Draft:Justin Kaufenberg
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Justin Kaufenberg is an American entrepreneur and investor. He joined Rally Ventures as Managing Director in 2019.[1] Kaufenberg has been a founder or co-founder of over ten businesses, including SportsEngine, a sports-focused SaaS and payments company that was acquired by NBC Sports in 2016.[2]
Early Life and Education
Kaufenberg grew up in Shakopee, Minnesota, where his father coached his youth hockey team. Observing the administrative challenges his father faced, he developed an early interest in creating tools to simplify sports management.[3] He later attended the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where he earned a degree in economics.
Entrepreneurship
Kaufenberg began his professional career by running a home‐painting company and then went on to co-found Third North, which developed embedded payments and e-commerce technologies. Kaufenberg, along with Carson Kipfer and Greg Blasko, founded SportsEngine in 2008 from a college dorm room.[4]
The platform offered sports-management software and payment solutions for amateur sports organizations. Under Kaufenberg’s leadership as CEO, the company expanded to tens of thousands of customers and millions of users, securing around $39 million in private funding before its acquisition by NBC Sports in 2016.[5]
SportsEngine was an early example of a SaaS+ platform[6], a business model in which a company provides core software as a service (SaaS) while also offering complementary products and services that generate additional revenue. Kaufenberg has written articles and provided guidance on the SaaS+ business model.[7][8]
Venture Capital and Rally Ventures
Kaufenberg is a Managing Director at Rally Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage business technology.[9]
Since joining Rally Ventures in 2019, he has been the co-founder of numerous companies that were created, built and spun out of Rally, including Revelstoke (acquired by Arctic Wolf)[10], Yardstik[11], JustiFi[12], Vertical Insure[13] and Blank Metal[14]. Other notable investments include Bbot (acquired by DoorDash)[15] and Allen Control Systems[16].
References
[edit]- ^ "Former SportsEngine CEO joins Rally Ventures". Star Tribune. October 2, 2019. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (July 18, 2016). "NBC Sports acquires app player Sport Ngin, diving into youth and amateur sports market". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ^ Kaplan, Allison (January 5, 2022). ""SportsEngine Co-Founder Justin Kaufenberg" (Podcast)". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ^ "Exit Strategy: Demystifying the Sell". Twin Cities Business. 2022-01-05. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ St. Anthony, Neal (2019-09-26). "Founders at SportsEngine leave three years after sale to NBC Sports". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ "SaaS+ Archives – Rally Ventures". Rally Ventures. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Kaufenberg, Justin (2023-12-01). "The search and discovery marketplace". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Kaufenberg, Justin (2023-08-25). "The 6 most important things to know about SaaS+ product architecture". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ "Team – Rally Ventures". Rally Ventures. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Deutscher, Maria (2023-10-10). "Arctic Wolf acquires venture-backed cybersecurity provider Revelstoke". SiliconANGLE. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Keefer, Winter (2022-02-04). "Minneapolis-based tech company Yardstik lands $8M raise". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Kaplan, Allison (2023-08-25). "Minneapolis-based fintech startup JustiFi lands $6.6M in seed round". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Anderson, Caitlin (2022-12-16). "Minneapolis-based startup Vertical Insure raises $4M – provider of embedded insurance for SaaS companies". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Kaplan, Allison (2025-06-24). "New AI Firm Blank Metal Raises $3 Million". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Grothaus, Michael (2022-03-01). "DoorDash acquires restaurant ordering platform Bbot". Fast Company. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Mathews, Jessica (2025-03-27). "Gun turret startup Allen Control Systems raises $30 million Series A round as venture capitalists lean into defense tech". Fortune. Retrieved 2025-10-30.