New technology from startup ventures is transforming the global sports industry. The mission of this series is to introduce startup companies in the sports technology space to a broader audience and allow Founders of promising new ventures to tell their story and pitch their idea. Feel free to submit your startup’s answers to the below questions or contact us if you know of a startup that should be considered for inclusion in this series.
Company name: FamousFan
Founder(s): Josh Biren
Headquarters: Boston, MA
1. What is your elevator pitch?
FamousFan is a social experience that allows fans to freely share in-arena jumbotron (Fan Cam) moments on their personal social networks. In doing so, we help franchisees build authentic digital relationships with their fanbase.
2. Problem & Solution
TV timeouts and routine play stoppages account for over 66% of running time during the average sporting event. In-arena camera personnel will use this downtime to search for fans to feature on the big screen. Nearly 10% of fans experience the thrill of seeing themselves on a jumbotron in front of 20,000 people – their reactions are natural, exciting and wonderfully candid. Fans attempt to capture this moment, but the image is fleeting and often disappears. Best case, they are left with a picture of themselves taking a picture, which fails to capture the true excitement and uniqueness of the initial moment. When they call the organization, they are told that these moments are difficult to find and there is no process in place to deliver this content.
After a game, our partners will send us a video feed via dropbox. We process this video, strip out any non-fan footage and run the content through the FamousFan platform. A 30 minute video produces nearly 10,000 still photos. Concurrently, a fan accesses the team page (i.e. www.nba.com/spurs/famousfan) and selects when they appeared on the jumbotron (1st quarter, halftime, etc.). They watch a short clip of fan footage and press pause when they see themselves. The platform will then pull 10 still images from that pause (each .2 seconds apart) and deliver them to the fan in the form of thumbnails below the video player. Once a user selects a thumbnail, it will appear within the team jumbotron as if it were taken at eye level inside the arena. This resulting image is freely sharable across all networks.
What do we deliver to our partners?
First and foremost, these photo’s enhance the in-arena experience and serve as a stand alone fan engagement tool. Beyond that, we drive tangible value to our partners in a few ways:
- Web/App Traffic: 72% of fans who appear on the jumbotron access this content after the game. We allow teams to host within their web/app in order to directly benefit from this engagement. The average fan spends 3 minutes on the platform.
- Data: We collect user data on each fan who accesses the platform, and we make this available to teams at no cost
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Monetization of content
- Place clickable advertisements on the digitally re-created jumbotron. Customizations are simple and look very natural within the photo. The ability to be associated with the team across platforms is very attractive to sponsors.
- Use this space to drive traffic to desired section of team website. (i.e. ticket sales / merchandise links within the photo)
- Organic Exposure: Fans share this content on their personal social networks. The resulting image is branded with the team name / logo and serves as authentic promotion.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
Our current model is to license our platform / customizations to teams and permit their fans to access and share content for free. Our target customer is a team who plays in an arena large enough to warrant a videoboard. The arena experience is unique, as it typically positions fans around a 360 degree jumbotron at all times. This, versus a baseball game where the screen is in the outfield and fans aren’t permanently fixated on the content. Our top targets include professional hockey / basketball, as well as minor league hockey and a majority of D1 Colleges. This immediately addressable segment totals roughly 350-400 partners. Beyond that, we see an opportunity to work with NFL, MLB, MLS, as well as Futbol, Cricket and Rugby venues abroad.
4. Business Model – how do you make money?
We license this platform to teams as a tool to enhance the in-arena fan experience. We believe it stands alone as a fan engagement tool. Beyond that, we allow partners to monetize tangibly through sponsorship. See “Problem and Solution” for additional details.
5. Management Team – with titles
Josh Biren, CEO and Co-Founder
Dana Lampert, Head of Strategy
6. Anything else you want the audience to know about your venture?
In the past 6 months, we have worked with the Duke Blue Devils, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Indianapolis Indians. We are hoping to add another 1-2 NBA / NHL teams this coming season, as well as an Australian Cricket team to be announced soon. Want us to work with your team? Send us a note at josh@famousfan.com and check out www.famousfan.com!