It is very rare when it is absolutely clear who will win a given sports matchup. The fact that we never know who is going to win is what makes it exciting to watch and even more exciting to wager on games. numberFire, the premier tool for sports analytics using Big Data, has just been acquired by FanDuel. It happens to be that these two companies have very similar goals in mind, and they plan on working together to help make fans smarter, and maybe even help them win a few bucks this fantasy season.
Today, AlleyWatch chats with numberFire CEO Nik Bonaddio about the acquisition and how the future plans on creating a sports analytic monster.
Tell us about your service.
numberFire is a next-generation predictive sports and advanced analytics platform that uses mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis to predict and project player and team performance as well as game outcomes. As the premier tool for sports fans everywhere, numberFire simplifies stat crunching to provide the most accurate projections and coolest insights in the industry, every day.
Who acquired you and what was the acquisition process like?
numberFire was acquired by FanDuel Inc., the leading daily fantasy sports provider. Founded in 2009, FanDuel has redefined fantasy sports; offering a multitude of one-day game options for NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football and basketball, with new public and private leagues forming daily, ranging in size from two to thousands of players.
As we were starting to think about our next steps, we began conversations with FanDuel. Immediately, we realized numbeFire’s goal to make sports fans smarter and FanDuel’s mission to make sports more exciting made our two companies a perfect cultural fit. Additionally, numberFire’s consistent growth is directly correlated to the rise of the daily fantasy industry and uniting our teams will propel the sports analytics and fantasy industry forward.
It’s FanDuel’s intention to build a multiplatform sports entertainment company, and joining numberFire and FanDuel creates the opportunity to meaningfully grow both businesses while providing fantasy sports users the best tools around.
It was a fast-paced and extremely exciting process and we could not have hoped for a better outcome.
What factors about FanDuel influenced your decision to be acquired?
It just was the perfect fit. With a shift in the sports media landscape away from general, qualitative analysis to one that is a more data driven, numberFire saw now as the perfect time to join FanDuel as a way to broaden our reach in the marketplace. We have always had a mission to “make fans smarter,” now we have an avenue to reach their millions of users and to increase the appeal of the leading daily fantasy sports platform.
What are your plans going forward?
I will continue to oversee numberFire, as we continue to operate as an independent site. Additionally, I will become the Vice President of Tools and Data Products at FanDuel and work to seamlessly integrate many of our current offerings into their site. Finally, we will continue to develop new, proprietary and game-changing ways to enhance the sports experience.
What advice can you offer companies in New York that are building their businesses?
- Talent is everything. Without the right people, you cannot succeed.
- Don’t get caught up in trying to be the next Mark Zuckerberg. The reality is you need to make money, and you need to make it sooner than you realize. Venture capital is a ticking time bomb, not a cause for celebration.
- It’s never going as well as you think or as poorly as you think. Keep an even keel and a focus exclusively on creating the best product your market needs. Nearly everything else is irrelevant.
