Case Study: Pumpjack Dataworks achieves unified, monetizable fan data insights with Databricks

A data refinery to manage, secure and monetize fan data

Pumpjack Dataworks helps sports organizations turn fan data into a monetizable asset, but faced a major challenge: much of that data was “unknown,” making it hard to identify fans, prove audience value, and unlock sponsorship and licensing revenue. Their earlier Redshift-based setup was complex to scale, error-prone, and costly to maintain, limiting their ability to provide a single source of truth for fan insights.

Using the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, Pumpjack Dataworks unified data from profiles, viewing preferences, ticketing, merchandise, and social interactions into a secure, accessible fan data refinery. With Databricks, they made fan insights actionable for sports rights holders, helping create targeted experiences and new digital revenue streams; the case also notes that poor fan visibility can severely impact deals, such as a FC Barcelona sponsorship opportunity dropping by 70% in value when only 10% of fans were identified.

Pumpjack Dataworks

Tom Tercek

Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer