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Draft:FANZO

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Comment: In preparing this draft, I disclose that AI assistance was used as follows: The first version of this draft was written with Claude and was declined for that reason. The current article text was fully rewritten by hand by a human writer, without an AI chatbot. Claude was only used to convert that text into wiki markup (infobox, citation templates, links) Matthieuespaze (talk) 10:57, 29 September 2026 (UTC)
FANZO
FormerlyMatchPint
TypePrivate
IndustrySports technology, Hospitality technology
Founded2011; 15 years ago (2011)
FoundersLeo MacLehose, Dominic Collingwood
ProductsMobile application, Web platform
Websitewww.fanzo.com

FANZO, formerly known as MatchPint, is a sports technology company. It operates a platform connecting sports fans with pubs, bars and other venues showing live sporting events.[1] Founded in 2011 in London, the company rebranded from MatchPint to FANZO in March 2022.[2]

History

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Founding and early years (2011–2021)

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MatchPint was founded in 2011 by school friends Leo MacLehose and Dominic Collingwood in London.[1][2] MacLehose came up with the idea for a business after struggling to find bars showing specific sporting events during his gap year, and later developed it as a university coursework project.[3] The concept was initially met with scepticism, however, with one former Sky chief executive advising MacLehose against pursuing the idea.[3]

The platform launched as a website and mobile application that allows users to search for nearby pubs showing specific matches on TV, across sports including football, rugby, cricket and golf.[4] The company grew through early partnerships with major drinks brands including Diageo and Heineken, running promotional campaigns in live sports venues tied to key sports events.[1]

July 2015 saw MatchPint raise £1 million in funding, led by 24 Haymarket. This brought total investment at the time to £1.4 million.[1] The company was also crowned winners of the Tech City News Elevator Pitch award.[1]

In 2017, MatchPint was included in Marketing Week's list of "100 Disruptive Brands".[5]

In 2019, MatchPint expanded internationally, initially launching in Ireland[2] before acquiring French competitor Allomatch for £1.1 million to launch in France.[6] In 2020 it entered Australia[2] and in 2021, it launched a white-label version of its platform in Germany as "DAZN Bar Finder" in partnership with sports streaming service DAZN.[2]

Rebranding and international expansion (2022–present)

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In March 2022, MatchPint rebranded globally as FANZO. Co-founder Dominic Collingwood commented that the original name limited the company's international appeal and that testing had showed "FANZO" was better received by diverse audiences across different sports, nationalities and demographics.[2] At the time of the rebrand, the company reported more than 13,500 active venue customers across their global business.[2]

The company subsequently acquired American business, The Rail Media, owner of The SportsTV Guide. This acted as the catalyst to its expansion into the North American market.[7][8] In April 2026, FANZO officially launched in the United States.[9] In June 2026, it announced a partnership with Michelob Ultra, official beer sponsor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to help fans locate venues nearby showing matches across the country.[8]

As of 2026, the company operates in nine countries including Great Britain, Australia, France, Germany and the United States.[8]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sports platform MatchPint raises £1m". UKTN (UK Tech News). 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "MatchPint rebrands to Fanzo". The Morning Advertiser. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  3. 1 2 "The British entrepreneurs behind MatchPint are changing the way we watch sport". The Gentleman's Journal. 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  4. ↑ "People's Champion Finalist: MatchPint". Startups.co.uk. 2015-10-12. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  5. ↑ "100 Disruptive Brands 2017: MatchPint". Marketing Week. 2017. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
  6. ↑ Stone, Stuart (2019-08-15). "MatchPint unveils £1.1m French signing AlloMatch". The Morning Advertiser. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  7. ↑ "FANZO enters U.S. market by acquiring The Sports TV Guide". The Sporting Tribune. 2025-11-10. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  8. 1 2 3 "Fanzo: London-founded app bets on World Cup in US expansion drive". City A.M. 2026-06-10. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  9. ↑ "Sports bar finder Fanzo launches in U.S." Sports Business Journal. 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
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Category:Companies based in London Category:British companies established in 2011 Category:Sports technology Category:Mobile applications Category:Hospitality companies of the United Kingdom Category:Technology companies established in 2011