Fastbreak AI

How Fastbreak AI Revolutionized Sports Scheduling for Major Leagues

February 22nd, 2025

Founded By

John Stewart

Founders

Employees

225 (est.)

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2021

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founded By
John Stewart: Founders
2

Employees
225 (est.): Profitable
Yes

Year Started
2021: Customer
B2B & B2C

Who is John Stewart?

John Stewart is a serial entrepreneur from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a background in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Before co-founding Fastbreak AI, he founded an engineering services firm, successfully sold it, and later transitioned a Salesforce service company, Saber Business Solutions, into the SaaS company MapAnything, which he sold to Salesforce for $250 million.

What problem does Fastbreak AI solve?

Fastbreak AI simplifies the complex scheduling needs of sports leagues, allowing them to efficiently manage games and events so they can focus on playing and thriving.

Fastbreak AI Homepage

How did John come up with the idea for Fastbreak AI?

The idea for Fastbreak AI emerged from the founders' personal experiences and deep involvement in sports scheduling and mathematical optimization. John Stewart and his co-founders, Chris Groer and Tim Carnes, recognized that sports leagues, from professional to amateur levels, faced a complex and time-consuming problem: creating balanced and efficient schedules. Chris brought his firsthand understanding of sports scheduling, while Tim had a background in optimization methods. Together, they identified the potential to streamline this intricate process using advanced algorithms and mathematical techniques.

Before diving into development, the team conducted thorough research, considering the myriad of factors that go into effective sports scheduling: team availability, travel logistics, media rights, and more. They validated their approach by engaging with potential users in sports leagues to understand their challenges and requirements. This feedback was instrumental in refining their solution to ensure it met the needs of different leagues and could scale accordingly.

In the early stages, they faced the challenge of ensuring their software could handle the unique complexities of various sports leagues. By leveraging their collective expertise in optimization and software development, they built a robust platform capable of addressing these intricacies. The journey taught them the importance of aligning technological capabilities with practical user needs, a lesson that underpins Fastbreak AI's ongoing evolution.

How did John Stewart build the initial version of Fastbreak AI?

John Stewart and his team approached the development of Fastbreak AI by harnessing advanced mathematical optimization techniques. The product was built using a sophisticated operations research methodology, drawing on the expertise of co-founders Chris Groer and Tim Carnes, both of whom hold PhDs. The software required crafting proprietary algorithms to handle complex scheduling requirements, which are crucial for robust sports league scheduling.

Creating the first prototype involved the team developing an intuitive application that could simplify the intricate scheduling needs of professional sports leagues. This process took about two years from the inception of the company in July 2021 to the product's general availability in May 2023. The primary challenge was ensuring the product could accommodate the multifaceted constraints and preferences of sports leagues, which required extensive testing and fine-tuning.

Tim and Chris's background in optimization and scheduling meant that Fastbreak AI's development involved a detailed understanding of rules and parameters essential for crafting viable league schedules. Although harnessing their PhD expertise made tackling these challenges manageable, the process still demanded a rigorous and iterative approach to fine-tuning the algorithms for optimal performance.

What was the growth strategy for Fastbreak AI and how did they scale?

Partnerships with Sports Leagues

Fastbreak AI focused on deeply integrating with major sports leagues by offering a tailored scheduling solution. They successfully secured partnerships with all major U.S. sports leagues, including the NBA, NHL, and NFL, through the acquisition of competitors and strategic developments in their software.

Why it worked: By understanding the unique challenges each league faces in scheduling, Fastbreak AI was able to offer a customized solution that met their complex needs. This led to strong relationships with professional leagues and solidified their position as the market leader in sports scheduling.

Revenue-Based Financing

When initially scaling the business, Fastbreak AI utilized revenue-based financing to cover expenses related to building their scheduling software and marketing efforts. This approach allowed them to focus on growth without diluting equity early on.

Why it worked: Revenue-based financing provided the company with necessary capital without giving up significant ownership, enabling them to iterate on their product and market effectively until they secured larger funding rounds from strategic partners like the NBA.

Product Optimization and Expert Team

Their development strategy involved using proprietary mathematical optimization techniques to create the best scheduling tools available. They employed a team of PhDs with specific expertise in operations research, allowing for continuous improvement in their offerings.

Why it worked: The specialized knowledge and dedication to technical excellence helped Fastbreak AI create a high-performance product that not only satisfied existing clients but also attracted new ones. High-quality recommendations and word-of-mouth within professional circles played a vital role in their growth.

What's the pricing strategy for Fastbreak AI?

Fastbreak AI offers its scheduling software for sports leagues through a subscription model with pricing that varies based on league size and complexity, featuring no publicly listed costs.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Fastbreak AI?

Align With Platforms: Fastbreak AI, like its predecessor MapAnything, illustrates the power of aligning business operations with strong platforms such as Salesforce, facilitating a clear go-to-market strategy and potential exit opportunities.
Bootstrap Smartly: By initially bootstrapping their business, they validated their concept and built revenue momentum before seeking VC funding, showcasing a pragmatic approach to growth that may appeal to cautious investors.
Invest in Market Penetration: Fastbreak AI uses strategic VCs and partnerships to penetrate niche markets, exemplifying how focused investment in market understanding and strategic relationships can enhance business visibility and acceptance.
Recruitment is Key: Consistent with lessons from Fastbreak AI’s leadership, active and ongoing recruitment—even when not hiring—ensures readiness to capitalize on growth opportunities without delay.
Design for Scalability: Emphasizing scalable product design from the outset, Fastbreak AI mitigates future bottlenecks, allowing for seamless growth in alignment with increasing demand and reducing long-term technical debt.