Pope Francis said yes to the Omaze pitch at the Vatican (Image: Vatican Pool, Getty Images)
Omaze founderMatt Pohlson has revealed how the late Pope Francis helped sell one of his prizes.
The world is still mourning the death of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday aged 88. And earlier this year, Matt, Omaze’s co-founded, spoke about an unexpected meeting with Catholic Church leader.
Omaze often grabs headlines by raffling off grand estates in Devon and Cornwall, with tickets going for a mere £10 in extravagant prize draws.
Before they started doling out multimillion-pound properties in the UK, Matt and his fellow originator Ryan Cummings tapped into a rich vein of celebrity influence to gain traction. Their A-list collaborations have included the likes of Bryan Cranston, George Clooney, and the venerable Vatican head.
Pope Francis blesses a Lamborghini donated to him by the luxury sports car maker at the Vatican in 2017 (Image: AP)
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During a discussion on the Secret Leaders podcast in January, Matt revealed: “We raised venture capital at the very beginning when we were doing celebrities.
“So we just did celebrities for seven years, that was all it was. It wasn’t until after my near death experience (heart attack in 2018) that we switched to prizes. And so we raised money for that model which was tough because you are constantly having to get the Pope, or Arnold Schwarzenegger or Messi to try and do stuff.”
The hosts were taken aback by his revelation and prompted Matt to share his encounter with the Pope. Matt, hailing from California, recalled how he arranged a Lamborghini raffle with the Pontiff after the latter had been photographed with the luxury vehicle at the Vatican.
The raffle was clinched by a Czech Republic national who received the keys directly from Pope Francis, with the event raising $2m (around £1.5m) for the fight against poverty in the developing world.
Matt Pohlson pictured meeting Pope Francis (Image: mattpohlson/Instagram)
This extraordinary occurrence was set in motion by a 15-year-old girl named Chloe Howard, who had previously met U2’s Bono backstage. Her father, Dane, got a call from Omaze informing him of his win.
Chloe, who was born with a club foot and had recently endured an assault at school, shared with Bono how his song Invisible supported her during tough times.
Bono gave her counsel, telling her to “make yourself available for work and your passion will be revealed to you” when she discussed her interests with him.
Pope Francis writes on the bonnet of a Lamborghini (Image: AP)
On the podcast, Matt linked this story back to the Pope, saying: “I have never seen a moment like that in my life, you could literally see this girl transforming before your eyes. Obviously Bono could say this stuff a lot more poetically than I can but it was magic – I was watching magic happen.”
Chloe, inspired by her own battle with bullying, started connecting with other girls who faced similar struggles, leading to a series of school visits. Her efforts blossomed into the Stand Beautiful movement, and she was eventually invited to deliver a TEDx Talk which resulted in a book contract with Harper Collins.
During one of her speaking engagements, a Vatican official was present and approached Chloe about linking Omaze with the Vatican, intrigued by the idea of featuring the Pope in one of their unique prize draw experiences.
The late Pope Francis died this week aged 88 (Image: Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
The intriguing request set the stage for an unconventional partnership with Lamborghini, the automobile giant that had crafted an exclusive Huracán RWD Coupé for the Pope before putting it up for auction in 2017. Matt relates that an initial bid of €700,000 was made for the car but subsequently withdrawn.
Explaining what unfolded after the failed auction, Matt revealed: “Lamborghini called a guy who worked with us and was like, ‘Hey can you sell this to one of your high end donors’ – and he said that is literally the exact opposite of what we do – like people put in 10 bucks for the chance to win.”
He continued with his unexpected twist: “But I randomly am going to meet Pope Francis by chance and I can ask… we will buy it if he promises to give it away – and that’s what happened.”
Pope Francis not only approved the raffle idea but also blessed the coveted Lamborghini and personally handed over the keys to a fortunate winner. Reflecting on the remarkable outcome, Matt labeled the encounter as “crazy” and “surreal”, noting that it garnered millions of dollars for refugee causes.
