Sanctuary
Astrology is a practice that derives meaning from the “fixed stars,” the Sun, the Moon, and the planets. It posits that each planet carries distinct energy that can influence and forecast earthly and human events. Most people know their sun sign, the most renowned Zodiac sign. But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Each person also has an entire “birth chart” based on the location of all of the planets at the date and time of their birth. Each unique birth chart provides specific cosmic guidance regarding love, career, life path, and beyond based on a variety of astrological attributes. Astrology’s allure has exploded in recent years, largely due to mass following by younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z who seek alternative forms of spirituality. As we dive into the year ahead, astrology can help us find fresh perspectives and set meaningful intentions. Enter Sanctuary, the leading mystical services, and astrology app.
Sanctuary’s Background & Founder
The rebirth of astrology has resulted in new products and services that modernize and democratize access. Sanctuary is an emoji-rich astrology app that offers content, insights, and personalized experiences for the cosmically curious. Sanctuary’s founder, Ross Clark, is on a mission to reimagine astrology for the next generation. With a background in media and entertainment, Ross recognized both astrology’s popularity and the outdated nature of legacy offerings. He was inspired to build a more accessible and usable tool for people to explore the complex world of astrology. Sanctuary was incubated by Broadway Video Ventures, the digital media arm and investment vehicle of Broadway Video (creators of Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon). Here, Ross began his journey to build a new kind of company in the $2.2 billion mystical services space.
Ross Clark, Co-Founder & CEO
About Sanctuary
Sanctuary is a mobile platform that offers users a variety of ways to engage with all astrology has to offer. The app offers users daily horoscopes for their sun sign, a vast content library with educational guides, and a personal and interactive birth chart reader. Sanctuary differentiates from other astrology apps by also offering paid users live chat-based readings in time-based packages ranging from 5 to 60 minutes. Users can purchase time on-demand to connect with live professional astrologers, psychics, and tarot card readers. Those that opt for reading can select a reader based on their background and specialty and be immediately connected to mystical guidance. Astrology, psychic, and tarot readers draw insights from your birth chart, extraordinary perception, and tarot card decks, respectively. The pay-by-minute approach allows users to receive anything from bite-sized morsels of information to full-fledged personalized conversations. To power this service, Ross and his team have grown a core group of New York City readers into an entire managed marketplace of over 100 on-platform readers. The combination and breadth of Sanctuary’s content and experiential offerings allows both beginners
and avid believers alike to engage. Daily horoscope readings
With piqued interest, I couldn’t resist trying out a reading for myself. After diving into my birth chart on the Sanctuary app (I’m a Taurus-Aquarius-Virgo), I paid $4.99 for a 5-minute reading with Nicole, an astrologer and intuitive reader that helps people better understand the present to make more empowered and aligned choices and who has completed over 1,700 readings on the Sanctuary platform. I was connected to Nicole immediately and chose to ask her for some career-related direction. Nicole promptly reviewed my birth chart and provided me with two pieces of intriguing cosmic guidance. First, she told me I would have multiple ‘ah-ha’ moments this year. Second, she suggested there will be lots of wonderful and unexpected turns in my near future and to be open to new paths. For someone in graduate school and in the midst of a career transition, both of these insights were relevant and delicately encouraging.
Live chats with professional readers
Sanctuary users, like me, are people looking for answers to substantial questions around the themes of what it means to be human: love and relationships, career and work, and life path. A birth chart is like one’s cosmic DNA. It can provide an alternative set of resources and tools to look both at yourself and the world outside of you. Sanctuary offers all types of users a way to benefit from astrology. Whether you enjoy reading your sun sign’s daily horoscope, exploring your Chiron (“deepest wound”), or consulting with a professional reader to make sense of it all, the Sanctuary app has something for everyone.
Growth & Funding
Sanctuary has grown to a whopping 1.4 million followers on Instagram, including celebrities such as Ariana Grande, Diplo, Adam Lambert, Rosario Dawson, and more. The app has been featured numerous times on the Apple App Store as one of the top apps for astrology. Sanctuary has partnerships with many other successful consumer brands including AWAY, Daily Harvest, Hey Harper, Papyrus, and more. Ross and his powerful 12-person team are exploring ways to bring new content and personalized experiences to Sanctuary
users. Monthly forecasts and informational guides
This week, Sanctuary plans to release its first-ever book, What’s Your Sign?: A Guide To Astrology for the Cosmically Curious (pre-order HERE!) Sanctuary has raised pre-seed and seed funding totaling $6.5 million to date from investors including BITKRAFT Ventures, KEC Ventures, Greycroft, Azure Capital Partners, Advancit Capital, Gaingels, and Uncommon Denominator. Download the Sanctuary app and follow @sanctuarywrldtoday on Instagram today to feed your curiosity – something exciting may be written in the stars!