20Shots, the B2B gaming software supplier behind free-to-play fantasy football game Fantasy5, has secured an additional £400,000 (€473,081/$482,334) in funding, valuing the business at £5m.
The supplier drew interest from investors including US venture capital fund Animal Capital.
20Shots did not disclose the amount invested by Animal Capital, but the supplier did state that the funds would be used to support the rollout of its largest range of products to date.
Fantasy5’s Premier League product will be supplemented with games covering the Uefa Champions League, Europa League and other European top-flight leagues.
Prizes for the additional leagues will remain at £10,000, as offered to players of the Premier League game.
Last season, 20Shots also secured the support of BoyleSports, with the bookmaker signing on as the first licensed operator partner of Fantasy5.
“As demand grows in the ultra-competitive free-to-play space, we’re investing our ability to quickly and seamlessly roll out products and games on a white label basis for a number of different partners across multiple divisions and competitions – with the ultimate objective of using the technology seamlessly across the most popular sports worldwide,” 20Shots co-founder and chief executive Jacob Kalms said.
“Our growth model forecasts we will break the half a million player mark this season, with our scaling driving down the cost of acquisition for partners while maintaining our engagement, dwell and retention rates considerably above industry averages.”
Animal Capital managing partner Marshall Sandman added: “In a crowded market of fantasy, free-to-play, and pay-to-play sports betting, 20Shots distinguishes itself with a best-in-class team and direction that has allowed the product to stand out distinctly and early.
“Their flagship game Fantasy5 is an early hit, their B2B relationships are uniquely positioned to make this an exciting asset and their ability to resonate and be sticky with a younger audience are all reasons why we were excited to be on the journey.”
