Sportdec

Sportdec was a Dublin-based sports technology company that developed a fan-centric mobile application aimed at consolidating the sports fan experience. Founded in 2015 by Bruce Bale and Stephen Byrne, the company sought to provide a single platform for sports enthusiasts to access a wide array of information. Bale, the CEO, brought over 15 years of experience in the sports, technology, and gaming sectors, including roles at Sky Betting and Gaming and Facebook's gaming team. The company's establishment in Ireland was a strategic choice to leverage the local talent pool in technology and sports.

The core of Sportdec's business was its free iOS and Android application, which aggregated various features for sports fans. The platform initially focused on football, offering users super-fast live scores, detailed match statistics in partnership with Opta, fixtures, league tables, news, and video content. A key differentiator was the integration of sports betting functionalities, allowing users to place bets directly within the app. The business model was designed to monetize through these integrated betting features, with plans for social gaming and merchandising. The app allowed for personalization, enabling users to follow specific teams and receive tailored push notifications for important match events.

Sportdec launched a beta version for the Euro 2016 football tournament and went fully live for the 2016/17 season, expanding to cover over 40 leagues and cup competitions. The company secured notable minority shareholders from the sports world, including snooker champions Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty, and former rugby player Reggie Corrigan. Over its lifetime, the startup raised approximately $9 million through various funding rounds, including a seed round of $3.21 million and an angel round of $2.67 million. Despite achieving over 60,000 users in Ireland and the UK and ranking as the number one free sports app in the Irish Apple App Store, the company ceased operations. In May 2020, Sportdec was acquired by Winsure International and is now considered deadpooled, with its former website domain up for sale.

Keywords: Sportdec, sports technology, mobile sports app, football app, live scores, match statistics, sports betting integration, fan engagement, Opta data, Bruce Bale, Stephen Byrne, Irish startup, sports content aggregation, social betting, Winsure International, sports fan experience, personalized sports content, sports news, video highlights, team updates