A Bristol tech start-up is celebrating after its app designed to reward football fans for their loyalty racked up 100,000 users.
Founded by Harley Thorne and Gareth Lippiatt, FanHub allows supporters to score points for following their team, including by travelling to away games and correctly predicting final scores, which can then be traded for rewards.
The business, which has been operating out of NatWest’s accelerator hub in Trinity Quay for the last year, is gearing up for the app’s latest launch, which will allow members to use the platform as a social network to connect with other fans.
Mr Thorne said: “I’ve always been a big football lover myself and got fed up with seeing every other party involved – for example, players, teams and even gambling sites – being financially rewarded while fans were left out of pocket.
“We decided to launch FanHub as a way to give back to that community, offering them the chance to earn prizes in return for their loyalty. The response has been amazing, and we’ve seen huge growth in the past year.”
NatWest said it was currently looking for applications from local businesses to join its accelerator scheme, which it said would provide mentorship for budding entrepreneurs and full-time access to co-working office space.
Mr Throne said the support it had received from the bank had been “invaluable” in the development of FanHub.
He added: “The mentorship on offer means we have direct access to tailored, personal advice and we’ve also been able to connect with other entrepreneurs who are at a similar stage in their journey.
“The launch of our new app feature is a huge milestone for us and will enable fans to make genuine connections that will go beyond just the virtual world. We’ve designed it in a way that will let fans meet up and even travel to games together.”
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