PlusFan

About the offering

Plus.Fan is a fan engagement and membership platform based in Worcester, MA, targeting the approximately 95% of global sports teams that operate outside elite leagues. The platform is described internally as 'Patreon for Sports' and is designed to help mid-tier teams build free and paid fan membership programs, collect first-party fan data, streamline content creation and distribution, and deliver behind-the-scenes content and insider experiences to fans. The core business problem Plus.Fan addresses is twofold: (1) the vast majority of sports teams lack meaningful fan relationships and contact data — the company claims at least 76% of fans are anonymous to their teams — and (2) these teams are resource-constrained and unable to afford enterprise-level engagement platforms built for elite clubs. The platform offers a no-upfront-cost, revenue-share model, where fans pay monthly or annual membership fees for exclusive access, and Plus.Fan retains a portion of that revenue while passing the rest to the team. As of the campaign page, Plus.Fan reports 23 teams across 9 countries and 5 sports since launch, adding more than one team per month. Notable clients include Carrick Rangers FC (Northern Ireland), Gaur Gorakhpur Lions (India cricket), Worcester Bravehearts (US baseball), Fife Flyers (UK ice hockey), York City FC (UK football), and Brooklyn FC (US soccer). The lead client is reported to have 1,200 members with an 88% paid member retention rate after the first 90 days. The platform includes a mobile app with live game updates, rosters, and schedules, as well as content management tools. In development is an AI-powered feature called the 'Plus.Fan Playbook,' which would generate customized fan engagement plans for each team in approximately 15 minutes, including match previews, recaps, and in-game social posts. A 'Personalization Engine' is also planned to leverage engagement data for improved fan experiences. The company identifies four primary target markets: mid-tier European clubs, secondary sports teams in the US and Canada, the US college market, and India (primarily cricket), representing an estimated 20,000 teams and nearly 30 million fans within those segments. The broader global sports fan engagement market is cited at $6.1 billion in 2025, growing at a CAGR of over 15%. The target raise across all sources is $750,000, intended to fund development through platform version 3 (AI content creation) and into version 4 (personalization engine), while accelerating team acquisition toward a five-year goal of 1,000+ teams. Plus.Fan was accepted into the JumpStart Ventures Trailblazer Software Accelerator in December 2025 — described as accepting only 7% of applicants — and received $50,000 in non-dilutive funding from JumpStart plus $27,000 from the Dayton Entrepreneurial Services Program. The founding team has prior SaaS experience, including the 2021 acquisition of Slatwall Commerce (co-founded by COO David Crouch and CMO Brad Gustavesen). CEO Steve Paris brings 30 years of experience across marketing, sales, SaaS, and sports. The team is described as having 110+ combined years in software, analytics, marketing, and sports. Noteworthy investor concern raised in the Q&A section: one investor flagged that fiscal year 2025 financials showed a deficit exceeding $100,000 versus approximately $20,000 the prior year, and that subscription income declined approximately 50% year-over-year from 2024 to 2025. The investor also noted a drop in investor count from 34 to 24 following disclosure of these figures. This is a material flag for internal review.

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