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A start-up in the world of Daily Fantasy Sports with a cool sounding name, Boom Shakalaka, hopes to capitalize on a concept that now accounts for over half the amount of volume at some online sportsbooks.
Live wagering is a hit at sites the likes of Bookmaker.eu and the phenomenon is spreading throughout Europe as well. Now the folks behind Boom Shakalaka, founders Assaf Einat and Stephen A. Murphy, want to carry the successful concept over to Daily Fantasy Sports.
Boom Shakalaka says it wants to engage sports fans n the events they follow through its in-game fantasy sports platform, which pushes questions to users during live games (Will Vinatieri make this 50-yard field goal? Will A-Rod hit a homerun in this at-bat?). Boom Shakalaka’s early metrics have been outstanding – mobile game sessions are on average 55 minutes (9x sports app average) and 7% of test users have monetized (3x mobile games average).
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While still in the conception stage, Boom Shakalaka has been selected as part of the second batch of firms by business accelerator Grand Central Tech. Companies chosen are not given any cash or asked to provide any equity. Instead, Grand Central Tech requires chosen companies to commit to renting space in their massive 1.1 million square foot building after one year of rent-free occupation.
“Our goal is to create that single point of density of the best technology companies,” says Charles Bonello in an interview with TechCrunch. He co-founded the space alongside his high school friend Matt Harrigan.
“What the entrepreneurs want is the community and the opportunity to help build something together that is tremendous. We’re going to work together, we’re going to build badass companies and do it in a way that raises the bar,” Bonello said.
The program (it’s hard to call this thing an accelerator) counts Microsoft, Google, Intuit, IBM, L’Oreal USA, Pepsico North America, JPMorgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs among its sponsors. And the whole thing is financed by billionaire real estate backers, the Milstein family. It is the Milstein’s who will require a four-year rental commitment from Boom Shakalaka.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
