Martijn van Dijk, CEO and
founder of Scorito:
“The next phase of
Scorito is in sight”

In 2012, Martijn van Dijk started Scorito: a Fantasy Sports platform. By now, 1.6 million Dutch people regularly play online sports games on Scorito. Participants assemble a team of footballers, tennis players, or cyclists, earning points based on real sports results. The company has been the market leader in the Netherlands for years, but that doesn’t mean Scorito is standing still.

Recently, 2 million euros have been raised through bonds. That capital is being used to develop a new business model: Play for Money. “With this, we will also offer our passionate fan base the opportunity to play our games against others for a monetary stake. We provide the platform and skim a percentage of the stake.”

When Scorito was founded, the plan was already to offer Play for Money. So why did Scorito wait so long to do this? Van Dijk: “That has to do with legislation in the Netherlands. To offer Play for Money, a license for online games of chance is required. In 2012, that legislation was in the works and it was expected to come into effect in 2014. Well, it all took a bit longer… Only since last year has it been possible to apply for a license.”

This naturally raises the question of whether Scorito’s games are games of chance. Van Dijk: “We ourselves—and this is also the opinion of our fan base—believe that we offer skill games. They are strategic games, where participants prepare for weeks and acquire knowledge. In the United States, Fantasy Sports is a billion-dollar industry, and there the legislator also sees it as a skill game. In the Netherlands, they have chosen to classify it under games of chance, in order to regulate it. I don’t really have a problem with that, but you absolutely cannot compare Fantasy Sports to online casinos or betting on sports matches.”

The license will not be applied for under the name Scorito, but a new label will be launched for this: Scori PRO. “We want to create a clear distinction between playing for fun and playing for money. Scorito will therefore continue to exist as a platform in its current form. We expect that 10% of our fan base will also play on Scori PRO.”

For Van Dijk, this brings things full circle: in high school, he was already organizing sports bets. “Yes, that’s right, and quite successfully too. Let’s just say that entrepreneurship was in me from an early age.”

Van Dijk is not exaggerating. Scorito is now his third company; he successfully sold the previous two. Is that a scenario he envisions again? “I’ve been involved in sports and games for 10 years now, and it never gets boring. I also play Scorito fanatically myself, so in that respect, I can keep going for years. But of course, I am an entrepreneur and also have a responsibility to our investors. It’s my job to create value. If we obtain the license, the value of Scorito will increase significantly.”

Dutch Sport Tech Fund is the only Dutch fund focused on startups and scale-ups in sports technology. It invests in companies with growth potential and helps these startups grow further by providing knowledge, network, and capital. Just as Facebook and Google were once promising, small startups, the companies Dutch Sport Tech Fund invests in are now in that same position. Last year, the fund invested in Scorito and acquired a stake of about 16 percent in the company. Since then, Scorito has grown to 1.6 million users, the majority of whom are Dutch.

Van Dijk: “To move to the next phase and further develop the platform, Scorito was looking for investors. That’s how I came across Dutch Sport Tech Fund in 2021. Dutch Sport Tech Fund is building a fund of promising startups and scale-ups in sports technology. As a result, we also benefit from the knowledge of the other companies. Dutch Sport Tech Fund supports us not only with money, but also with their network (ecosystem). I am glad that the funding round is behind us. My passion lies in entrepreneurship and continuously improving Scorito.”

Mark Snijders, former professional footballer and Chief Business Development Officer, believes in the potential of Scorito – and Scori PRO. “Scorito makes it more fun for sports fans to follow a match or competition together, with friends or colleagues. With Scori PRO, the company is developing even further. Scorito already has a healthy business model and many enthusiastic users, but possibly an even brighter future. The company is growing rapidly and will be an interesting acquisition target for competitors. For example, think of BetCity, which was previously acquired for 800 million euros. Scorito operates in the same field, but with a different focus. At Scorito, it’s all about experience and entertainment with friends, rather than gambling.”

“When it comes to connecting sports fans through Fantasy Sports, Scorito is the market leader in the Netherlands. Just like one of our other investments: 433, one of the largest social communities in the sports sector. This app (from former international Demy de Zeeuw) even has more than 70 million users. We are very happy to have these companies in our fund. I would also like to mention Horizm: a pioneer in digital sponsorship, with clients such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Dortmund, and Juventus. These are promising companies.”

Martijn van Dijk, the creator of Scorito, says the following about Dutch Sport Tech Fund: “Dutch Sport Tech Fund is the party that can help us grow. The fund has multiple investments in our sector, which enables cross-pollination between the other participations.”

Dutch Sport Tech Fund is the only Dutch fund focused on startups and scale-ups in sports technology and is unique in that respect. The fund’s mission is to improve sports and vitality by investing in sustainable and scalable sport tech companies. Dutch Sport Tech Fund has been active since 2020 and so far, around five million euros have been invested in thirteen companies. The aim is to eventually invest 30 million in 40 companies.

Several prominent individuals are involved with the fund. They have experience in top-level sports, such as Olympic champion Marianne Timmer and former hockey player Teun de Nooijer, or at the top of the business world, such as Bert Oosterloo (former partner at PwC). Each participation undergoes a strict selection procedure. This way, investments are made in startups that increase in value. The value of the Dutch Sport Tech Fund certificates grew annually by 22.5 percent. By comparison, the interest on your savings is currently often less than 1 percent.