Flick, the latest venture from FanDuel founders Nigel Eccles and Rob Jones, has completed a $5 million Series A funding round.
Led by AlleyCorp, the latest investment round brings the company’s total funding to $9 million and will fuel an extended period of growth.
Founded by Eccles and Jones in 2018, Flick is a live group chat platform for sports influencers and their fans. The company was launched in early 2018 following the duo’s departure from FanDuel.
Flick says its chat platform allows influencers to “authentically engage” with fans during live games and provides them with a forum to foster a “loyal and engaged fan-base with their own branded space”.
The platform is currently used in over 180 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and India.
Eccles, who serves as chief executive at the firm, described Flick as the “future of sports entertainment” and outlined the company’s long-term plans.
“With the new round of funding, the company plans to expand its team, integrate with sports betting, and build out the platform across multiple sports and geographies,” he said.
“In the last two years, sports betting has exploded in the U.S. However, unlike off-line betting, online sports remains quite a solitary and transactional experience.
“Betting on a sports betting app is about as much fun as paying a bill with your banking app. With our expansion into sports betting we plan to change that,” Eccles added.
Jones said the funding has come at a time of rapid growth for the company. Since May and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the company has seen a “significant uptick” in its user base, which has grown 45% month-on-month.
“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,” he said.
In addition to the raise, Kevin Ryan, Founder & CEO at AlleyCorp, will join Flick’s board of directors.
“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 Ryan.
“We are excited to join them as they build out the company.”