FanFeed Co-Founder Cole Rubin Plans to Outrun Ticketing Giants

FanFeed, an AI-powered platform where fans can track their live-event history, is betting that speed and a customer-first mindset can help it compete in an industry long dominated by larger companies. Co-founder Cole Rubin shared his approach in an Entrepreneur interview published on October 21, 2026.

The platform lets fans view past events, access tickets and see which events their friends are attending. Teams, artists and universities, in turn, receive first-party data to deliver more personalized experiences and offers.

A Non-Technical Founder’s Edge

Rubin describes himself as a non-technical founder and says that isn’t a weakness as long as leaders know their limits. His job, he explains, is to set the vision, assemble talented people and give them ownership instead of micromanaging. The idea began with his wish to know his full history as a Ravens fan, including the team’s record at games he attended. Co-founder Jack Phifer made it practical by building proprietary technology that automatically surfaces years of past events, so users don’t have to enter them manually. Rubin calls finding Phifer the most transformative moment in the company’s journey.

Why Speed Beats Size

Asked what entrepreneurs should do if they fear being crushed by industry leaders, Rubin points to his mantra, “Only the paranoid survive.” He argues that a healthy dose of fear is useful and that startups hold an advantage in agility, since large companies often have layers of decision-making. An idea alone is just an idea, he says, and execution is what builds a business. He adds that it remains to be seen how AI will change that dynamic.

Rubin’s customer-first thinking dates back to his first business, which sold travel packages to fans following their teams on the road while he paid his way through school. He still asks what he would want as a customer, or as a decision-maker at a client company. FanFeed’s investors include StubHub co-founder Colin Evans, chosen for domain expertise and aligned incentives.