TokenTourney reimagines fantasy sports play; adding charities, businesses to its roster

Kansas City-built TokenTourney puts users’ dreams as close as the end of a bracket; now its founders are rallying behind a new effort to team up with charities and businesses who want to engage younger consumers through the tournament-style app.

“TokenTourney allows the average person to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences and luxury prizes that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to,” said Davis Engle, co-founder and CEO.

The underlying concept — a twist on fantasy sports with less risk than betting, as well as a more approachable entry point — is relatively simple: Players can get in the game by buying a ticket; and from there they level up each round by successfully predicting sports outcomes; the ultimate goal is winning the contest (and the prize that comes with it).

Click here to learn how to play and here to download the app.

“Daily fantasy sports and betting is kind of restrictive to somebody who’s not a super in-depth sports fan,” Engle said. “You log into DraftKings or FanDuel or something and you’re just hit with a ton of odds and it can be intimidating.”

From the archives: TokenTourney brings daily fantasy sports to the casual fan, fielding a video game feel with real-world experiences

Sam Shortall, TokenTourney; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

TokenTourney is focused less on the transactional nature of betting, and more on the journey to the end of the bracket, said Sam Shortall, co-founder and director of operations.

Each competition features a unique experience for the victorious last player standing at the end of the tournament, he said, envisioning highly sought-after prizes like a round of golf with your favorite NFL player. (Future iterations of TokenTourney are expected to include expansion into music and other cultural experiences.)

Engle and Shortall launched the app for Apple and Android in December, fueled by a spring 2024 funding push that gave them the ability to refine their web platform into something much more immersive and user friendly.

The duo are now targeting TokenTourney’s rollout with a three-pronged approach. In addition to getting the app into the hands of players, they’re planning to partner their tournament play with charities to boost fundraising initiatives, as well as with businesses looking for a novel approach to customer and employee rewards programs.

“Originally, we were thinking the sole use of our platform would be direct to consumers, where we partner with athletes, celebrities and musicians, then run tournaments for average people to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” Engle said. “We realized that in addition to the direct to consumer segment, there’s actually significant potential for TokenTourney as a B2B licensing product as well.”

TokenTourney is pursuing a first-of-its-kind tournament with Big Brothers Big Sisters to get the ball rolling. The idea is to team the app’s model with other organizations’ existing connections to celebrities, particularly when the partner already has a national footprint; TokenTourney would then charge a licensing or revenue sharing fee to cover its expenses.

Davis Engle, TokenTourney; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“Traditionally, when charities try to raise money, they look to silent auctions and raffles,” said Engle, noting such tactics resonate most with older, more affluent individuals while failing to draw in younger entrants. “You have to be pretty wealthy to win some silent auctions, and — being transparent — people our age don’t love joining raffles.”

“Our app is uniquely positioned to attract a younger audience that might not traditionally donate to charity,” he added. “But if they think they’re paying $20 for a real chance to meet their favorite NFL player — and the money happens to be going to an organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters — that will bring in a new group of people to engage with fundraisers rather than just relying on current donors.”

Businesses also could reap the benefits of the game play, Engle added, describing TokenTourney’s plan to shake up the world of loyalty programs.

“Say we partnered with a local business who wanted to give back to the top 100 spenders in their store,” he said. “Instead of doing a 10 percent off offer or a giveaway of electronics or an electric scooter, they’ll have a unique way to engage those customers. The business could enter them into a free tournament on our platform where they could win, say, tickets to the Super Bowl.”

Getting to TokenTourney’s next milestones requires “escape velocity”-level traction, said Shortall, along with some big stars and marquee experiences.

Midwest partner with powerful reach

TokenTourney currently works with Lincoln, Nebraska-based Opendorse, which serves as a go-between for talent, facilitating deals, and making introductions, Engle said.

Founded in 2012 by Adi Kunalic and Pipeline Entrepreneur Blake Lawrence, former athletes  who were intent on helping a friend and teammate succeed in the branding space, Opendorse is now a leading athlete marketplace that has taken advantage of the NCAA NIL era and has leaned heavily into the athlete endorsement industry. 

The company connects athletes with organizations and businesses eager to partner and raise the profile of their brand with their ideal customers.

“We’re the largest athlete marketplace that brands and teams and leagues have access to,” said Kyle McCrudden, senior director of brand partnership sales at Opendorse, which boasts work with more than 120,000 athletes; everyone from superstars down to hometown heroes.”

“In the example of TokenTourney, we connect them to the right athletes that align with their strategy and initiatives,” McCrudden added.

Davis Engle and Sam Shortall, TokenTourney; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Evaluating the best payoff

Just as TokenTourney faces multiple pathways to success, victory for players can look different for each user, the co-founders said.

In addition to competing for the top spot on the leaderboard, players in a tournament can take advantage of a TokenTourney marketplace option, Engle said, where users can effectively cash out if they want to convert their place in the gameplay to actual money.

“So, let’s say you paid a $5 entry when there were a thousand players,” he said. “But, then you make it all the way to the final round and there’s only three people left. You have a one-in-three chance of winning that experience; and somebody might be willing to pay you a good amount of money for that one-in-three chance to win.”

As Blue Valley graduates who aren’t too far removed from college, Engle and Shortall said, they can understand the allure of taking the cash value of a tournament position.

Even though he’s a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan, Engle said, if he’d secured a leading spot on the journey to winning an experience featuring Patrick Mahomes when he was at the University of Southern California, he still would’ve been tempted — or rather needed — to take the $20,000 offer that a wealthy individual could potentially bring to the marketplace. 

“That’s also what our platform allows you to do: Evaluate what’s best for you … and have an opportunity for some pretty life-changing money,” he said.