Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Scott Faust Talks about Togga

Scott Faust Talks about Togga


Where are you from originally?

Miami, Florida


What university did you go to?

Georgetown University.  Hoya Saxa!


What is the idea behind your company?

The idea behind Togga is that soccer is the most popular and exciting sport in the world, yet there does not exist a leading draft style fantasy platform that lets fans connect, engage and enjoy with their friends and the worldwide soccer community.


What need does it fulfill?

Our platform fulfills the following needs:
  1. A draft style format - The draft is the best part of playing fantasy sports and we have finally made it possible for soccer fans.
  2. Enhanced Scoring – We are the first fantasy soccer platform to reward valuable player stats that have not been recorded in other fantasy sites.  These include stats such as shots on target, successful dribbles and crosses, chances created and interceptions.  Now a 0-0 or 1-0 game will still be exciting for the average fan.
  3. A keen focus on the user experience – We have a mission to build a platform that clearly establishes Togga as setting the bar in terms of always thinking in a user first mentality.
  4. Community – The online soccer community is vast and we will create an environment where our users can play and engage with soccer fans across the world.

What exactly does it do?

Togga allows users to set up a league and invite friends to compete in a season long fantasy competition.  It also allows single users to find other soccer fans to form a league.  In time, Togga will offer varying styles of weekly games so users can have access to even more action.


Who is it for?

Initially, our platform is for the 1.5 billion fans who watch the biggest league in the world, the English Premier League (EPL).  After rolling out to the EPL, we will create games for other soccer leagues around the world, beginning with Major League Soccer.


What was the most challenging aspect of growing your business?

Building a fantasy platform from scratch is not a small undertaking as it requires a ton of engineering and product time/expertise (combined with navigating the plethora of league distinctions that make the EPL so exciting).  The most challenging part was establishing the prioritization of the product roadmap and then forming the team and roles to constantly improve the communication and velocity with enhancing the platform.


What is the next step for you and your business?

The next step is to continually enhance the product, while at the same time, acquiring users to engage with the game.  We have been seeing weekly double digit user growth with several emails a day from users expressing their excitement about the platform.  We are actively seeking seed investment to increase both engineering and marketing efforts.


What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?

Move forward each day!  The amount of items to do will always seem endless, but the key is to accept this as natural and then prioritize, focus and continually make progress.  The speed at which this happens is dependent on finding the best team and then delegating to their area of expertise.


What is your motto in business?

Demand the best, get it done, build awesome


What resource have you found to be the most helpful and why?

Wow, there have been a ton.  A phrase that sticks with me is:

See it, forget it
Read it, learn it
Do it, understand it

It’s a combination of jumping in head first in order to provide a framework and then looking to people you respect in both your network and online to substantiate and better understand how to approach the aspect of the business you are focused on.  My top online thought leaders that I always to go to are Brad Feld, Fred Wilson, Jeff Weiner, Rand Fishkin and Dharmesh Shah.