Investor Information
Building a Franchise,
Not Just a Show.
An overview of the Grind Babies® opportunity — the IP, build progress to date, the revenue engines and where the franchise goes next. Season one is in development; the full deck is available on request.
Build Progress — IP Development
- Character designs
- 10+
- Licensing lanes
- 6
- HBCUs mapped
- 100+
- Season-one stories previewed
- 3
- Official trailer — in development
- 60–90s
Character designs
Licensing lanes
HBCUs mapped
Season-one stories previewed
Official trailer — in development
The franchise opportunity
Grind Babies is an original, wholly owned animated kids' universe rooted in Memphis culture — designed from day one to extend beyond the screen into publishing, education, apparel, toys and live experiences.
Business model
Content-led IP with multiple downstream revenue engines: series and music, licensed consumer products, publishing and education titles, and branded experiences. Licensing is structured by category and territory.
IP portfolio
A defined core character cast with individual profiles and design, a Memphis-based story world with recurring locations, an original music package concept, and the HBCU Heroes education line.
Stage of development
Season one is in development. Completed to date: the core character universe and artwork, season-one story concepts, the Memphis world bible direction, publishing concepts, the HBCU Heroes card series, consumer-product concepts, and live lead-capture infrastructure for fans and partners.
Revenue engines
Entertainment licensing, publishing, education, apparel, toys and collectibles, and live experiences — each mapped to a licensing category with its own inquiry pipeline.
Go-to-market
Build public anticipation and a first-party fan list, secure a distribution partner for season one, then activate consumer products and education categories alongside the series window.
Competitive advantages
- Wholly owned original IP — no third-party character rights
- Culturally specific, globally readable Memphis identity
- Music-led format built for repeat viewing and streaming discovery
- Education line (HBCU Heroes) opening classroom and library channels
- Product-ready design language across apparel, toys and publishing
Founder
BUILT WITH PURPOSE IN MEMPHIS.
Grind Babies® was created in Memphis by founder Melopiz Smith to build a preschool and young-kids hip-hop learning IP — a world where music, confidence, culture, creativity, teamwork and education all live together.
The mission is bigger than a show: a character franchise that gives young kids culturally rooted stories and positive ambition, then extends into books, education, products and experiences.
Capital Priorities
- Series production
- Music production
- Audience growth / first-party fan acquisition
- Publishing & education productization
- Licensing, legal & operations
Raise terms and detailed allocation are covered in the investor deck.
12–18 Month Targets
Forward-looking targets, not current results.
1
Production-ready season-one package (target)
1
Distribution agreement (target)
2
Initial revenue lines planned: Publishing + Education
2
Consumer-product categories planned for activation
Investor Inquiry
Want the full picture?
Send an investor inquiry and we'll follow up with investor materials.