49ers player the first in NFL history to become co-founder of fantasy startup

San Francisco 49ers veteran cornerback, Richard Sherman, is understood to be the first NFL player to have a founding stake in a fantasy game platform.

Sherman is the co-founder and chief brand ambassador of Daily Number, which will initially launch in 23 states and position itself as an alternative to other daily fantasy games by allowing players to set lineups that try to beat a preset ‘target score’ developed by proprietary algorithms.

The Super Bowl winner and three-time first team All-Pro is expected to appear in the company’s marketing material.

“Fantasy football has been growing steadily over the years and I’ve wanted to get directly involved with it,” Sherman said in an interview with US business publication Forbes.

“It’s become such a huge industry.”

“It has better-connected fans to players and I think it helps them know players better, plus the ups and downs (we) go through on the field.

“And it helps the biggest fans feel more invested in the game.”

Chief Executive, Tom McAuley, added: “We are driven by the opportunity to develop a proprietary platform and customer database that will be extremely valuable to many industry stakeholders as sports gaming continues to evolve in the United States.”