📌 Key Takeaways
- Saskatchewan-based TeamLinkt raised $8.3M CAD Series A from San Francisco’s Growth Street Partners
- Platform serves 3,000+ sports organizations and 3 million users with free software model
- Revenue generated through payment processing fees and advertising, not subscription charges
- Company plans team expansion from 17 to 50+ employees over next three to five years
- Growth Street Partners’ first Canadian investment, targeting $1-5M ARR vertical SaaS companies
🧠 Youth Sports Industry Takeaway
- Free platform model differs from subscription-based sports management software pricing
- AI integration addresses administrative workload for volunteer-heavy youth sports organizations
- Payment processing serves as primary revenue driver for this sports technology platform
Series A Funding Round and Investment Details
TeamLinkt closed its Series A round in late July, bringing total funding to $9.7 million CAD. Growth Street Partners co-founders Steve Wolfe and Nate Grossman joined TeamLinkt’s board as part of the investment.
The company declined to share its valuation or disclose whether the financing included debt or secondary capital. Growth Street Partners’ website indicates the investment firm backs North American vertical software-as-a-service and tech-enabled services companies generating approximately $1 million to $5 million or more in annual recurring revenue.
“The funding supports product development, go-to-market efforts, and key hires, all with the goal of helping more leagues, clubs, and associations automate operations and reinvest time and resources into growing the game,” TeamLinkt founder and CEO Jay Maharaj told BetaKit.
Platform User Base and Service Coverage
TeamLinkt currently serves more than 3,000 organizations and three million users globally across youth, recreational, and competitive sports. The platform supports baseball, basketball, cricket, dance, football, hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, soccer, and swimming, among other sports.
With over 500,000 monthly active app users, TeamLinkt’s clients range from large provincial and state governing bodies to small, community-run leagues, according to Maharaj. The platform offers tools for player registration, scheduling, team-specific apps, digital game sheets, and website-building.
TeamLinkt launched its app in 2018 and rolled out its back-office management platform in 2020. The company was built by the founding team behind Saskatoon’s ClientLinkt, which developed custom-branded smartphone apps for real estate agents and brokerages.
Free Software Model and Revenue Generation
TeamLinkt provides its platform for free to organizations and generates revenue through credit card transaction processing fees and in-app advertising. The company also sells launch packages to help leagues, clubs, and associations implement the platform.
Maharaj claims the company has processed hundreds of millions in payments to date through its integrated payment system. The CEO argued that TeamLinkt’s technology and business model providing its platform for free sets it apart from competitors including SportsEngine, TeamSnap, and LeagueApps.
The software addresses what Maharaj described as a “common challenge in youth sports” of staff and volunteers working with outdated tools and processes while managing costs.
AI Integration and Product Development Plans
TeamLinkt recently launched an AI assistant called Emi that helps create registration forms, schedules, rosters, automated communications, and news and web content. The company plans to use the Series A funding to expand its artificial intelligence usage, digital fundraising, payment automation, and advanced analytics capabilities.
“Our vision is to become the first true operating system for youth and amateur sports,” Maharaj said. “We want every organization, regardless of size or budget, to have access to powerful, easy-to-use technology.”
Maharaj said TeamLinkt uses AI to reduce administrative workload and helps leagues generate revenue through built-in sponsorship sourcing and fundraising tools. The CEO said TeamLinkt expects AI will “play a major role” by letting customers run professional-level operations without requiring technical expertise.
Company Growth and Expansion Plans
TeamLinkt plans to use the funding to expand its 17-person team with hires in product and growth-focused roles. The company aims to grow its workforce to more than 50 people over the next three to five years.
The funding will support continued expansion across North America, according to the company. Growth Street Partners co-founders stated in a joint statement that TeamLinkt helps customers deliver more revenue with lower administrative burden than competing products.
This investment represents Growth Street Partners’ first Canadian portfolio company.
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via: BetaKit
