FanMaxx launches platform targeting college sports revenue gap

The launch comes as athletic departments face rising expenses, including costs associated with the House v. NCAA settlement allowing schools to pay athletes, coaching salaries and facility construction. FanMaxx says college sports earns roughly half as much per fan as major professional leagues, while schools often lack a unified view of fan activity across separate vendor systems.

The company’s AI-native platform is designed to create a first-party profile for each fan and use it to tailor content and experiences. A university-branded app would provide a year-round destination for content, community, tickets, game-day activities, shopping and giving. Fan interactions would feed back into the platform, which FanMaxx says could improve engagement and revenue per fan. The company says it will integrate with existing school technology, work alongside ticketing, media and sponsorship partners, and share in revenue it generates.

“Athletic departments don't need another app. They need new revenue they control,” said co-founder and CEO Derek Mattsson. Co-founder Kurt Schneider, principal of Field Level Advisory Group, said the revenue gap was “a data problem” and argued that schools able to address it could fund their rosters, while others could be forced to cut sports.

Mattsson previously co-founded ad tech companies Vehix, acquired by Comcast, and placemedia, acquired by Altice, and built and deployed a mobile fan app for University of Utah Athletics. Schneider is a former Executive Chairman of Logitix, CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters and CMO of WWE. Co-founders Dan Lovinger and Bruce Lefkowitz are former NBC Sports and Olympics advertising and sponsorship sales president, and former Fox Networks executive vice president, respectively. The company says Lovinger closed more than $10 billion in deals and Lefkowitz led $3.8 billion in advertising revenue.

FanMaxx says the founders are speaking with athletic directors, revenue leaders and potential investors. The company is seeking a founding university partner; its claims about anticipated platform benefits and deployment plans are forward-looking and have not been independently verified.