Member Spotlight: Future Fans

We caught up with Mike Schroder, Co-Founder of Future Fans and a Workbox Short North Member, to learn more about their company’s mission, how they’re utilizing their private workspace at Workbox, and their plans for 2024.

Tell us a little about your company!

Future Fans is a brand that helps kids, ages 4–10, become BIG sports fans by unlocking an understanding of sports in a unique way. For example, we teach, in kid-friendly ways, the concepts of downs in football through bean bag tossing games or through an embedded storybook-led experience! Our first product, Future Fans Football, launched last fall, and our Soccer product is available for pre-order (ships in July).

What is your company’s mission, and what problem are you working to solve?

Future Fans believes that the world is a better place when the shared thrill of sports creates and sustains lifelong bonds. Life is busy, but win or lose, sports provide an opportunity to spend time together and to look forward to the next big game. To bond with people over a shared passion and experience life as a fan. Future Fans exists so everyone can experience a lifetime of moments, big and small, together.

What do you love most about what you do?

Creating a product and experience around facilitating connection between a grown-up and a child is a special thing to be able to get to work on each and every day. Also, being able to then utilize that product and deepen the connection with my own kids is even better.

Do you have any recent company news, awards, or milestones you are proud of?

We’re very proud of the fact that our Football product won six toy awards and has been incredibly well-received by NFL teams and the League. We’re working with a few teams directly in both football and soccer. We’ve also raised $950K in capital!

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the Workbox Community?

Workbox has been a great place to cultivate and share ideas with people from all different backgrounds and businesses. We also really appreciate the programming facilitated by Workbox and found the angel investment programs to be helpful.

At Workbox, our mission has always been about Member Success. What does success mean to you?

Success to me on a personal level means being happy, which I define as (1) challenging work, (2) learning and growing, and (3) being around fun and supportive people.

What’s next for your company? Is there anything you’re currently working on that you’d like to share?

We aim to have products across all major US sports, so keep an eye out for baseball, hockey, and basketball in the near future.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about your company?

Future Fans is the easy decision for Father’s Day, as our products are the PERFECT gift for any sports fan dad in your life who has young kids (or grandkids).

To learn more about Future Fans and all the great things they’re up to, visit www.futurefans.com