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Tyneside-based sports fan app nears £200k crowdfunding target on Seedrs

Spontly, the sports app which helps fans stay up-to-date with their favourite teams, is closing in on its six-figure crowdfunding target after launching the campaign just over a month ago.

The Newcastle-headquartered startup has now raised 94% of its £200k investment goal on the crowdfunding platform Seedrs which will be used to expand the app’s feature set.

Spontly, which is housed in city centre offices on Collingwood Street, says that the investment cash will allow it to add video highlights, match predictor and a more extensive suite of stats to its range of branded sports apps.

The startup currently offers specially branded apps for over 200 sports clubs in sports such as football, rugby, golf and tennis, and has already lined up deals with the likes of Newcastle Falcons and Hull FC.

Commenting on why crowdfunding is such a good fit for the north east firm, Spontly Chief Executive Officer Jim Mann said: “Crowdfunding is a natural fit for us. We’ve always wanted to give fans a sense of ownership and belonging in their communities. That’s why we have individual apps for each club rather than an all-in- one solution.

“It fits with our ethos, offering fans a financial stake in what we are building. And with the minimum stake being just £10 we’ve made the opportunity accessible for everyone.”

The firm’s range of apps now have over 120,000 active users and the startup is already preparing for product launches in other sports with the ultimate aim of international expansion.

“We’ve proved our apps work with very little marketing spend, we’ve built strong communities and we have a great team in place to take this business forwards.

“The next steps for us will involve a combination of selling sponsorship and improving the product. Our fan base is fantastic and they tell us what they want, so we now need to get on and build the features that they are asking us for,” added Jim.