Blitz:Draft, coined as the “Tinder for DFS,” is providing fantasy sports fans across the country with a peer-to-peer product that puts users against a clock to make picks.
Owned by Empyr Sports Inc., Blitz:Draft is a P2P game-of-skill platform that offers fantasy contests with cash prizes. Blitz:Draft was created to simplify DFS for both novice and expert sports fans, while lowering the barrier to entry in a competitive U.S. market.
“As a lifelong sports fan, I was always on the outside looking in when it came to fantasy sports. I tried to play, but the barriers to entry were just too much. The time sink. The enthusiasm drop-off after week three. The DFS sharks hoarding all the winnings. Fantasy sports simply were not fun,” Blitz:Draft co-founder Toby Bucsescu told SBC Americas.
“That is why we built Blitz:Draft. Speed, convenience, and fun.”
Blitz:Draft was created by a group of aviation experts to provide a new DFS experience.
- Its contests are currently available for NFL, NBA, and MLB games
- The contests are small, with a maximum of 12 players
- Only one entry per contest is allowed
- Users pick their DFS lineups using a swipe-based function
- Each user is only allowed two minutes to construct their lineups
- Blitz:Draft provides player data from recent performances for users to leverage
“That is Blitz:Draft. Add to that the small contest sizes and single entry per user, and you have the fastest and fairest fantasy sports platform on the market,” continued Bucsescu.
The platform’s framework allows it to separate itself from other stakeholders in gaming in a competitive fantasy sports market that is also facing competition from emerging verticals.
“There are a ton of fantasy sports products on the market, but none of them cut through the noise like Blitz:Draft,” added Bucsescu.
“We managed to retain the peer-to-peer game-of-skill elements users love so much while delivering the speed of sports betting or quick pick’em style games. Our users love it for its simplicity and speed, but also for its fairness. Every user is on level playing ground.”
How Blitz:Draft navigates America’s gaming market
Blitz:Draft is offering an innovative DFS product in a U.S. gaming landscape that requires operators and brands to adhere to regulatory and legal standards. The New York-based company ensures it offers a DFS product that meets all necessary requirements.
“Blitz:Draft is a peer-to-peer game of skill, falling squarely within the UIGEA fantasy sports exemption,” said Bucsescu, pointing to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006. “Designing the gameplay this way ensured the lowest barriers to entry. With that said, Blitz:Draft is designed to comply with all state fantasy sports regulations.”
Blitz:Draft is currently available in 18 states and Washington, D.C. The company plans to expand its reach to additional U.S. markets that allow fantasy sports gaming.
Blitz:Draft continues upward trajectory
Bucsescu and his co-founders plan to leverage the support of partners to scale, which includes venture development and investment firm Sterling Select Group. The firm is an operational partner of Blitz:Draft that will join a group of accredited investors for a pre-seed round.
Sterling Select Group is associated with Sterling Equities, a New York-based family-run group of companies that has a value of assets of more than $4.6 billion.
“Sterling Select Group has deep experience in sports, media, and early-stage investing,” added Bucsescu. “They did extensive due diligence on our product, our team, and our market opportunity. Having a group with that level of sophistication validate what we are building gives us confidence and gives future investors a strong signal.”
Sterling Select Group and Blitz:Draft forged an early relationship that has provided Blitz:Draft with the ability to connect with major players in sports and gaming.
“The level of involvement from the Sterling team is immense. They were hands-on, in the trenches with the founding team before we ever signed an agreement,” said Bucsescu.
“They are helping us build the relationships and infrastructure we need to grow. That includes introductions to institutional investors, strategic guidance on go-to-market, and access to their network in sports and media. They are a true partner.”
Looking ahead for Blitz:Draft
Blitz:Draft’s forthcoming pre-seed round and Sterling Select Group’s expertise will help the company acquire new customers ahead of the upcoming 2026 NFL season. Blitz:Draft is also planning to diversify its offerings by bringing its contests to in-person events.
The company is preparing to launch “DFS IRL,” a forthcoming activation that will allow sports fans to run their own Blitz:Draft contests at bars and sports venues using QR codes.
“Think ‘trivia night,’ except Blitz:Night,” concluded Bucsescu.
