A Scottish start-up seeking to increase sports participation across the globe has received six-figure investment boost.
Find a Player, an app which helps players find games and games find players, has been backed by Manchester-based property and technology investor Michael Sacks.
It comes just months after the Scottish tech company beat a number of global brands including Arsenal, the New York Marathon and the German FA to win the prestigious ‘Best App’ award at the Sport Technology Awards.
The business was born out of the struggle of founder Jim Law to find a reliable five-a-side game. Now, just two years later, he believes Find a Player can become Tinder for the sports world.
Law, who was previously a junior Scottish badminton champion, said: “Our app solves a huge problem – there are still far too many barriers which stop people from organising or getting involved in sport.
“Find a Player makes it easier than ever before to find the sports and games that are right for you at the touch of a button. Ultimately, this investment will help us boost the number of users and games on the platform.
“With Michael we not only secure crucial funding, but more importantly, a new member of the team who can help take our company to the next level. “
The former Manchester United youth team player prospect is the ideal fit for Find a Player. After embarking on a career in property, he founded Sequre Property Investment, which employed more than 120 people across six offices before Michael stepped down from his position as director to focus on his current and future investments.
Michael added: “My first reaction when I heard about Find a Player was surprise. When you think about it, it’s such an obvious idea, I couldn’t believe it hadn’t already been done – I wish I’d thought of it! I quickly got over that and started to explore how I could get involved.
“There’s a huge opportunity here, not only to grow my portfolio with a promising company, but also to help change the sporting landscape. It’s all too easy for people to stop taking part in sport. This allows people to find an activity, and a level, that’s right for them.”
Michael joins an impressive team which also include Owen O’Donnell, former chairman of Scottish ‘unicorn’ FanDuel, and Steve Oliver, Founder of MusicMagpie, which has revenues of more than £100m.
Last year, Find a Player raised £150,000 through a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs, hitting their £110,000 target in just two days.
Now, the company which has facilitated more than 75,000 games across more than 140 different sports, is working closely with sports governing bodies and universities to expand its burgeoning user base.