Closer Sports
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched2 / 4
Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Closer Sports was a San Francisco startup building a mobile live-streaming platform that connected professional athletes directly with fans. Unlike Instagram, it let athletes charge for access to their live streams, aiming to fill the shortcomings of ESPN and existing social media. The company kicked things off with UFC fighters and had 500 paid subscribers shortly after launch.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Founded and YC
Gopal Ramachandran and Jeffrey Warren founded Closer Sports in San Francisco and joined Y Combinator's Winter 2018 batch.
- Demo Day and launch
The company presented at Y Combinator's W19 Demo Day, launching its athlete live-streaming platform with UFC fighters and reporting 500 paid subscribers.
- Inactive
Y Combinator's directory lists Closer Sports as Inactive with a team size of two; the company's website is no longer active.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.