(AUREA 2018 AWARD NOMINATION): Playerhunter – Social network for football players

The startup Playerhunter launched the eponymous social network for football players in 2017, providing players with greater visibility and the ability to connect with clubs.

When looking for new clubs, football players mostly rely on personal contacts and lack an efficient online network that would connect them with interested parties, make them visible and recognized. With the digitalization of the transfer system, Playerhunter platform enables athletes to present their talent and capabilities through CVs, videos and statistics, whereas managers and scouts are enabled to discover player. Playerhunter especially aims to increase the visibility of players in lower leagues, who otherwise don’t have an opportunity to present themselves in the market.

The idea for the Playerhunter social network started being developed three years ago by the current CEO of the company, Stevan Radak, a long-term investment banker and former basketball player, and the former Partizan football player Vuk Zivkovic. They got the idea for the startup when they noticed that a lot of players had problems “marketing” themselves and finding a suitable club and a good manager.

The platform has been operating for two years, and the year 2017 was crucial for its development. A new, improved version was launched, and marketing activities were stepped up. Playerhunter now brings together around 70,000 users from all corners of the globe.

Private investors and business angels have invested around EUR 1.2 million in its development so far, and the company is now registered in the EU, in Austria, due to easier communication and contact with investors, while also having a representation in Belgrade.

INNOVATION

The problem for the majority of 265 million football players in the world is that their success has become overly dependent on personal contacts, acquaintances, agents and managers, and this kind of career advancement has proved efficient for only 1% of professional players.

The Playerhunter social network, available for Android, iOS and WEB platforms, solves this problem by enabling millions of players on all levels throughout the world to be visible and to be noticed by sports workers, as well as to be discovered by clubs. According to FIFA’s data, around 95% of a total of 265 million registered football players are active in lower leagues, and clubs often have no funds for traveling or for establishing a scout network, so this kind of a social network is especially important for increasing the visibility of players in lower leagues, who otherwise have no opportunity to present themselves in the market.

Playerhunter thereby connects the exporting and the importing player market and connects the entire football community. By digitalizing the transfer system, the platform enables athletes to use their profiles to present their talent and capabilities through CVs, videos or statistics, whereas managers and scouts are able to find exactly the type of player they need.

This way, Playerhunter aims to disrupt and democratize this EUR 400 billion a year industry, through digitization and increased transparency.

Last year, the Serbian-Austrian startup Playerhunter placed on the list of top 50 most innovative sports companies in the world, in the organization of the HYPE foundation. This London-based foundation is a global platform for connecting and making investments in sports innovations. It brings together over 17,000 members.

SOCIAL USEFULNESS

The vision of Playerhunter is the digitalization of communication in sports and enabling everybody interested in football to be successful in their careers, regardless of where they come from and what sort of conditions they are starting in. The desire of the founders is for Playerhunter to be a platform for recruiting, enabling people in the world of sports to stay in contact with acquaintances, to contract new jobs, while also enabling young football players to apply for foreign academies, camps...

On the other hand, although the app does not replace managers, it largely facilitates their job.

Among other things, this social networks offers to users to take part in camps of big world clubs, such as the camp of FC Barcelona and the City Football Performance Program of Manchester City. Interested players apply though the network and those selected may participate in the camp for free.

Playerhunter is a free platform for all users, and the startup plans to establish a Playerhunter foundation, which will invest in underdeveloped areas with the help of a partner, so that all children would be provided with the conditions to become football players both in Serbia and abroad.

FINANCIAL POTENTIAL

The development of the Playerhunter social network started two years ago, and the first investments came from personal funds, followed by support from Austria, in whose capital the company’s seat is now located.

After iterating with two prototypes, the founders managed to gather over a million euros for the development of a complete version of the network, which was launched in October 2017. Investors in Playerhunter are business people from the USA, Italy, Poland, Great Britain, Germany... The money primarily goes into software development and programmers, and 2017 was the key year for market penetration. Since October 2017, when a new, upgraded version of the platform was launched and when the marketing activities were stepped up, the number of registered users has grown by 45,000 (from 20,000 to 65,000). These are primarily football players from the Balkans, Southeast Asia, Turkey, Eastern Africa and the German-speaking area. The countries to be in focus in the upcoming period and which are expected to provide the most users are Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the Scandinavian countries, Great Britain, France, Brazil Poland, Romania and Albania.

Playerhunter projects the growth of its registered users in the next 12 months to a million. They are negotiating with venture capital funds, which invest in these kinds of startups, about new investments and believe that they will raise the investment round to EUR 1.5 million, which would enable them to reach the said number of users by March 2019.

Last year, the company also stepped up the marketing activities – they advertise on social networks, through influencers and on specialized football websites.

There are several similar platforms in the world, but so far, neither one has reached the critical mass of users that might secure them the top position.

Playerhunter does not charge a percentage from transfers and doesn’t close deals, but it is an ideal platform for advertising sports medical products and equipment, trade chains, food products, sports tourism, injury treatment products – which they expect to become a direct source of revenues in the future. The system is technically prepared and should become active in the first half of 2018.

The camps organized by Playerhunter are also a direct generator of revenues through the collection of participation fees. In early January, they organized a camp in Vienna, with revenues collected from participants’ fee. They had 70-80 applications with registration fees at around EUR 300 per user.

Last year, the company also won at the Venture Capital Forum in Belgrade, in the competition of around 30 startups.

The company points out that, in addition to Playerhunter’s providing an opportunity for millions of football players to be seen and discovered, the business model is applicable in other sports and features the possibility of increasing the market potential to 500 million players.

In the Playerhunter social network for football players is your investment of the year favorite, you can vote for it on the official website of the Aurea award.

Playerhunter SRB d.o.o. Beograd

eKapija.com Beograd

Aurea

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Stevan Radak

Vuk Zivkovic

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HYPE foundation

Venture Capital Forum in Belgrade 2017