The friends decided to create a network instead of a catalog operation. Accompany's not a retailer. We're a network. We're the glue that holds the transaction together. Accompany initiates a sale, handholds the sale, brings buyer and seller together, but doesn't actually sell anything.
Profits come from a percentage of the transaction, much like a credit card.
With the details of the winning idea under wraps, the rest of the launch was mechanical. Protect the idea. Round up a few hundred thousand dollars to shop the concept. Be careful not to reveal too much to get the first funding. The idea is a gem.