Did you ever play a bet with friends, which soon after the result was announced was conveniently “forgotten”? I find it uncomfortable to make good friends cough up the dough for bets. When is a bet, hypothetical or serious? No more arguments about this. Playzoola is here to save the friendship and help the forgetful honour their promises.

Simon Burridge, CEOof Playzoola shared his insights on Playzoola.  We thanks him for his time.

Playzoola is intriguing and enjoyable in its own right as an entertainment product, but there are a variety of problems it solves as well. It makes a dull sporting match exciting by being volatile and unpredictable right to the very end. It makes a bet amongst friends happen, because no one can get away without paying. It makes sport more exciting, more sociable and, if you know your sport, more rewarding both in terms of money and bragging rights, as you don’t ever need to be right – just more right than the people you’re playing against

What is the scale of this problem?

It’s huge. What sports fan or punter doesn’t want a product where you can lose but still win?

What is unique about Playzoola?

It’s software and easy to use interface as well as the fact that it is so social and you can even create your own games

The three main advantages for players when they choose Playzoola

1. They don’t have to be tight, just more right than the other players
2. The site gives them access to all the stats and information they could possibly need to make an informed decision
3. They can enjoy sporting events right up until the end as with the volatile leaderboard shows, no game is ever over till it’s over

The three main advantages for investors in the Playzoola crowd funding campaign?

1. Playzoola gets its income from a rake from each entry ticket into each game. It therefore completely results neutral and revenue is never at risk
2. Playzoola has a long tail of winners who, typically, reinvest their ‘winnings ‘ making it a very sticky site
3. Playzoola has some mini viral special features such as ‘create your own game’ whereby people already on the site will recruit new players, effectively, for free

Which games are featured today on Playzoola and what other games are featured in the pipeline?

Currently, it’s football only (Premier League etc) with there being two different types of game you can play – Zoola where you predict certain outcomes that will occur in a game or WinLoseDraw where you have to pick whose winning at both half and full time across a series of fixture. In the pipeline are other sports including horse racing, cricket, NFL, and rugby

Can you give us details about trends in the numbers for Playzoola?

Until we go live and start marketing, that is difficult to answer.

Where will Playzoola be in three years time?

Geographically it will be in other countries, including, possibly, India, China and parts of the U.S.A. In product terms, it will have the full suite of sports and occasions. In reputation terms, people will wonder why it wasn’t invented a long time earlier.

Where can potential investors find more information about Playzoola?

The crowdfunding campaign can be found on Seedrs: https://www.seedrs.com/playzoola

In your opinion, what are the most common branding mistakes of startups ?

There are a lot of common branding mistakes for start ups on the internet. In no particular order:

• Not appreciating that brands are owned by the consumer, not the company
• Not understanding that brands, especially in a multi-channelled world, should be like a stick of seaside rock; wherever you access it, the message and experience should be the same
• Not appreciating that the message you transmit may not be the same as the message that is received
• Not understanding that customers and technology change, so the brand must also continually evolve
• Waiting too long to launch. If everything things is perfect, you’re probably too late
• Trying to solve an unimportant problem
• Not listening to your customers, and, by customers I don’t just mean the ones who provide validation
• Not being different. Give your customers a reason to choose your offering over another