Fanbase has more than 40 football clubs signed up, aims to have more than 300 UK football clubs on its platform by 2023.
Edinburgh-based startup Fanbase has secured £500,000 seed investment from a number of high-profile business figures and entrepreneurs.
Investors in the software startup, which provides mobile ticketing and fan experience for sports clubs, include Steve Pankhurst and Tim War, co-founders of Friends Reunited.
Serial entrepreneurs and angel investors Nick Telson and Andrew Webster are also named among the latest backers.
The Fanbase platform, which is branded for individual sports clubs, enables mobile ticketing, memberships and subscriptions, as well as a range of other content for fans.
At present, the platform has 40 football clubs signed up, and the firm aims to have more than 300 UK football clubs on the platform by 2023.
The co-founders, brothers Alasdair and Michael Crawley, who set up the company in 2019 are also targeting rugby, netball, cricket and the North American sports market over the next two years.
Commenting on the investment, Alasdair Crawley, who serves as CEO, said: “Our technology gives every sports team a tool they’ve been priced out of until now and allows them to connect with fans like never before.
“We have focused on lower league football clubs to date, who play a fundamental role in their communities and because we’ve been able to make great strides with the product, we’re now having conversations with some of the top-tier clubs in Scotland and across the UK.
“It’s also our ambition to make an impression in the North American sports market.”
The seed investment round will enable the duo to hire a full-time team at Fanbase and move forward rapidly with the company’s product roadmap.
Alasdair and Michael have already hired Carl Barton, who brings years of experience dealing with complex technology and customer data within the retail and fintech sectors, as CTO and co-founder.
Michael Crawley commented: “The most important thing for us has been the continuous feedback we have had from both clubs and fans using the platform, allowing us to further innovate and make incremental improvements to the app.
“We’ve lots of great features that we want to release over the course of the year which will help our partners grow. Overall, we’re looking to provide best-in-class technology in the market serving the sports vertical.”
Source: DIGIT