Fantacycling, the Italian fantasy cycling app, lands on Seedrs and launches an international crowdfunding campaign
Four bike enthusiasts create an app for fun. Today, Fantacycling is the first fantasy cycling game in Europe, with 110,000 registered users, the largest community of enthusiasts in Italy, and 3 million views on YouTube and Twitch. Among the founders is sports journalist Sandro Sabatini.
The number of cycling enthusiasts in Italy and around the world is continuously growing: there are approximately 5 million in Italy and at least 45 million worldwide. An exciting market sparked the idea in a group of friends from Tuscany, leading them to found the startup Fantacycling in 2020.

When we decided in 2020 to create an app that, following the fantasy football model, would bring together cycling enthusiasts, we never imagined achieving such success. Instead, we quickly became the first international fantasy cycling app and the largest community of cycling enthusiasts in Europe. With over 100,000 registered users and a total reach of over 588,000 people.
says Federico Creatini, CEO & Co-founder of Fantacycling.
How Fantacycling Works
The app allows users to create their own “fantasy team” of cyclists, compare abilities, set up their lineup, and participate in various game modes. Users can challenge other enthusiasts worldwide in the Championship mode, compete with friends in private leagues, meet new users, join public leagues, and participate in sponsored leagues with significant prizes. Fantacycling also offers live data from all races, updated statistics, and a detailed history of cyclists.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover that many professional cyclists play Fantacycling spontaneously, as we have always focused on our community and ease of interaction.
says Camillo Castellani, COO & Co-founder of Fantacycling.
More Than Just a Game: Information Hub
Among the startup founders is Sandro Sabatini, a well-known name in Italian sports journalism.
Fantacycling is not just a game but also a platform rich in editorial and multimedia content. Users can access game rules, results, and data from all professional men’s and women’s races, in-depth articles, and interviews.
stated Sandro Sabatini
Additionally, the app is connected to Fantacycling’s YouTube and Twitch channels, where exclusive videos and interviews are broadcast, reaching over 2.5 million views on YouTube and more than 1.5 million accounts on Instagram.
The Community and Crowdfunding
The main strength of Fantacycling is its community, mainly composed of Italian users (87.41%), but also with enthusiasts from Spain, France, Colombia, the United States, Ecuador, Switzerland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The users’ ages vary, with significant representation in the 25-34 age group (38%) and 35-44 age group (37%).
Cycling is a sport without borders, which is why we launched as a multilingual platform. Our decision to launch an equity crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs, an international fundraising platform, aligns with this direction. We want to offer our investors the opportunity to become part of this exciting adventure that started in Italy but is aimed at cycling enthusiasts worldwide.
explains Creatini.
The campaign aims to raise funds to expand the platform further, improve the app’s features, and consolidate its international presence.
Proven Success
The many successes achieved by Fantacycling so far testify to the project’s value. Between 2022 and 2023, the platform saw a 62% increase in revenue, a milestone achieved thanks to strategic partnerships with major brands like Discovery+ and Drali. The team’s extensive experience in developing startups and in the sports world has played a crucial role in this success.
Investing in Fantacycling means supporting a rapidly growing startup with solid foundations and a market (TAM) worth $2 billion, considering the overlap between cycling enthusiasts and the growing interest in fantasy sports.
concludes Castellani.
More information about the equity crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs.