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ScoreBig, the live entertainment industry's first online marketplace for the safe and secure liquidation of unsold ticket inventory, today announced a new chapter in its growth with $10 million in new funding from Checketts Partners Investment Fund (CPIF) and the hiring of a key industry veteran. CPIF is led by founder and managing partner David Checketts, who also serves as chairman and CEO of Legends. At the same time, long time board advisor and former Ticketmaster EVP David Goldberg has joined ScoreBig.com in the role of chief strategy officer.
Goldberg and CPIF join a leadership team of seasoned industry execs guiding the fast-growing start-up through its next phase of growth and success. The new funding represents the first close in ScoreBig.com's series C round of financing and includes a CPIF board seat as part of the investment. The company will use the funds to expand its product offering, pursue strategic partnerships, and increase consumer awareness of ScoreBig.com - a first-of-its kind consumer marketplace where consumers can exclusively save 10-60% on great sports, concert and theater tickets.
"We are thrilled to welcome CPIF to the ScoreBig team and David Goldberg to his new, full-time role as CSO with the company," said ScoreBig.com CEO Adam Kanner. "They join an investor base and management team comprised of many of the industry's most influential thought leaders seeking to address two of the biggest challenges facing live entertainment - increasing unsold ticket inventory and the rising, overwhelming cost of live entertainment for consumers. Dave Checketts is one of the most seasoned and respected sports and media entertainment executives and David Goldberg has been an outstanding leader and partner on our board as well as among the most respected ticketing executives within the industry. We have every confidence that this new infusion of human and financial capital will be transformative in driving our company forward and contribute to our role in reshaping the industry over the years to come."
"I was drawn to ScoreBig from the beginning because it had the potential to be a game changer for the industry," said Goldberg. "It seemed like the ideal time to take a more active role in the company's development and direction. The world-class team, investors, and product provide the unique ingredients to make live entertainment more affordable and help venues, teams, promoters, and producers move more tickets in a brand-protected manner."
"Every college and pro team has, at some point in time, experienced the challenges of properly pricing their inventory and the negatives of unsold seats that result," said Dave Checketts. "ScoreBig enables teams and venues to get out in front of the issue, which makes it a 'must-have' for effective yield management. ScoreBig has built among the most impressive teams within the industry and has the support and backing of many of the most trusted and influential leaders across live entertainment. We could not be more excited to help ScoreBig achieve its vision and transform this industry for the better - for ticket providers and consumers alike - in ways few have done before."
Today's developments are the latest in a series of major milestones as ScoreBig.com continues to rapidly scale. In 2012, ScoreBig.com experienced over 600% revenue growth, and was recognized for significant achievements including being named one of the 10 Most Innovative Start-ups of 2012 by Billboard Magazine. In recent months, the company has added several senior executives, was named the official live entertainment ticketing provider for the United Airlines MileagePlus(R) program, and continues to rapidly grow its consumer base and roster of live entertainment partners.
