This morning sees the launch of Locker, a new mobile platform that personalises sports news and stats for fans by aggregating content from their favourite sports news sources.
The app is slick and easy to use and is available from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
The company is based in Galway and is the brainchild of Ross O’Dwyer, co-founder of Pundit Arena. It has secured $700,000 in pre-seed funding, led by the Techstars Sports Accelerator powered by Indy, the world’s top sports accelerator, along with the Western Development Commission and a range of prominent media and technology investors from across the US and Europe.
Ambitious
“Locker is the first-ever sports news service that provides users with a single app to find and consume stories and stats on the topics they love, from the providers they trust,” says the press release and it lives up to its ambitious billing.
It uses machine learning and trusted aggregation to pull together hundreds of the world’s most reputable publishers, delivering the latest in trending and reliable news, conveniently tailored to the user’s sporting tastes.
The first phase of the app will give users free news content and sports statistics, with audio functionality updates being rolled out to users in the second phase, as Locker launches in the US market.
Free
Locker is free for sports fans to join and use, and will generate revenue from partnerships and innovative new bundling arrangements that are currently being explored with publishers and sporting organisations.
That will happen with the launch of Locker Pro, the premium version, which will enable fans to subscribe to the individual sports sections of some of the world’s top paywalled publishers, rather than having to pay for their entire offering.
This is a first of its kind approach to micro-subscriptions in publishing and is a fascinating approach to delivering the ‘back pages’ of news sites to those who would rarely go beyond them.
The start-up was founded in 2020 by Ross O’Dwyer – the former CEO, and Co-Founder of Pundit Arena, along with Brian Quinn the former Commercial and Marketing Director of Setanta Sports and Eir Sport, Andrew Pierse and Matt Steerman. Together, they have over three decades of experience in the sports media and subscriptions industry.
In July of last year, they were the first Irish sports company to be accepted into the prestigious Techstars Sports Accelerator Programme in Indianapolis.
This highly competitive accelerator program is designed for sports tech companies focused on the future of sport, and less than 1 per cent of applicants are accepted.
The team took part in the programme remotely during COVID-19. Locker was also accepted to the Sportradar Accelerator programme and was a winner of the Google Adopt-a-Start-up programme in May this year, which seeks to further accelerate the growth of high potential Irish start-ups.
Locker continues to be a client of the Galway Local Enterprise Office, which has supported Locker’s initial set-up phase.
Stats
It has also partnered with Stats Perform, the global stats provider giving users access to real-time insights and stats on their favourite teams and players.
Stats Perform is the largest sports data provider in the world providing real-time stats for dozens of major leagues including the NFL, NBA, Premier League, La Liga and the PGA Tour.
Locker includes a diverse range of sports, from major sports such as soccer, rugby, GAA and golf, to growing sports such as esports and cycling. For fans of women’s sport, Locker will empower fans to personalize their feeds to bring together the world’s best coverage in one place.
“At Locker, we are passionate about great sports journalism,” said O’Dwyer. “There is a world of brilliant sports content out there, the frustrating part is how we consume it.”
“Why do sports fans have to go to so many places on a daily basis to find their favourite content? From news websites and league apps to social platforms and podcast apps, it’s a pain to have to switch between locations and endlessly search for what you really want.”
Mission
“It shouldn’t have to be this way. Our mission is to deliver the personalised world sports fans deserve, through a single, free to use app where fans can easily find and consume the stories they need to see from sources they trust. Locker is putting the power back in the hands of the fan.”
“Written content and stats are only the beginning of our journey. We’re looking forward to adding audio, video, live sports and other core items in the coming months to create a complete sporting experience. We’re so grateful to have investors, partners and mentors who believe in our vision to transform this space.”
“We are excited about the launch of Locker, which we believe will change how fans consume sports news,” added Jordan Fliegal, Managing Director of Techstars Sports Accelerator.
“This is a great founding team that understands sports fans, publishers, advertising and subscriptions. Locker was a great addition to the Techstars Indianapolis programme, one which particularly excited our partners around the US opportunity including the Indianapolis Colts, the Indiana Pacers and the NCAA.”
Following the Irish launch, Locker will set its sights on a US launch in 2022.
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