Predictive sports game startup PrePlay secures $4.7 million in Series B funding

Predictive sports game startup PrePlay has successfully secured a $4.7 million Series B funding round, with leading investment from Trilogy Equity Partners LLC. Notably, RSE Ventures, the VC fund co-founded by Miami Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins, also contributed to this significant funding round.

Prior Success

Last July, PrePlay closed its $3.1 million Series A funding round, with RSE Ventures’ CEO Matt Higgins participating in that round as an angel investor, demonstrating the sustained support and confidence in the startup's potential.

Introducing The Startup

Founded in 2010, this innovative startup has recently celebrated its 100,000th registered user milestone. It specializes in creating social gaming apps for smartphones and tablets, offering sports fans a unique way to engage with live TV shows. The company's flagship app, PrePlay Football, allows users to compete with each other by predicting match outcomes, reminiscent of the experience in a local pub. Take a look at the app interface below:

PrePlay Hits 8 Million Predictions on its Platform

PrePlay has reached a milestone with a total of eight million predictions made on its platform to date. On Baseball’s Opening Day earlier this month, users participated in over 200,000 “play-by-play predictions,” marking a new record for the company with double its prior single-day engagement. Notably, PrePlay boasts an impressive average user session of 50 minutes, positioning itself as an industry leader in user engagement metrics. However, the frequency of app use could be a more compelling measure for a live sports-associated app.

CEO Andrew Daines on PrePlay

In a statement, CEO Andrew Daines mentioned that PrePlay can be categorized as a second-screen application, but it stands out from generic check-in apps and apps made by TV programmers. He emphasized that PrePlay is primarily a game, tackling the problem of engagement from a mobile-first, gaming perspective. Daines expressed the company's commitment to creating high-quality game experiences, with a belief that engagement with TV content and brands naturally follows from there.

PrePlay to Expand Sports Portfolio and App Teams with New Funding

PrePlay has announced plans to utilize its recent funding round to expand its Ruby on Rails and native iOS and Android teams, with the aim of broadening its sports portfolio. Currently, the company offers apps for baseball, hockey, and football, and is looking to grow its advertising, in-app purchase, and platform licensing businesses. By featuring a variety of sports within its app portfolio, PrePlay aims to leverage cross-marketing opportunities and bridge seasonal gaps when certain sports are not in season.