Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

FanFood app lets you order concessions from your seat, raises $2 million

March 28, 2019

After having multiple bad experiences waiting for drinks at local bars, Carson Goodale decided he wanted to do something about it. Goodale envisioned people ordering their food and drinks from a mobile device and having a server deliver it to him opposed to waiting in line.

Goodale began pursuing the idea with his friends while attending the University of Iowa. That idea evolved into what is now known as FanFood.

“By the time we graduated we had an MVP app that we rolled out at my partner’s high school,” Goodale said. “At that point, I decided to go full time with it and moved into my dad’s basement.”

Three years later and FanFood, now based in Chicago, has 16 different venues listed on its app, including Principal Park in Des Moines and Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

The app enables users to order concessions directly from a smartphone. Users can select from the concession menu, pay for their order and choose to pick up the order in line or have the food delivered to their seat. In addition to food, users can also purchase merchandise and receive notifications of discounts and deals through the app.

The company recently raised just over $2 million in new funding from Phoenix Sports Partners, a sports technology, media and marketing investment firm.

The funding will be used to grow the company’s team and continue to develop their technology.

“We want to bring tech in house and dominate in-stadium mobile ordering capabilities. That’s really what we’re going to hone in on,” Goodale said. “We’re at a point now where we can take these resources and really begin to innovate and do something special.”

Tags: FanFood university of iowa

2 Comments

Ben Milne

Posted March 29, 2019 at 8:15 am

Awesome to see this! I got a chance to use the app at Principal Park and it worked as promised :)

0Likes
- FanFood
  
  Posted March 29, 2019 at 4:58 pm
  
  Happy to hear it🙌
  
  0Likes

Comments are closed.

FanFood app lets you order concessions from your seat, raises $2 million | Clay & Milk

A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.

This Pop-up Is Included in the Theme

Best Choice for Creatives