A Devon tech firm has raised about £265,000 from US investors and agreed deals with top sports names including Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and the US Tennis Open.
Totnes headquartered Filmily is now valued at US$7m, which is about £5m, and is expecting to raise another US$340,000 (approximately £240,000) before the end of June 2021 to add to the US $375,000 it has already received from US investor Stadia Ventures.
, described as a “fan engagement company”, creates technology that integrates with sports clubs’ apps, encourages fans to cheer at a camera and selects content based on their emotions, race and gender – creating mosaics for big screens, TV and social media.
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It’s innovative technology has been described as “revolutionising how live events are viewed” and it is now delivering AI solutions for domestic and international sports brands including Hampshire Cricket, Harlequins RFC, as well as those in the US, and has also partnered with US sport agency, Wasserman.
Filmily’s AI selects content based on a fan’s age, race and gender, their emotions, the brands they’re wearing or consuming, their location, how much the camera is moving and even their altitude; to determine whether they’re at pitch level or sitting higher up in the stands.
Andy Doyle, co-founder of Filmily, described a typical use with the Dallas Cowboys by saying: “We integrate with the club’s app which shows a spectacular touchdown and encourages fans to cheer at the camera.
“Our platform then collects that footage and within 30 seconds, creates mosaics for big screens, pitch-side advertising boards, TV and social media – where viewers can see thousands of fans cheering.
“If the Dallas Cowboys want to present themselves as a family NFL team, we can create mosaics displaying predominantly women and children from a diverse range of backgrounds – all smiling, wearing the correct merchandise and drinking the sponsor’s soft drink.”
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Filmily also creates personalised videos for the individual fan to share on social media. The bespoke films display the fan starring in the middle of the frame before zooming out to show a whole crowd cheering. At the 2020 US Tennis Open, Filmily received 36,000 fan films and created 9,000 unique movies.
By enabling sports clubs to provide a more personal and meaningful experience to their global, remote fan base, Filmily has proved an invaluable resource during the Covid pandemic and has grown rapidly in the past year.
According to a 2020 ESPN report the share of US sports fans, aged 12 to 17, who call themselves “avid” has dropped from 42% a decade ago to 34% in 2019.
“Fan engagement is key to any sports club,” said Mr Doyle, “younger fans are now less likely to watch full games and are less loyal to specific teams.”
To fund its platform development, Filmily secured a £235,000 Innovate 海角视频 grant in 2019 and joined Pitchfest, Innovate 海角视频 EDGE’s investment readiness programme.
Pitchfest participants benefit from fully subsidised one-to-one coaching and support from an Innovate 海角视频 EDGE finance specialist, before pitching to a panel of investors who provide feedback and offer advice on how best to gain finance.
“The Pitchfest coaching really helped us to structure our pitch and stand out from the competition,” said Mr Doyle. “A private investor offered us £30,000 on pitch day and in May 2021, he invested in us again.”
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Since Pitchfest, Filmily has gone on to raise US$375,000 from Stadia Ventures, based in Missouri, and aims to raise another US$340,000 by the end of June.
In June 2020, Mr Doyle began work with Innovate 海角视频 EDGE Innovation and Growth Specialist, Carolyn Hooker, who set about identifying new opportunities for Filmily.
Innovate 海角视频 EDGE will continue to support as this Devon-based business partners with more sporting, music and hospitality brands, enabling fans to engage like never before.
“I was recently concerned about market access into China, and within a few days of speaking to Carolyn, she had set up a meeting with an in-country representative at the Department for International Trade, who introduced me to key organisations including the Chinese Super League,” said Mr Doyle.
“That encouragement and proactiveness has made Filmily more global and resilient – I don’t think we would have expanded into the US without her support.”