stream of donations for nonprofit partners. The company reported that its community had raised over $2.5 million for its nonprofit partners. Revenue was generated from the businesses that subscribed to this marketing service. The client base primarily consisted of local businesses, such as gyms and retail locations, seeking to build an authentic, charitable reputation.

The platform itself was a customer-based business reviewing solution for social media. It allowed users to generate friend referrals and check-ins, with each action contributing to a charitable donation. This created a frictionless way for consumers to support causes through their everyday interactions with local businesses. The company received multiple workplace culture awards, indicating a positive internal environment. A significant milestone in the company's history was its acquisition by Skyfii, an Australian data analytics company, on February 5, 2018, for an amount of $3.5 million.