Rival Acquires Shake; Raises $2.8M+ in Oversubscribed Round from Sports & Brand Leaders to Accelerate Combined Vision

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 30, 2025--

Rival, a leading fan engagement platform built on gaming competitions, has acquired Shake, the fast-growing Gen Z-focused social games platform. The acquisition strengthens Rival’s product suite, enabling partners to engage audiences across both short-form social play and long-form gaming formats—all while capturing valuable first-party data and driving real-world rewards.

Co-founded in 2024, Shake has quickly built a reputation for creating lightweight, high-frequency prediction contests tied to live sports and entertainment. The platform resonated with Gen Z users through its quick-hit format, social mechanics, and brand-sponsored competitions. With the acquisition, Shake’s technology and product thinking will be integrated into Rival’s infrastructure, with a combined platform that offers new opportunities for teams, leagues, and brands to connect with next-gen fans in more personal, repeatable, and measurable ways.

“Shake has built something special—simple, social, and sticky play that keeps fans coming back every day,” said Matt Virtue, CEO of Rival. “This acquisition unlocks the next level for Rival. Together, we now offer a full spectrum of competitive formats, helping brands own their communities across every level of engagement.”

“Shake was built on the belief that the next generation has the most fun competing with their community,” said Jack Kingsley, Co-Founder of Shake and now COO of Rival. “Joining Rival takes that vision to the next level—linking how young fans already spend their time with the incredible reach of Rival’s partners. We’re thrilled to scale our vision inside a platform already trusted by some of the most forward-thinking brands in sports and entertainment.”

Rival works with top-tier partners like the New York Giants, Detroit Pistons, New Balance, Baltimore Ravens, and Coca-Cola, helping them stand up branded digital arcades that power community, data capture, and loyalty. With Shake joining the fold, Rival can now offer even more dynamic, mobile-first formats that drive daily engagement and unlock new monetization pathways through sponsored contests and loyalty rewards.

As part of the acquisition, Shake Co-Founders Jack Kingsley and Spencer Lichtenberg will join the Rival Leadership team. Kingsley joins as Chief Operating Officer and Lichtenberg will serve as Chief Technology Officer. Heather Brooks Karatz, the executive chairperson of Shake and founding partner of Third Space Capital, will be a strategic advisor to Rival.

Rival’s acquisition of Shake also coincides with the close of its first funding round, which has raised $2.8M from a network of league executives, team owners, brand CMOs, and strategic individuals. The round, which was oversubscribed, is being upsized to more than $3M with an expected close date of October 31, and will be used to expand Rival’s team, accelerate product development, and extend the platform into new verticals of competition across sports, entertainment, and beyond.

About Rival
Rival is a white-labeled engagement platform that helps teams, leagues, and brands launch their own digital arcades—complete with tournaments, social contests, loyalty rewards, and actionable data. Rival powers competition and community at scale for clients like the New York Giants, New Balance, Detroit Pistons, Subway, and Coca-Cola. For more information, visit www.rivalx.com.

About Shake
Shake was a Gen Z-focused gamified social platform where users predicted outcomes in sports and entertainment to win real-world rewards. Built by co-founders Jack Kingsley, Heather Brooks Karatz, and Spencer Lichtenberg, Shake’s mission was to make play social, accessible, and rewarding—without requiring money or odds.

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KEYWORD: EUROPE UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM NORTH AMERICA NEW YORK

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: GENERATION Z OTHER ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE INTERNET CONSUMER ELECTRONIC GAMES SOCIAL MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ENTERTAINMENT DIGITAL MARKETING GENERAL SPORTS SPORTS MARKETING ADVERTISING MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS EVENTS/CONCERTS APPS/APPLICATIONS

SOURCE: Rival

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PUB: 09/30/2025 01:06 PM/DISC: 09/30/2025 01:06 PM

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