I cofounded a daily fantasy sports site in 2004, so it's funny to see FanDuel's 2009 launch date described as "early to market". But the environment for fantasy sports in 2004–2005 was incredibly different, with the major leagues often showing overt hostility (including the NFL Players Association suing a company for using the players' names without permission). It's yet another example of how big a factor timing can be in the startup game.
We all would've been robbed of the best RoR book of all time had your timing been right...
Thanks! I suppose I could have consoled myself with the millions and millions of dollars, but then maybe that just wouldn't have been the same…
Is the main difference mobile? Other than that, it just seems like aggressive players.
Not sure how big mobile is, but one huge difference is that the major sports leagues have embraced fantasy sports instead of suing the providers.
Yup, I met Matt Maroon back in '08 when going through YC myself.
Interesting that the revenue share of winnings is projected to remain 10%. This suggests players don't value playing on a site that takes a smaller percentage of the game - or that the sites collude. Do any of the companies that occupy the 5% of the market not Fanduel/Draftkings try to differentiate based on cost?
So it's perfectly kosher to list big-time "investors" when your company gives them free equity? I was always under the impression that MLB, NFL, etc. voluntarily ponied up to invest in DraftKings.