A box office in your palm: London startup pioneers ticket upgrade technology
After landing a deal with the Atlanta Braves, of Major League Baseball, and U.S. telecommunications giant Comcast, a London tech startup has joined a business incubator sponsored by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
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After landing a deal with the Atlanta Braves and U.S. telecommunications giant Comcast, a London tech startup has joined a business incubator sponsored by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
Dibz, a small London business, has very big plans.
It offers a way for sports and concert fans to upgrade their seats or buy a ticket on-site at the last minute. It’s one of two area tech startups that have joined the Future of Sport Lab in Toronto, a national incubator program that has MLSE as a partner.
“This is huge for us. The biggest thing is we will be part of an eco-system that will take us to the next level,” said Brennon D’Souza, Dibz chief executive and founder. “Soon, you will see us everywhere, baseball, NHL. We think we will be expanding fast.”
The technology – it’s not an app, D’Souza stresses – will enable fans at an event to scan a QR code or text a number posted at the event promoting ticket sales or upgrades. That will enable the ticket holder to move to a better seat, or if they’re near an event and decide to buy a ticket they can do that, too, D’Souza said.
“You can upgrade a ticket at a moment’s notice and you don’t need an app. It’s like sending a text,” he said.
The fan can then pay for the ticket through Wallet, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Dibz was launched in 2017 but began getting attention in 2021. That’s when it joined an accelerator program supported by Comcast Corp. that also invested in the firm. Comcast owns NBC and the Philadelphia Flyers and had about $116 billion in revenue in 2021.
That’s also when Dibz partnered with the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Dibz may be offered there later this baseball season or in 2023 at the latest, D’Souza said.
He wants to expand into just about all major sports and also is in talks to offer the technology at a major music festival in Quebec.
The Future of Sport Lab is an incubator program looking to grow startup tech businesses. The startups receive partnership with the Ted Rogers school of management at Toronto Metropolitan University and the business incubator DMZ, access to leading academics, and an opportunity to be mentored from leaders at MLSE, said Cheri Bradish, managing director of the incubator.
“We bring in entrepreneurs to work with them, to grow the business. They all have different needs,” said Bradish, who is from London.
She said she sees Dibz getting attention because getting rid of “excess inventory” is a challenge for sports venues.
In total, eight businesses will join the Sport Lab. The other one from the London area to make the cut is Classlete.com, based in Woodstock. Classlete offers offers student athletes, high school or post-secondary, a chance to create their own social media profile, touting their accomplishments and statistics.
They can share that profile with others virtually or print a physical card, like an NHL hockey card.
“This is such an exciting opportunity for us to partner with this program and help the next generation of athletes,” said Chris James, Classlete.com chief executive and founder.
If a student pays additional fees, they can get different styles of cards and there are three levels of sponsorship.
“Athletes can feel good about their sports, themselves and their accomplishments. Most programs now are all about connecting an athlete to a recruiter. Well, what happens to other athletes? Classlete means they can celebrate their sport in a unique way.”
It even has an option to create a poster of the player. Classlete also is developing a product where an athlete can create an NFT, or non-fungible token, which is a digital image of their playing card to be sold online.
“It gives athletes a chance to make money off their image and likeness,” James said.
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