Prematch closes pre-seed financing round

The Cologne-based company has raised a six-figure sum; the eight business angels are founders and investors from the German start-up scene.

The start-up Sorare is now worth 4.3 billion dollars, the German counterpart Prematch takes the French as a model. And a first step has been taken, as the Cologne-based company has found investors for its pre-seed funding round. The sum is in the mid six-figure range.

The money comes from Roman Kirsch, founder of Casacanda and Amorelie, and Contorion founders Frederick Roehder and Tobias Tschötsch, who sold their company in 2019. Also on board are Ralf Reichert, CEO of ESL Gaming, Nikolaus Glasmacher, the manager of the sports section of Bild newspaper, Ontruck founder Robert Ermich, Alex Luik and Nils Wilde, who founded Otto Wilde as former university friends, and Christian Greb, co-founder of Precire.

Since August of this year, the Cologne-based start-up has been offering its app, which is intended to provide friends of amateur football with all the information they need about their club. For this purpose, the start-up founded by Niklas Brackmann, Fiete Grünter and Lukas Röhle also works with gamification, the app includes a three-part offer. Prematch was part of the first cohort of the WHU Accelerator, founder Brackmann studied at the associated University Otto Beisheim School of Management.

For the three founders, Prematch's offering is a gap in the market, as the focus around professional football neglects all fans of small and local clubs from the 2nd league upwards. "Companies like Sorare are just the tip of the iceberg. Prematch is the next logical step," says investor Reichert, explaining his involvement.