User:Dantifosy/sandbox

Tifosy [1] is a sports crowdfunding company based in London, United Kingdom. The company uses its proprietary global crowdfunding platform to support the development of sports clubs and associations. Tifosy helps clubs raise funds online by connecting them with their global fanbase, whilst offering a financial return, exclusive rewards and unique experiences for their contributions.

The company was founded in 2014 by Fausto Zanetton, a Belgium national of Italian heritage. The idea for Tifosy came from his experiences in a career working within the investment finance industry with a focus on media, technology and sports. Crowdfunding was starting to take off and Zanetton saw this technological development as a great opportunity for sports clubs and their fans to work together. The name Tifosy comes from the Italian word for fans, Tifosi, and is pronounced the same, (put phonetic here, and audio link?)

Ex-Italian international, Juventus & Chelsea footballer, Gianluca Vialli [2], heard about the new company at London Business School, and decided to join the team as the Tifosy Ambassador [3]. (could quote more from the video here) "we want to change football, and make it a better game" ?

In June 2014 Tifosy launched their first official campaign. Working with EFL League 2 side Portsmouth Football Club, they aimed to fund the redevelopment of their youth academy [4]. The campaign was a huge success raising £270K to build two training pitches.

Campaigns with Bradford AFC and Fulham Football club soon followed. The company has official partnerships with the Italian Serie B League, and Italian Basketball League, and has run campaigns for clubs in these leagues.

In 2016 the company was awarded a licence from the Financial Conduct Authority. This authorises the company to run campaigns offering financial returns on investment. These campaigns offer supporters an opportunity to directly invest in their clubs via shares or mini-bonds.