Are traditional fantasy sports not doing it for you? Do you need a change of pace? Well stop waiting on your waiver wire and check out Juke (formerly Yezno). They are changing the fantasy scene and making it more simple and more fun for the avid and casual fans. Coming out of the Dodgers Accelerator, cofounders Jared Cohen and Andrew Balogh tell us about their experience so far with the Dodgers and explain how they are making a new name for fantasy sports.
Give us a brief description of your company. Juke is a mobile platform making fantasy sports simpler, quicker and more fun. It is being built from the ground up to offer a lightweight experience to the casual fan as well as the passionate fan that is looking for a more approachable sports gaming solution.
What’s the size of the market you are attacking? Over 51 million people will play fantasy sports in 2015, with the fantasy industry boasting a market size of nearly $20 billion. Still, given our unique and reductive user experience, we view our solution as lying at the intersection of the fantasy sports and broader mobile gaming markets. Our platform is geared towards the casual fan and gamer, a relatively unsaturated market segment. There are millions of fans that aren’t currently playing fantasy sports but will when offered the right solution.
What’s the business model? We will work with brands to sponsor contests on the platform with rich multimedia content and advertisements. We will also work with select content partners who will publish contests, allowing their fans to compete using our engaging interface and ranking system.
What kind of traction have you achieved since joining the Accelerator? We are currently pre launch.
What was the experience like working with the Dodgers organization? The Dodgers have proven to be trendsetters by leveraging their brand and resources to foster innovation in sports. The executive team has been hugely helpful in terms of facilitating networking and business development opportunities. Though we are one of the earliest companies in the accelerator and haven’t had the chance to run a pilot with the team, we plan on working with them extensively during and following our launch to position ourselves for success.
What was the experience like working with R/GA? Working with R/GA has been a fantastic experience. The program staff is experienced and always willing to help. R/GA has organized stimulating speaker events and quality networking opportunities, while their team of strategists, creatives and consultants helped us revamp our brand as well as UI and UX.
What was your favorite part about being in LA?. The energy has been fantastic. It is clear that “Silicon Beach” is coming into its own as a tech hub. It’s been great to meet so many interesting entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and investors.
What’s the one thing about your company/progress that you’d like to announce to the world? Both cofounders have left Yale after junior year to pursue this venture. We have both been lifelong sports fans and have played fantasy for the last decade. We know that there is a large and untapped market of casual gamers and sports fans that Juke will help fill.