A Johannesburg-based start-up is embracing the “second screen” trend of people using tablets or phones while watching television by creating a platform that enhances the experience of watching live sports.
Puntr is a real-time social sports prediction game that lets soccer fanatics play against each other while following a live game and, instead of predicting the final outcome of the match, users can predict “micro moments” of the game, such as when a corner or free kick is defended.
The platform is accessible through an HTML5-based website, accessible from smartphone browsers.
Correct predictions will earn a user points, which are reflected on a leaderboard for each game, in addition to a general leaderboard reflecting a player’s ranking in a global context.
Puntr CEO and co-founder Grant I’Ons says the second screen is a big trend. “The second screen market in the US alone is currently estimated at US$490m, expanding to $5,6bn by 2017. We were looking for a way to leverage our love of sport, our love of social gaming and this increasingly interesting trend.”
Co-founder Andy Hadfield says: “While we love bantering away on Twitter during a soccer game, it can get a bit noisy. We thought this would create not only be a bit of fun, but a bit of signal within the noise – groups of friends across South Africa and the world playing and chatting for a brief, highly engaged 90 minutes during a game of sport.”
I’Ons says Puntr has developed its first “minimum viable product”, or MVP, game for soccer that lets users predict what will happen during corners, direct free kicks, attacking throw-ins and penalties.
“Another feature is the ‘goal coming’ button. A player has only eight opportunities per half [of a soccer match] to hit this button when they think that a goal is going to be scored in the next 45 seconds.”
I’Ons adds that this “game layer” will be crucial to building Puntr’s business.
Though limited to soccer for now, Puntr will eventually work for rugby, cricket, golf and tennis games.
The idea for Puntr came about in August when I’Ons and Hadfield met for the first time at Startup Weekend, a worldwide initiative that serves to take ideas and transform them into tangible businesses.
The Puntr concept won Startup Weekend Johannesburg and was accepted into the Seed Engine’s 12-week start-up accelerator programme, which started in September.
The company received seed capital investment of R100 000 in return for Seed Engine taking 20% of its equity. “Seed Engine’s investment allowed us to pay for the development and design of the MVP, but Puntr is now opening a fundraising round,” says I’Ons.
“We are looking for R1m at a R3m valuation that will be used to build out the team and product and then look at some enticing revenue angles – everything from Zynga-style gaming revenue to sports betting,” he says.
I’Ons and Hadfield work with Marc Elias, who provides operational and strategic support. Hadfield is also the founder of RealTimeWine.com and is involved in other projects in the South African start-up space where he plays a hands-on advisory role.
Puntr is currently looking for a chief technology officer who will also contribute to the growth and development of the product and brand. It also wants to find “level headed” sports-mad students to run games for them.
“Outside of the team, we need to hit a certain level of traction locally then hunt down an investor and series of strategic partnerships that can help us point this overseas,” says I’Ons.
The service had a “soft” beta launch to a few early adopters two weeks ago and now has 59 users who have made just under 800 predictions to date.
For now, users can only sign up through Facebook. This allows them to see if they have any friends playing. Eventually, it will allow broader sign-on options.
Puntr makes money through brand activation and through the sale of game instruments. “Think power-ups, competition enhancers, ability to speed up progress mechanics — made famous by games like Candy Crush and companies like Zynga,” says I’Ons.
The company is investigating a third revenue model, which it believes will be enticing for investors: sports micro-betting. “Imagine putting R1 on each prediction or 10 friends throw R20 each into the pot. First place takes 70%, second place takes 30%,” says I’Ons. — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media
