Álex García Reiss is a graduate of the Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona at Johan Cruyff Institute and co-founder of Funatik, a social platform developed for football fans
The idea for Funatik emerged from a need within the sports industry. “Funatik aims to bridge the gap that exists between clubs and fans within their digital ecosystem,” explains Álex García Reiss, co-founder of the platform. A graduate of the Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona, Álex collaborated with Dan París, another Johan Cruyff Institute alumnus, to develop this initiative.
Drawing on his professional experience, which includes both established companies and entrepreneurial ventures, Álex shares insights and key lessons for developing sports management projects. He also discusses the story and motivations behind Funatik.
Throughout your professional journey, which milestones most influenced the way you currently understand project management in the sports industry?
I started out as an intern at Casio, the watch brand, where I worked for some time. Afterwards, I decided to become an entrepreneur and launch my own marketing and digitalization agency, which allowed me to enter the world of sports management and marketing. That’s why I decided to pursue the Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona. Now, together with Dan París, another Johan Cruyff Institute alumnus, we have launched Funatik, an app designed for fans.
Thanks to these experiences, I have had the opportunity to work both in a corporate environment and independently through my agency. In both cases, I was involved in sports-related projects, which allows me to compare the advantages of each setting. From the corporate side, what I valued most was developing a complete project for a client. That experience confirmed that I wanted to work in the sports industry.
From an entrepreneurial perspective, the most rewarding part was collaborating with different professionals in the sector, each specializing in different areas. I’ve been fortunate to work on a variety of projects, and through that experience, I realized I wanted to fully dedicate myself to the sports industry.
You have worked both in established companies and on your own ventures. What lessons have you learned from combining the corporate role with entrepreneurship?
As an entrepreneur, the most important lesson is to focus on launching. Often, when developing projects, we try to solve too many problems at once and end up building an overly complex product. That delays the launch and, as a result, the entire project.
I believe the key is that once the idea is defined and the minimum viable product is ready, you should launch it as soon as possible. That allows you to validate it and then introduce improvements and updates. The essential thing is to enter the market, grow, and make the necessary adjustments along the way.
Álex García Reiss is a graduate of the Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona at Johan Cruyff Institute and co-founder of Funatik, a social platform developed for football fans.
Which aspects of your time at Johan Cruyff Institute had the most direct impact on your professional development?
I have a creative profile: I generate many ideas and want to execute all of them. I would summarize my time at Johan Cruyff Institute as strategic support in decision-making, especially from a business perspective.
I had several ideas, but at Johan Cruyff Institute they helped me think strategically about what is truly worthwhile from a business, product, and marketing perspective. They taught me to ask a key question: What will make this idea or product economically viable? Without a clear and realistic economic strategy, it is very difficult to move forward. The Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona also helped me significantly during the product launch phase.
Funatik was co-founded with Dan París, also a Johan Cruyff Institute graduate. How did the idea come about, and what specific need within the sports ecosystem does it address?
Funatik was born out of a need we identified both at club level and among users. In my case, for example, I’ve always been a big FC Barcelona fan. I’m familiar with other teams in the league, but in many current games or apps, such as fantasy competitions, you need to know all the LALIGA teams in order to build your squad.
What Funatik aims to do is encourage fan engagement and community within a single club. Additionally, after speaking with various clubs and analyzing market trends, we realized that many clubs struggle to retain users within their digital ecosystems and proprietary apps. Therefore, Funatik seeks to bridge that gap between clubs and fans in the digital environment.
What advice would you give to current Johan Cruyff Institute students who want to become entrepreneurs in the sports sector?
My first piece of advice would be to make the most of the Master’s program or whichever course they are taking. If they have an idea, they should not miss the opportunity to develop it. In my case, I was able to advance my project through my Master’s Final Project. It is also an excellent opportunity to surround yourself with industry professionals who are closely connected to the market.
You may have an idea you believe will work, but until you develop it in depth with people who are actively working in the industry, such as the lecturers of Johan Cruyff Institute, you don’t truly validate it. I would encourage students to take advantage of that environment to develop their projects.
If the development comes later, another key recommendation is to rely on your classmates. We are fortunate to have peers from all over the world, which provides a broad perspective on different markets.
