The co-founders of fantasy sports platform FanDuel have raised a $5 million Series A funding for their new company they claim is “the future of sports entertainment”.
Nigel Eccles and Rob Jones said the funding round for Flick was led by AlleyCorp with participation from previous investors including Bullpen Capital, Everblue Management, Amity Ventures, Courtside VC and several angels.
The company was founded in 2018 and the chat platform allows sports influencers to engage with their fans during live games.
The app gives sports influencers a place to grow and foster a loyal and engaged fan-base within their own branded space.
“Flick is the future of sports entertainment,” said Mr Eccles said Mr Eccles. “Flick creates a virtual sports bar experience, bringing fans together to hang out for live games, letting them chat, cheer and compete with each other. It creates the sense of community and excitement that we’re all missing at the moment.”
Flick said that the funding comes at a time of rapid growth for the company.
Mr Jones said: “The pandemic has caused a disconnect and people are seeking ways to be part of a community – specifically in the sports world where fans are no longer able to banter with their friends and other fans in person or attend live games.”
“Since May, we’ve seen a significant uptick in our user base growing 45 per cent month on month and engagement growing 10x in the same period. Many of our influencer-hosted chat groups, like AFTB and TalkFCB, host over 5,000 sports fans every day.”
In addition to the raise, Kevin Ryan, serial entrepreneur and founder of AlleyCorp, will join Flick’s board of directors. Alongside AlleyCorp, Ryan co-founded MongoDB, Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, and Nomad Health.
“It is rare in venture to find people like Nigel and Rob who are such proven entrepreneurs with deep experience and expertise in the market they are addressing,” said Mr Ryan. “We are excited to join them as they build out the company.”
Flick’s headquarters are in New York but it also has an office in Edinburgh, where Mr Jones is based. This latest round brings the total funding to $9m.
Source: The Herald