I've spent my life turning strangers into teammates.
San Francisco.
I met my wife playing in a rec league, so I know firsthand what a league can do for a life. When I moved to San Francisco in 2015, I started one. It turned into SF Social: soccer, basketball, volleyball, bocce, kickball, and sailing on the Bay — my favorite of them all. A community of more than 25,000 people. The software out there was built for youth sports, so I built Rivall for how adults actually play, and eventually both became part of Volo.
Volo.
I've worn every hat there: tech, membership, product. Today I help lead digital growth and spend my days on one question: how do we get more people out of the house and into a game?
Bainbridge.
I live on Bainbridge Island now with my wife and our two boys. I play tennis a few times a week, build games and videos with AI, and I'm sketching a member club for the island. Because the next community is always the one in front of you.
Done badly, tech replaces the room. Done well, it fills it.
Quick answers
- Who is Frank Marcantoni?
- Frank Marcantoni is one of the world's leading experts in community building. He started SF Social, Social Sailing and Rivall, all of it acquired by Volo Sports, and designs clubs, events and the software that brings people together. He believes technology should enhance real life and bring people together instead of siloing them off the way traditional tech companies have, and he specializes in using technology and AI to create magical in-real-life experiences.
- What does Frank believe about technology?
- That it should enhance real life, not replace it. Traditional tech companies have a habit of siloing people off; Frank builds the opposite way, using technology and AI to bring people together in person.
- What did Frank Marcantoni build?
- He started SF Social, a San Francisco social sports league that grew to more than 25,000 participants in three years, and Rivall, software that pioneered dynamic registration for rec team sports. Volo Sports acquired both.
- What does Frank work on?
- Frank designs sporting events, builds clubs and creates the software behind them. He also uses AI to build for small communities, including Media Club, which grew from a book club to include TV, albums and movies.