In this episode of Just A Cup, host Bryan Fetzer chats with Arpan Desai of SportsFirst, a sports-technology company building products and software used by teams and partners across the industry. Arpan shares the origin of SportsFirst, how his team ships products for real-world use cases, and where AI/automation actually delivers ROI for athletes, coaches, and front offices. We get into fan-experience apps, data privacy/design tradeoffs, and the realities of scaling a sports-tech startup (tooling, hiring, and go-to-market). Stick around for rapid-fire: favorite stadium tech, founder pitfalls, and Arpan’s advice for students breaking into sports + tech

00:00 – Welcome, show setup, why sports tech needs “on-field” empathy

02:30 – Arpan’s path to SportsFirst & the core problem they set out to solve SportsFirst

08:20 – Building for elite teams: requirements, speed, and reliability in the wild

14:40 – The AI stack in sports: where it helps (and where it’s hype) SportsFirst

21:30 – Fan apps, live ops, and measurable engagement

28:15 – Data governance & privacy by design for teams and leagues

33:00 – GTM playbook: pilots, proof-of-value, and scaling beyond seasonality

38:10 – Founder lessons: shipping fast without breaking trust

42:00 – Rapid-fire: stadium tech, must-read resources, favorite athlete-led products

45:30 – Where to find Arpan & SportsFirst; how to collaborate

46:30 – Closing + subscribe/ratings CTA

Note: Markers are approximate; feel free to adjust to your final chaptering once the audio is locked.

SportsFirst – company site & resources: https://www.sportsfirst.net/ SportsFirst

Sports Technology Trends (reports featuring Arpan): 2024 / 2025 briefs from SportsFirst SportsFirst+1

Arpan on X (Twitter): https://x.com/arpand9 X (formerly Twitter)

Arpan on LinkedIn (talks, updates): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/arpan-desai-mobilefirst_ LinkedIn

Bleav – Just A Cup (show home): https://bleav.com/shows/just-a-cup/

YouTube – @coachfetzjustacup: https://www.youtube.com/@coachfetzjustacup

This episode on YouTube (if applicable): https://youtu.be/HVAnOzhjfmE

Host: Bryan Fetzer • Guest: Arpan Desai (Co-Founder/CTO, SportsFirst) SportsFirst+1

Interested in partnering or a guest spot? DM Bryan on Instagram @coachfetz or connect on LinkedIn @bryanfetzer (also listed on the Bleav show page).

If you enjoyed this, please rate & review on Apple/Spotify—it helps more coaches, athletes, and builders discover the show.

sports technology, sports tech startup, AI in sports, athlete performance data, fan engagement apps, sports product management, SportsFirst, Arpan Desai, Bryan Fetzer, Bleav Network

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