Splash – the largest independent provider of peer-to-peer sports strategy games in the US with over 2 million active users – announced the closing of a Series A-2 Funding Round of $14.1 million, with investment from venture firms Boston Seed, Velvet Sea Ventures, K5, Elysian Park, Acies Investments, Accomplice, Counterview and others.
The investors join an all-star lineup of angel investors, including former Major League Baseball executive Theo Epstein, New England Patriots President Jonathan Kraft, Fenway Sports Group’s Mike Gordon and Sam Kennedy, Trybe Ventures (US Women’s National Team soccer star and three-time Olympian Alex Morgan), Arctos Sports Managing Partner Doc O’Connor, Erik Seidel (10x WSOP Bracelet Winner) and gaming industry veterans Adam Levitan and Peter Jennings.
In connection with the close of the A-2 financing, Splash launched its Partner Solutions division, which focuses on increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and driving revenue for brands looking to tap into over 2M active sports-centric players generating over 750M annual page views across the Splash, Inc. portfolio. And brands can partner with Splash Inc.’s free public contests or run their own contest to build awareness, increase purchase intent, and capture first party data – accessing not just the Splash audience, but more deeply engaging with their own.
Splash Inc. was launched in 2021 through the acquisitions of RunYourPool and OfficeFootballPool. Last year, Splash Sports was launched as a peer-to-peer, real-money gaming platform built for friends and groups who share a passion for sports to compete against each other. The contest organizers (or Commissioners) as they are known on the platform, can use Splash Sports’ suite of management tools to easily organize sports strategy games, such as Tiers, PickX, and Survivor, for their community while earning revenue for themselves.
Along with launching Splash’s Partner Solutions, the company will continue to focus on developing new real-money game types, creating community, and accelerating the growth of the Commissioner Economy, which allows content creators, influencers, brands, and sports media personalities to engage with and monetize their audiences in new ways.
KEY QUOTES:
“Splash has always provided a phenomenal way for friends to compete, and now with the launch of Splash Partner Solutions, it’s also a way for brands to build their communities during the biggest sporting events of the year. Sports are more fun when you have skin in the game, and Splash’s new platform gives brands a way to share the excitement of the game with their customers in an authentic way.”
– Peter Blacklow, General Partner at Boston Seed Capital
“When we first launched Splash Inc., we recognized that the future of sports gaming revolved around peer-to-peer interactions, ultimately creating a lasting community. The early success of partnerships with the NBA, Jack Link’s, and TaylorMade show there is tremendous value for brands to connect with their communities via a platform that delivers more organic, community-driven gaming experiences.”
– Splash, Co-Founder Joel Milton.
“From day one, we’ve been driven by the belief in the power of sports to connect people. The past few years have been an amazing journey, but we feel we are just getting started. We’re excited to continue innovating, pushing boundaries, and making the Splash name synonymous with community-centric sports gaming experiences.”
– Splash Co-Founder TJ Ross
