Fan Cred’s Connection to Mississippi State
“Without Mississippi State Fan Cred would not exist”.
One of the fastest growing social media networks was directly inspired by Mississippi State athletics.
The passion of the fans and strong sense of community in Starkville is what inspired Fan Cred CEO Hossein Razzaghi to start the blossoming sports network.
Fan Cred is a social network designed specifically for sports fans. As Razzaghi describes it, Fan Cred creates a “virtual stadium” where fans of a team from across the country can join together to cheer and share experiences.
Fans that have downloaded the free app or use the free desktop service are able to post items specifically about their favorite sports teams whenever they want to. Your “cred” is a number beside your avatar that signifies your prowess on the network. Other fans can like, dislike or share your status update – which can be a comment, article link, video or anything.
The idea behind the network is to create a digital scrapbook of your experiences as a sports spectator. When you look at someone’s Fan Cred profile, you’ll see their sports interests and memories.
Fan Cred launched in March of 2013, but the beginnings of the new network started long before.
Razzaghi was raised in Starkville – his father is still a math professor at Mississippi State. An avid basketball fan, the 1996 Final Four made a huge impression of his sports fandom. He eventually graduated from MSU in Electrical Engineering in 2003 and earned an MBA in 2004.
The hard work, long hours and tough environment of the MSU engineering program prepared Razzaghi for starting a business a decade later.
"The hours you put in for an engineering degree are not unlike a start-up. There are no business hours for me, it’s always Fan Cred."
After graduation Razzaghi moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 2006 where he worked at a technology company. During this time he always kept up with his childhood friend Michael Pan who also grew up in Starkville.
Pan went to the University of Illinois but remained loyal to his hometown Bulldogs as well. While he and Razzaghi had moved on from Starkville they still missed the MSU community and the memories that were made at sporting events. The two teamed up to create Fan Cred with that in mind.
Razzaghi reflected on the inspiration for the network –
"The heartbeat of Starkville was sports. It was a strong community win or lose. When I moved to Boston I missed that strong community that I could share these experiences with."
Connecting with other fans is the main component of Fan Cred.
"The great thing about sports is it doesn’t matter your background, it brings people together."
Razzaghi’s point is well-taken. No matter your background, who you are or where you come from – sports have a way of bonding people who wouldn’t otherwise have anything in common. People set aside differences in politics or ethnicity to pull for their favorite team.
Fan Cred brings people together through the magic of social media in a unique way. It’s a market that was needed as evidence by their growth in just over a year and a half.
When the network began Razzaghi and Pan were joined by two others who worked with Razzaghi at the technology company in Boston. Today Fan Cred has 11 full-time employees. It is still headquartered in New England.
It comes as no surprise that Mississippi State is one of Fan Cred’s largest fanbases. The emphasis upon launching the network was within the SEC…and then spreading it across the country. While college sports talk is probably the biggest focus among Fan Cred users, professional sports discussion is growing at a rapid pace.
Not only is Razzaghi a Starkville native and MSU alum who had the foresight for this social media platform, but the Mississippi State athletic department got in on the ground floor with Fan Cred. Basketball media relations director Gregg Ellis spearheaded the operation to get MSU to create the first official college account on the network. Since this occurred in 2013, many other colleges and professional teams have followed suit.
Fan Cred is a great example of how hard work and an innovative spirit can take you to the next level. Even from the quiet town of Starkville, great things can be achieved.
Next time you scroll across the app on your phone, or see the Fan Cred share button on your favorite sports website – know that Mississippi State sports played a part in that.