FanEase
Ventures · Co-Build

FanEase: from a concept on paper to a platform.

FanEase is reinventing how audiences engage with digital video — information and e-commerce at their fingertips, inside the content. In 2018 it was an idea on a piece of paper. As a Ventures co-build, we refined the concept, built the backend platform, shipped a creator portal with integrated analytics, and stayed at the table through every iteration since — including a live NHL Draft-window proof of concept now scaling.

2018→
Co-building since 2018 — through the pandemic, through every iteration, still at the table
The challenge

A founder's vision for interactive video — on paper, with no technical path to market.

What shipped

Concept cultivation · full backend platform · creator portal · audience analytics · engagement features.

The result

Ahead of the market curve in a new vertical · NHL Draft-window POC scaling · 5.0 quality, verified.

Industry
Sports & media
Location
Houston, TX
Engagement
Aug 2018 – ongoing
Platform
Custom backend · creator portal
Motions
Co-Build · all motions
Discover
2018 · concept cultivation
Configure
Backend platform build
Integrate
Creator portal + analytics
Operate
2025–26 · NHL POC, scaling
01 / The situation

What was actually happening.

In the founder’s words: the goal was to “re-invent the way audiences engage with digital videos” — information and e-commerce at the viewer’s fingertips. What existed was “a concept printed on a piece of paper.” No platform, no creator tooling, no audience data — and a market that didn’t have a category for it yet.

02 / Pain point matrix

Where it hurt most.

Operational impact → Frequency → Monitor Critical Low priority Fix fast
1
2
3
4
  • 1Idea with no technical pathA category-defining concept stuck on paper — no architecture, no build partner.
  • 2No creator toolingStorytellers had no way to author interactive, shoppable video.
  • 3No audience dataZero insight into how viewers engage — strategy ran blind.
  • 4Market ahead of categoryPioneering a vertical means educating the market while building it.
03 / What we shipped

The work, in motion.

The co-build motion: our delivery model, our platform thinking, and a seat at the founder’s table. “At times, it’s easy to forget that Bryan and his team are external partners” — that’s the model working. Concept refined into a plan of action, then a platform built and iterated through every market shift since 2018.

OS modules used Backend platformCreator portalAudience analyticsEngagement layer
CONCEPTon paper · 2018 CO-BUILD Backend platform Creator portal Audience analytics Engagement layer LIVE · SCALINGNHL Draft POC 2018 → ONGOING · ONE PARTNERSHIP
{{VIDEO — platform sizzle / NHL POC clip · awaiting capture}}
{{GIF — interactive video w/ commerce overlay}}
{{GIF — creator portal authoring flow}}
Eight years of co-build: concept → platform → market.
04 / The ROI

Measured, not promised.

6+ yrs
Continuous co-build partnership — through the pandemic, still compounding
5.0
Verified Clutch — quality, cost, willingness to refer (4.5 schedule)
NHL
Draft-window proof of concept — live sports deployment, currently scaling

“They are not a digital video company — but they helped us become a giant in this space.

In their words

“Their genuine investment in our project is evident in every interaction. At times, it’s easy to forget that Bryan and his team are external partners. For any company with an idea and dream, Incipient isn’t talk — they are actions. FanEase is a great story.”

Kevin Cooper · CEO & Founder, FanEase · verified Clutch review, May 2024
Under the hood
Custom backendCreator portalAnalyticsVentures co-build

Greenfield build: backend platform with API layer, creator portal for authoring and distribution, analytics pipeline feeding audience insight back into the content loop. Iterated continuously since 2018 — the architecture has survived every pivot the market asked for.

2018→still co-building · “Incipient isn’t talk — they are actions” — Kevin Cooper, FanEase

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