RALEIGH – Silbo, a startup that matches sports officials with leagues through an online platform, has raised $1.1 million in venture capital from Triangle-based IDEA Fund Partners as well as Dantes Investments.
The funding comes a year after Silbo raised $1.3 million in debt and options. Silbo says the capital will enable further expansion.
“Over the past year, I’ve watched Silbo improve the lives of countless officials, administrators, coaches, parents, and players. They’ve proven their disruptive model’s scalability and viability. We’re excited to continue our partnership with them,” said IDEA Fund Partners’ Lister Delgado.
Silbo was listed on serial investor Scot Wingo’s “Tweener” list earlier this year as a startup to watch.
“If you have kids over the age of 5, you know that youth sports in the US is a very huge market, but did you know that youth sports leagues have to work with a byzantine old-school network to find and schedule referees? Have no fear, Silbo is innovating the space by building a marketplace for marketplaces. Need a Girls 14U Basketball and Baseball 15U referee by tomorrow,” Wingo wrote.
The company provides recruitment, training, scheduling, payment, and other services.
Silbo
Silbo was founded in 2016 and has expanded to 20 metro areas, including Richmond, Virginia, and Jacksonville, Florida. It plans to expand to 24 cities by the end of 2021.
Brendan Szulik is the cofounder and chief executive officer of the company. A Duke University graduate, he previously worked at NetApp and Lucasfilm Animation.
“Amateur sports are facing a very real crisis. Ten of thousands of games nationwide are being cancelled due to a shortage of officials,” Szulik said in Tuesday’s funding announcement. “With our machine-learning platform, game providers are now able to more efficiently schedule, pay, and communicate with officials in ways not previously possible. Thousands of qualified sports officials across the country can finally choose when, where, and for what wage they will officiate.”
Silbo also will publish a book about the sports officiating industry called “Whistleblower.” It launches on Amazon as of Nov. 5.
“Whistleblower sheds light on the realities of officiating. Low pay. Harassment and abuse. A lack of diversity. Antiquated processes. Greedy middlemen. Together these have devastating impacts on amateur sports,” said Szulik in a statement. “The book describes officiating’s decline and its effects on you, your children, and the sports you love.”
