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Champions Round: A fantasy sports app developer that created short-form, skill-based games with real-money rewards for Gen Z sports fans.
Based in Los Angeles, California, Champions Round developed a mobile fantasy sports application that offered short-form, skill-based games played in four to six week intervals. The platform targeted Gen Z sports fans by providing bite-sized engagement through free-to-play and paid leagues featuring real-money rewards and interactions with content creators. Before winding down operations and selling its assets following an investor investigation in mid-2023, the company had scaled to between 11 and 50 employees, reported 28% month-over-month growth in 2022, and generated approximately $6.3 million in revenue. The enterprise raised $10 million in total funding, which included a $7 million Series A round in February 2023 backed by institutional investors such as Point72 Ventures, Goodwater Capital, and Quest Venture Partners, alongside professional athletes like Baron Davis. Champions Round was founded in 2018 by Carter Russ and Chase Payne.
Champions Round has raised $14.0M across 6 funding rounds.
Champions Round has raised $14.0M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Champions Round was a Los Angeles-based technology company that developed a mobile app for fan engagement through round-based fantasy sports games targeted at Gen Z users. It offered free-to-play, skill-based fantasy leagues for traditional sports like NFL and NBA, as well as esports, with short-duration contests (e.g., 3-4 weeks or single events) rather than full-season formats, solving the problem of lengthy commitments that deter younger fans.[1][2][3][6] The platform served sports enthusiasts worldwide via iOS and Android apps, featuring gamification like avatar swag, exclusive prize leagues, and in-app purchases, while planning expansions into soccer leagues, Formula 1, and more esports titles by 2024; it achieved early traction with 6,000 registered users and profitability before winding down.[2][3] The company raised $10M total funding, including a $1M seed and $7M Series A, but ceased operations in mid-2023 amid founder-investor issues, laying off staff and selling assets.[1][5]
Champions Round was founded in 2018 (or around 2021 per some reports) by CEO Carter Russ, a serial entrepreneur and longtime fantasy basketball commissioner, and co-founder Chase Payne, a gaming veteran with 15+ years at Electronic Arts, Zynga, and as a founding member of Major League Fantasy (acquired in 2015).[2][3] The idea emerged from Russ's frustration with traditional fantasy sports' long seasons, aiming to create bite-sized, engaging leagues for Gen Z, with an esports module to educate newcomers on gameplay via predictions like "next kill."[2] Early traction included a beta launch in April (year unspecified), 8,000 installs, top-6 iOS sports app ranking with minimal marketing, and 80% user growth via friend referrals; the full app debuted shortly before its $1M seed round.[2]
Champions Round rode the Gen Z sports engagement wave, capitalizing on shortening attention spans and esports growth by blending fantasy sports with social, creator-driven features in a market dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel.[3][5] Timing aligned with post-2021 fantasy sports boom and investor interest in youth-focused disruptors like PrizePicks, but a competitive funding winter and user acquisition challenges hit startups hard—evident in peers like No House Advantage also shutting down.[5] It influenced the ecosystem by pioneering round-based play and creator monetization, pressuring incumbents to innovate for younger demographics while highlighting risks in sports tech amid economic pressures.[2][5]
Champions Round's shutdown in 2023 after $10M raised underscores fantasy sports' high barriers, but its assets sale could revive round-based Gen Z innovations under new ownership. Trends like integrated sports betting (a planned feature), AI-driven personalization, and creator economies will shape successors, potentially evolving its model into broader social sports platforms amid growing global esports and mobile gaming. This Gen Z pivot, once a hook for disruption, now serves as a cautionary tale tying back to its core promise of accessible fantasy.
Champions Round has raised $14.0M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Champions Round's investors include Coddy Johnson, Ishan Sinha, Human Capital, Band of Angels, Gaingels, Mana Ventures, Pipeline Capital, Quest Venture Partners, AlleyCorp, Bam Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, Incisive Ventures.
Champions Round has raised $14.0M across 6 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Series A in February 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2023 | $7.0M Series A | Coddy Johnson, Ishan Sinha | Human Capital, Band of Angels, Gaingels, Mana Ventures, Pipeline Capital, Quest Venture Partners |
| Feb 1, 2022 | $2.0M Series U | AlleyCorp, Bam Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, Incisive Ventures, Pitbull Ventures, The Finger Group, Twenty Seven Ventures, White Loop Capital, Zigg Capital, Audrey Gelman, Jen Rubio Butterfield, Mik Attisani, Omar El-Ayat, Steph Korey | |
| Aug 26, 2021 | $3.0M Seed | Quest Venture Partners | Jay Schottenstein, Band of Angels, Expert Dojo, leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners |
| Nov 1, 2020 | $1.0M Seed | B Capital Group, Cedar Capital Group, CRV, Expert Dojo, Greylock, Human Capital, Incisive Ventures, IVP, Launchpad Venture Group, Pitbull Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Single Fin Ventures, Alex Beckman, Dale Okuno | |
| May 1, 2020 | $50K Seed | Expert Dojo | |
| Aug 1, 2019 | $970K Seed | Quest Venture Partners | Launchpad Venture Group |