We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund III has completed an investment in ALLCITY Network. ALLCITY Network is a digital network and lifestyle company for diehard sports fans. 

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While sports fans exist on many levels, from novices and casual-watchers to enthusiastic followers, diehard fans are always looking for ways to make being a fan more fun. Particularly from a content perspective, passionate fans are hungry for expert insights, key data, and interesting stories, especially from a local perspective. Being a sports fan often becomes a part of their identity, and they are also looking to create community with other like-minded people who will join them in cheering on their teams. 

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But when it comes to major sports media and networks, most organizations prioritize national coverage and stories, and do not offer the depth of coverage diehard fans are looking for on their local teams. Publications like Sports Illustrated and TV networks like ESPN provide excellent content, but it’s rarely tailored to a specific team or community. Local or regional networks provide more local content, but it’s unidimensional, not interactive and lacks community. This leaves truly passionate fans wanting more when it comes to the sports and teams they love, both in terms of content and community. 

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ALLCITY Network is making it more fun to be a sports fan through powering hyperlocal sports networks centered around cities, providing deep coverage into local teams. With a variety of content including podcasts, feature articles, analysis, news and more — much of it provided daily — ALLCITY engages with fans across all networks and media, meeting them where they already are. 

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Beyond content, ALLCITY also builds communities around the cities and teams they engage. Through meetups, pre-game and watch parties, and group outings to games, they not only interact with the most passionate fans for a certain team or city, but also allow them opportunities to interact with each other. ALLCITY also offers merchandise that goes beyond generic team logos and slogans, with specific items geared toward their particular fan base and community members. 

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ALLCITY is currently launched in Denver, Chicago, and Phoenix, with plans to expand nationally. Their users engage at record rates, across many different mediums and become evangelists for their local ALLCITY brand, pulling in fellow fans and making it part of their identity. It’s our belief that what ALLCITY provides is the future of sports media and fandom, enabling fans to engage more often, across mediums, at a deeper level and with each other. 

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We know the founders through the Colorado startup ecosystem and have watched them carefully as they have developed their network. We are very excited to be able to invest in them now at this stage of their growth.

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