Sports fans today are no longer content to sit idly at home, watching their favourite teams or athletes in action. There’s more potential than ever to connect with fans online, thanks to rapidly expanding technologies and the opportunities for novel fan engagement platforms. One such platform is FanRolling. Founded in early 2022, it is a website and online application that empowers sports fans to decide on sports content of the future.
For our very first Founder Stories feature, we chatted with Gerald Ng, the founder of FanRolling and a Singaporean entrepreneur based in France, to discover more about his passion for transforming the way sports fans consume content!
Hi Gerald! Tell us more about FanRolling, and what inspired you to start your business.
Having my own business has been a lifelong dream of mine. I’ve spent my entire professional career feeling as though I’m being paid to make mistakes with money that isn’t my own. Given my extensive background in the corporate world, I’ve decided to strike out on my own. Thanks to my experience working for high-growth (and high-risk) companies, I don’t find the idea of starting my own business as daunting as it might be for others.
My startup, FanRolling, is a web platform that focuses on the two core groups of fans and athletes to transform how sports content is produced and consumed. Sports teams and individual athletes ideate and propose potential content ideas, ranging from sports competitions outside their primary profession or other sporting-related content.
Fans vote by donating to the crowdfunding campaign tied to the content they are most interested in. Once the target amount is reached, the content will be created, and fans will have various access options.
What “aha” moment made you realise this was worth starting a business?
I have the somewhat unique professional experience of working for three distinct sports business stakeholders - a league, a federation, and a broadcaster. This gives me unique perspectives to spot the market gap and develop a workable solution.
Customer behaviours are shifting; they are becoming more empowered to decide what content they want to see. Therefore, now it’s the perfect time to strike. My ‘aha’ moment came the day I woke up, and the first thing I realised was that I was prepared to go all in to start my own business.
What are the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
Being an entrepreneur is a ‘what have you done lately’ proposition. The equity I’ve earned during my corporate career can only get us so far. We are essentially beginning anew; therefore, we must put our egos aside and once again introduce and prove ourselves to the world. It’s indeed time and energy-consuming, but the rewards are much more significant when it’s your own business.
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey?
It’s been only six months, but I’m incredibly proud of our achievements. We celebrate milestones like obtaining our first user or making our first sale. FanRolling has received mainstream news attention, and the platform has been accepted into several accelerator programs. I am grateful for each success along the way.
What advice would you give your younger self if you could travel back to when you first started your business?
Start an ‘ideas’ journal earlier. I wished I had chronicled every interesting business idea I had when I was a kid. Most of them wouldn’t hold up over time, but it would be interesting to see the evolution of my thought process. Who knows if some of them would still be relevant?
What is the one piece of advice you would give to other SEEA members and aspiring entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is rewarding, but it is also challenging and high-risk. Although the peaks will be higher, the valleys will be lower. Start your entrepreneurial adventure with all your heart if you’re ready for the thrilling ride. Also, the trip might be lonely, so don’t be afraid to seek your fellow SEEA members and other entrepreneurs for advice, help, over even to vent!
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