SportAD

SportAD, founded in 2014 by Melissa Blau and Joe Brennan, operated as a business-to-business supplier in the real-money sports gaming sector. Initially known as FastFantasy, the company was established by its co-CEOs, Blau and Brennan, to capitalize on the emerging daily fantasy sports landscape. The venture secured backing from institutional investors, including Raptor Group and SoundBoard Venture Fund, and participated in an accelerator program in late 2015.

The firm's core offering was a platform designed for creating daily fantasy sports games for the betting and gaming markets. This platform addressed the risk-management and market-making requirements for games based on sports analytics, covering sports such as soccer, basketball, NFL football, and cricket. A key feature of SportAD's service was its aim to provide players with a higher win ratio and enhanced protections compared to traditional fantasy sports operators. The company's work gained industry recognition when it won the “Best New Game” at the EGR North America Awards in 2018.

SportAD targeted operators within the betting and gaming industry, providing them with the necessary tools to offer analytics-based sports games to their end-users. The business model was centered on providing this B2B platform, operating within the entertainment software, big data, and SaaS verticals. Despite its early traction and awards, the company ceased operations and is listed as out of business as of October 2022.

Keywords: daily fantasy sports, real-money gaming, B2B gaming platform, sports analytics, risk management, fantasy sports operators, betting markets, gaming markets, FastFantasy, Melissa Blau, Joe Brennan, sports betting technology, iGaming supplier, entertainment software, sports data, skill-based games, EGR Awards, VC-backed, Raptor Group, SoundBoard Venture Fund