Traction Capital invests $1M in Minnesota-based Referee Management Platform, Refr Sports
Traction Capital, a Minnesota-based growth equity firm, has announced a $1 million investment in Refr Sports, a referee management platform committed to moving the officiating industry forward. Made up of a team of officials, assignors, athletes, sports enthusiasts, and industry experts, Refr provides essential tools for referee assignors to excel.
The co-founder and CEO of Refr Sports, Huck Sorock began as a life-long hockey player and part-time referee in high school, witnessing first-hand the inefficiencies of the systems that assign and pay referees. His co-founder and Head of Product, Wyatt Gustafson, brings technical expertise to the team.
Refr addresses inefficiencies such as scheduling challenges and referee shortages by streamlining operations with user-friendly mobile and web applications. The application enhances transparency, facilitates seamless payments, includes background checks, and simplifies scheduling, transaction, networking, and communication processes. By tackling these industry-wide pain points, Refr Sports is positioning itself to serve the more than 105 million sports competitions played across the U.S. each year, with a solution built to scale alongside that demand.
In many ways, this investment has been a long time coming. Refr and Traction first began talking about capital and strategy more than four years ago. At the time, Refr was too early for Traction’s thesis, but the two teams stayed in touch, with Refr keeping Traction updated through the highs and lows as the company continued to scale. That ongoing communication, transparency, and resilience were key factors in Traction’s eventual decision to invest.
“I grew up playing hockey and reffing on the side, and I saw firsthand how broken the tools were for the people running officiating behind the scenes – spreadsheets, group texts, and checks that showed up whenever,” said Huck Sorock, CEO of Refr. “We built Refr because assignors and officials deserve better than systems built in the 90s. Partnering with Traction Capital means a lot, not just for the funding, but because they understand what it takes to build a real business in the Midwest, and having Scott in our corner as a mentor is going to accelerate everything we’re trying to do for this industry. I’ve known Shane and Peyton for years now and have a ton of respect for both of them and the rest of the Traction team. We appreciate their belief in us and the trust to perform and take Refr to the next level.”
Since launching, Refr has gained 20,000+ users across 40+ states and 15 different sports. They have played a role in assigning officials to 100,000+ games a year and grown 400% YoY. Huck and Wyatt have grown Refr from a lean team of 2 to a team of 7 and added strategic advisors to their board with backgrounds in youth sports, including multiple members of the original SportsEngine team.
For Traction, this investment reflects its commitment to supporting small businesses in the Upper Midwest at critical stages of their growth. Alongside the $1M investment, Traction has already begun self-implementing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) with the Refr team, bringing the same operational framework and management process Traction pairs with its capital across its portfolio. With previous investments in the sports industry and in two-sided marketplaces, Traction brings a unique advantage. Strategic Growth Partner, Scott Litman, will serve as Refr’s one-on-one mentor and coach from the Traction team. Litman has co-founded and exited 4 tech companies in Minnesota and brings a wide range of expertise to the business.
“Refr solves a massive problem in youth sports and competitive athletics, as leagues, associations and tournaments wrestle with the challenge of making sure that every contest is staffed with officials,” said Scott Litman. “It’s great to see the platform that Refr has built, the growth they are experiencing and the retention of satisfied customers where they have solved this problem for them. I’m looking forward to supporting Refr as they continue to scale.”