Locker Live has raised $2m in seed funding to support the development and launch of its new “Leagues” vertical, which will expand its daily fantasy sports (DFS) offerings.
The funding round, led by Hatchery Investments, follows the company’s introduction of a trivia-based DFS platform in 2023 and comes ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
The newly introduced Leagues feature allows users to create and manage their own custom fantasy sports leagues using Locker’s existing DFS platform.
This platform enables participants to answer multiple-choice questions based on live NFL games, predicting outcomes such as the result of a drive or which player will gain the most yards.
Points are awarded for accurate predictions and participants compete for cash prizes. Unlike traditional fantasy football leagues, Locker Leagues are not reliant on pre-season drafts, giving users the flexibility to start or join leagues at any point during the season.
The Leagues product offers customisation options for users, including setting league buy-in amounts, payout structures, scoring systems and choosing eligible NFL games.
These leagues are hosted and managed within Locker’s mobile apps on iOS and Android. Additionally, league managers can earn a commission as part of Locker’s incentive system.
Locker has partnered with several media companies in the fantasy sports space, including RotoWire, FantasyPros and League Alerts, to promote the new Leagues feature.
These partners will create co-branded leagues for the 2024 NFL season, featuring guaranteed prize pools and social communities within Locker’s app. The partnerships aim to help raise awareness of Locker’s product among a wider audience.
Since its initial launch, Locker has positioned itself within the DFS market by offering a real-time prediction format during NFL games. The app debuted with a free-to-play model in 2023 and has since expanded to include real-money contests.
In 2023, Locker gained additional visibility through a collaboration with former NFL player DeSean Jackson, who hosted several contests via his Hall of Fame Gaming platform. This partnership helped Locker establish a presence in the fantasy sports market, particularly among Jackson’s audience during primetime NFL games.
