Takes

The US plays today. Just sayin' 👀

Fantastic article from sportsbusiness.at about Michael Iams journey to sports tech founder. Takes is a product that has been years in the making. https://lnkd.in/gJqPgjYR #sportstech #sportsgame #takes Liz Ludwig

We’ve spent the past year rebuilding Takes from the ground up. Today, we’re launching a new model for sports engagement: → AI that structures real-time sports chaos into gameplay → Short-form, interactive experiences → Social competition layered into everything And just in time for March Madness: Bracket IQ (where hot off the press insights meet fun competitive play). Early traction across 25+ campuses and growing. This is where sports, gaming, and media converge. https://lnkd.in/gTdzwztB https://takes.live #SportsMedia #AI #ConsumerTech #Startups #MarchMadness #Takes #BracketIQ #TakesLive Michael Iams Liz Ludwig Ojas N. Nikhil Pandya Dac Dao Saurabh Pandey Karthik Chandrasekhar LURAY HE Andrew Wilson Jakub Sędal Matthew Deng Reed Korn Greg Beck Madeline Eckles

Monday Michael Iams and Liz Ludwig wrote about how the next generation of sports fans doesn’t just want to scroll - they want to participate. So with March Madness starting, we decided to apply that same idea to brackets. Most brackets are basically guesswork. Pick some mascots. Trust a gut feeling. Hope for chaos. With Bracket IQ on Takes, we built something a little different. As you fill out your bracket, you get quick team insights, key stats, and storylines built directly into the experience. Just enough context to make smarter picks without turning it into homework. It’s a small shift, but it turns bracket building from guessing into informed competition.If you’re filling one out this year, give it a try.  Invite the group chat. Enjoy the “madness”... https://lnkd.in/gq-swnAC Thank you to everyone who has supported our journey - get your Takes Insider brackets filled out! Evan Meyer Tisno Onggara Carlo Pozzali Joseph Inzerillo Robert Sofman Matthew Hupp Brian Kohr Michael Proman Scott Jablonski Brian Nickerson Mark McMaster Mike Durst Chuck McNamee Rob Hamblen Greg Beck Brad Hilsabeck Anthony Severo Jeff Balaguras Gunn Robison Dave Withers Kenneth Shapiro Tom Richardson Steve Abeyta Jessica McDaniel Maria Iams Rick Berry Mick Goik  #SportsTech #SportsMedia #NextGenFans #MarchMadness #SportsInnovation #BracketIQ #Takes

Sports media still assumes fans want to sit back and scroll. Algorithms. Endless feeds. Passive consumption. But the next generation of fans engages differently. They’ve got about two minutes, and they want to learn quickly. They want to feel smarter.. And they definitely want bragging rights when they’re right. The interesting shift we’re seeing is that fans don’t just want content, they want participation. At Takes, we’ve been experimenting with turning sports moments into quick, game-like interactions that reward knowledge, speed, and real fandom. Instead of passively consuming sports news, fans can jump in, test their instincts, and see how they stack up, all in under two minutes. Still early, but the engagement patterns are fascinating. Curious what others think: Will sports media stay passive… or become participatory? We are certainly betting on the latter. Check it out and let us know your “take”. https://takes.live/ https://lnkd.in/eVjUdQ7f Thanks to our amazing college interns for helping bring this new product to life. Owen Ludwig Jack Murphy Jack Braun Kishan Master Max Roberts Mark Robeson Brayden Chin Lily Kunde Adam Wulkan Noah Beltran Karthik Chandrasekhar Andrew Stern William Sowle IV Ryan Simon Ellie Stephens Jonathan Wang Ben Cislo Richard D. Marie Picini Reid Aldrich Alexander Luzniak Samuel Glassman Cole Hickey Henry Hagel Henry Garbo Brendan Comerford LURAY HE Ben Rosenblatt Matthew Sugiyama And our core team of course... Liz Ludwig Michael Iams Nikhil Pandya Jakub Sędal Madeline Eckles Greg Beck Andrew Wilson Dac Dao Matthew Deng Saurabh Pandey #SportsMedia #SportsTech #FanEngagement #NextGenFans #Takes #DripLocker #DailyBlitz

Sports-focused DESIGNER needed for 🏀 March Madness Project! If you want to build the next great BACKET experience @ Takes - let’s talk! DM me. ⚡🐶🎨 #UIDesign hashtag #ProductDesign hashtag #MobileAppDesign hashtag #GameUI hashtag #SportsTech hashtag #BrandDesign hashtag #UXDesign hashtag #VisualDesign hashtag #DuolingoForSports

Happy Holidays from Takes! We (Liz Ludwig and Michael Iams) wouldn’t be here without the support of our amazing advisor and contributor team! Your continued guidance and efforts are the best gift we could have asked for. Greg Beck Steve Abeyta Nikhil Pandya Rob Hamblen Mike Durst Jakub Sędal Saurabh Pandey Dac Dao Julia Binder (Shaw) Mark McMaster Chuck McNamee Madeline Eckles Robert Sofman Scott Jablonski Ojas N. Sobhan A. Matthew Deng Nicolas Charvoz Cesar Giupponi Marie Picini Jessica McDaniel Kara Muraki Caven Henri van Niekerk Martin Novotny Jeff Balaguras Jordan Hamad-Lipscombe Saadiq Rodgers-King Andrew Wilson Gunn Robison Lisa Walthers

We’re Hiring Spring Interns at Takes! Takes is growing fast, and we’re looking for talented, motivated interns to join us this Spring. If you’re passionate about building products, experimenting with new ideas, and working in a fast-moving startup environment, we’d love to meet you. This past semester, our interns made a huge impact — from marketing on campus to grow awareness of the app, to providing real-time feedback on new features that helped shape our product roadmap. You’ll have the chance to build on that momentum and take ownership of meaningful work. As a Spring Intern at Takes, you’ll have the opportunity to get hands-on experience across multiple areas, including: • Product innovation – help shape new features and user experiences • Marketing & content – contribute to campaigns, social strategy, and expanding our reach • Driving growth – work on initiatives that directly expand our user base and engagement • Product testing & QA – support testing, feedback loops, and quality improvements We’re looking for: • Curious problem solvers • Creative thinkers • Students excited about consumer tech • People who are passionate about sports and want hands-on experience working in the sports space • People who want to learn, build, and make an impact A huge thank you to our Fall interns for all your hard work this semester! Alex Saunders, Jack Braun, William Sowle IV, Ryan Simon, Kishan Master, Matthew Sugiyama, Ben Cislo, Jack Murphy, Raegan Robison, Reid Aldrich, Adam Wulkan, Lily Kunde, Ben Rosenblatt, Owen Ludwig, Noah Beltran, Marie Picini, Alexander Luzniak, and Paul Coughlin If you or someone you know is interested, DM us to apply or fill out this form: https://lnkd.in/gSUbwYx6. Let’s build something amazing together! #internship #hiring #startupjobs #product #marketing #sports #Takes

The biggest changes coming in sports are being formed right now... 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧": • GenZ wants action-packed entertainment. • Traditional sports are too slow, over monetized, and commercials take up way too much of the actual broadcast. • Alternative and creator-led sports are offering fans a more "entertainment-based" offering. I'm 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 to see how this plays out over the next decade.