Dutch Sport Tech Fund
invests in ‘fan-
engagement startup’ Circl

Dutch Sport Tech Fund, the only Dutch investment fund exclusively dedicated to investments in sport tech companies, announces an investment in Circl. This is an English start-up focused on ‘fan engagement’, allowing fans to predict fun facts during live matches with each other.

Circl enables sports enthusiasts to make live predictions about what will happen in a football match while watching the game together. The app will go live during this Premier League season and uses data from sports data company Opta. The game is designed to enhance the viewer’s experience, as you are, in a way, ‘playing along’ while using Circl.

Will Hawkins, CEO and co-founder of Circl: “Our mission is to change the way audiences watch sports and bet live on matches. Circl’s character is social; you never play alone and enjoy live matches together with Circl. In this way, we offer an inclusive alternative to apps and betting sites that only want to take consumers’ money and can even lead to gambling addictions.”

Circl is currently focusing on the most popular sport, football, but also aims to target the increasingly popular eSports sector.

Mark Snijders of the Dutch Sport Tech Fund: “We see Circl as a new growth gem with a social mission. Players invite each other, so the growth of Circl’s platform is fast, organic, and ultra-scalable.”

Dutch Sport Tech Fund is opening its ecosystem in the United States and the Far East to Circl. “We see great opportunities for synergy and growth in these new markets. We look forward to helping Circl with our combination of network, resources, and specialist knowledge.” Circl is the second investment by Dutch Sport Tech Fund in a non-Dutch startup. Previously, the fund had already invested in Jogo, ISG Growth Fund, and Sharp Alpha.

The Dutch Sport Tech Fund aims to make a positive contribution to sports by investing in the right sports, technology, and data companies. By 2030, the sports technology market will represent a value of 50 billion dollars. The Dutch Sport Tech Fund is the first fund to focus exclusively on this market.