Interview by Leonard Palomo
Ivan Sene has been a game-changer in the sports industry. Founded in 2016, Spoten provides a comprehensive solution for sports clubs to manage tickets, team stores, content, data collection, sponsor reports, and much more. With over 200,000 fans and more than $5 million in transactions in 2023, Spoten has quickly grown into a pivotal player in the sports-tech space.
Ivan Sene’s journey to creating Spoten is marked by resilience and innovation. His entrepreneurial path began even before founding Spoten, with experience in a collective buying company in the Dominican Republic. From there, Sene’s career evolved rapidly, including a leadership role at Shell. During recovery from a knee injury, the idea for Spoten was born, and it has since flourished, thanks in part to his partnership with his cousin, Danilo Sene. Today, Spoten has expanded its reach with a strong international presence, especially in Saudi Arabia, thanks to key partnerships and accelerations.
In this exclusive interview, Ivan Sene discusses Spoten’s origins, rapid growth, and strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, which has not only shaped the company’s future but has also opened up incredible opportunities in the Middle East and beyond.
1. Spoten has been a game-changer in the world of sports by connecting fans, clubs, and sponsors in innovative ways. Could you tell us how the idea for Spoten came about and what inspired you to start this platform?
Spoten was born from the need to bridge the gap between fans and the teams they love and support. I noticed that sports clubs, especially in emerging markets like Brazil, were struggling to manage fan engagement, ticketing, and sponsorships in a seamless way. Many platforms provided only partial and fragmented solutions, creating a disconnected experience for both fans and clubs, including their marketing and technical teams. The inspiration came originally from my time working at Shell Brasil, where I struggled to reach end customers, and Spoten was created to solve that pain. However, as we launched right after the pandemic, we faced several challenges, including physical limitations in retail. Our customer acquisition costs (CAC) for both B2B and B2C were high, but with time and data, we quickly pivoted to serve the sports industry, where communities were already established, and our CAC dropped close to zero. The idea was to build a platform that could centralize all services—merchandise, tickets, sponsorship activation, and fan data—into one, creating a unified experience for everyone involved.
2. With over 200,000 fans and more than $5 million in transactions in 2023, Spoten has seen impressive growth. What do you think has been the key to this rapid success, and how has your partnership with Saudi Arabia contributed to this growth?
The key to our success has been adaptability. From failing fast, cutting costs during our pivot, and finally moving to Saudi Arabia, our team has been flexible and able to adapt to survive. Our secret sauce includes a white-label platform with an innovative business model tailored to the specific needs of clubs. Another advantage has been reutilizing and monetizing tools and functionalities requested by one specific team for use by others. But our partnership with Saudi Arabia was the most transformative ingredient. Their vision for investing in sports, particularly through their Vision 2030 initiative, aligned perfectly with our goals and allowed us to be accepted into the MISK Acceleration Program. This secured 1) market knowledge, 2) an investment from one of the biggest Saudi clubs and over $1.5M from the government, and 3) extensive networking opportunities, including our participation in the G20 with the Saudi Delegation. Saudi Arabia’s enthusiasm for developing sports infrastructure and technology gave us an incredible platform to expand internationally, refining our approach in a market eager for innovation.
3. One of Spoten’s unique selling points is its complete and unified service, from managing tickets and team stores to data collection and sponsor reports. How does this flexibility benefit sports teams and leagues in Brazil, and what lessons have you brought from your international experience, especially from Saudi Arabia?
In Brazil, sports teams often operate on tighter budgets with fewer resources than their counterparts in larger markets. Spoten allows them to operate more efficiently by integrating all of their operations—from ticket sales to sponsorship tracking—into one platform. This makes it easier for them to engage with fans and sponsors in real time while providing a deeper understanding of fan behavior and reducing their dependence on fragmented third-party platforms, which often charge high fees and do not share fan data openly. The international experience, especially in Saudi Arabia, has been invaluable and helped us mature as a team. Working in such a forward-thinking market has taught us the importance of scalability and adaptability. For example, we had to create a dictionary to translate our platform in real time and integrate it with multiple payment solutions. Saudi Arabia’s requirements for servers to be physically located in the country also improved our infrastructure development. Overall, Saudi Arabia’s rapid investment in sports has shown us how to develop products that are not only “sexy” but can grow quickly and meet the needs of a dynamic, evolving sports industry.
4. The partnership with the Misk Foundation and your acceleration at Plug and Play in Silicon Valley have been significant milestones. How did these experiences shape the trajectory of Spoten, and what opportunities have they opened up for the company on a global scale?
The partnership with the Misk Foundation and our experience at Plug and Play gave us access to resources and networks that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. Misk’s commitment to our development and technology boosted our focus and enthusiasm. They helped us expand our footprint in the Middle East, opening doors to partnerships with major Saudi entities, including the Minister of Sports, the National Technology Development Program, the Minister of Investment, PIF, and their clubs. Because of Misk’s “graduation day,” we had the opportunity to meet H.R.H Prince Fahad, who invited us to join the Saudi delegation at the G20 in Brazil last week.
5. Recently, you were part of the Saudi delegation at the G20 in Brazil, presenting Spoten’s case to an international audience. How important is this type of exposure for Spoten’s future, and what role do you see the platform playing in connecting Brazil and Saudi Arabia through sports technology?
Being part of the Saudi delegation at the G20 was not just a highlight for Spoten—it was a testament to the incredible opportunities that the Saudi market offers for companies like ours. The exposure we gained at the G20 was invaluable in positioning Spoten as a bridge between Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Beyond that, moving our headquarters to Saudi Arabia has been a game-changer for our business, in terms of investment but also possible exit alternatives. Saudi Arabia’s commitment to growing its sports and technology sectors, driven by the Vision 2030 initiative, has created an environment ripe for innovation. This move opened up significant opportunities for us, including raising new capital and receiving over $1.5 million in government incentives to facilitate our transition. This has allowed us to scale much faster than we ever could have anticipated.
6. Lastly, as a Brazilian company that’s now strongly connected with Saudi Arabia, what are your goals for Spoten in the next few years, both in Brazil and internationally, and how do you plan to build on the investment and opportunities provided by the Saudi government?
Our vision for Spoten over the next few years is to become the go-to platform for fan engagement and sponsorship activation, not only in Brazil and Saudi Arabia but also in other emerging markets such as India, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The investment and opportunities provided by the Saudi government have given us the confidence to scale aggressively. We plan to continue working closely with local clubs and sponsors, providing them with the tools they need to grow. In the long term, we see Spoten as a global player that can facilitate cross-border partnerships between sports teams, leagues, and sponsors. Our geographical locations—in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Miami—allow us to serve the most important and emerging sports markets worldwide. Our dreams are big, and we are grateful to Saudi Arabia for believing in us and supporting Spoten on our growth journey.
Published by: Martin De Juan
