Meet Winventory, the innovative ticketing platform redefining season ticket ownership. Combining smart technology with a passion for live events, it helps fans, families, and institutions manage and resell tickets easily – maximizing value while minimizing hassle.

Launched in 2021, the platform streamlines resale with centralized management, automated fulfillment, and real-time pricing across major marketplaces and partners. Co-Founder and CEO Alex Warner – a lifelong live event enthusiast inspired by his family’s 95-year season ticket legacy – built Winventory to modernize the fan experience. Attending 75+ events a year, Alex created a tech-forward solution as outdated systems made preserving traditions harder.

The future of sports loyalty is satisfied fans.

Today, Winventory operates in 40+ North American markets and serves a growing community of sports and entertainment fans. With a fan-first approach, Winventory offers transparent pricing, flexible user-scheduled payouts, and supports both season ticket holders and single-event listings – making live events more seamless and rewarding.

Tell us about your background. What led you into the world of sports, technology, and entrepreneurship?

I’m a lawyer by training and had previously worked in hockey operations for a sports agent, as well as in real estate acquisitions. I’ve been immersed in the worlds of sports and music for most of my life. While I don’t have formal training in technology, I grew up during the rapid evolution of tech in the ’90s and 2000s, so it has always been part of my world. I started this business because of my love of sports and music, combined with my entrepreneurial spirit, to improve an ecosystem I knew could be better.

What was the inspiration behind Winventory? Was there a particular moment or problem that sparked the idea?

There were a few defining moments that shaped my path – some going as far back as when I was 8 or 9 years old. Over the years, I also found myself helping friends and family manage tickets and sourcing hard-to-get seats, all from a desire to solve a simple but persistent problem: season tickets are a great product, but often a painful one to manage. Perhaps the realization occurred in an interaction with a neighbor, who was also my dentist, when I was growing up.

He had baseball season tickets he rarely used, but occasionally offered me a pair. One day at his office, I asked if he still had them. He smiled, took me to his assistant’s desk, opened a drawer, and there was a stack of unused tickets going back seasons. I couldn’t believe it! That moment stuck with me – how could something so great go unused – and wasted? That experience stayed with me through the years and ultimately inspired Winventory.

Walk us through the early days – what were some of the biggest challenges getting the platform off the ground?

Our biggest challenge was getting the platform off the ground and proving the concept. We didn’t want to invest resources into building an app until we knew we could truly serve our potential users AND that they would value the offering. We started basically as “two guys, a couple of pencils and a fax machine,” going out to market with a simple, manual process. The response was immediately strong, which allowed us to work backwards – starting with the development of a web app and eventually launching a fully-functional mobile app.

One of the biggest early challenges was managing expectations and communicating with our initial users – many of whom thought it would be more complicated to use than it actually is.

What does your current team look like, and how has your board/team/network helped shape Winventory’s evolution?

Our current team is lean by design, but with our fully scaled tech stack in place, we anticipate significant growth over the next year. The expansion of our team, network, and board has played a critical role in our evolution. Winventory’s platform and business model are deeply rooted in the relationships and personnel decisions we’ve made from day one.

My co-founder, Sam Walderman, is a lifelong friend with deep experience in the ticketing and events space. I met our Executive Chairman, Daniel Silvers, by chance on 125th Street in Harlem while waiting in line for a Pearl Jam concert at the Apollo. You never know who you’ll end up next to – or how a conversation might lead to unexpected and lasting support. Adding someone of Daniel’s caliber helped lay the foundation for scale and maturity early on.

Since then, Daniel has been instrumental in expanding our network and introducing us to key advisors, including our newest board member, Mark Lehmann. Mark’s track record speaks for itself, and his insight has been invaluable as we navigate growth.

Together, we form a well-rounded, deeply aligned board that plays an active role in shaping Winventory’s continued growth.

How does Winventory differ from other platforms or sports loyalty programs?

We believe that Winventory is the first, and most advanced, product of its kind in this category. While there are other ticket resale marketplaces, processes, and exchanges, we believe we are the first vertically integrated platform built specifically for season ticket resale, the first to directly handle listing, pricing, sharing, and fulfillment on users’ behalf – end to end. The concept was born from firsthand, real-world experience with the frustrations around managing season tickets.

You talk a lot about building social connection and loyalty – how are fan expectations evolving, and what role does social media play in shaping that experience?

More than ever, fans want to feel closer to their teams, players, venues, and events – and honestly, none of that is really achievable without social media. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. For years, teams have used social media to offer access fans wouldn’t have had otherwise, and now they’re seeing the benefits: deeper engagement, valuable data, new fans, and connections like never before. In many ways, we care just as much about the insights and the community as we do about the game itself.

You’ve worked with several high-profile teams and leagues – what have you learned about what the best organizations do right?

The best organizations embrace their mistakes because if you’re not making mistakes, you’re probably not trying hard enough or taking enough risk. What sets them apart is how they learn from those mistakes, adapt quickly, and continuously improve. Sometimes mistakes are tactical, sometimes they’re proactive, but the key is the response – fixing the issue and coming back stronger. That mindset of resilience and growth is what makes the best organizations truly stand out.

Can you share a recent win or client success story that highlights the power of Winventory’s model?

A recent and exciting trend we’ve seen is that many existing customers are coming back with enhanced or additional season ticket packages. There’s no better proof of concept than knowing we helped someone who was previously struggling with one package to confidently add another.

What are some of the most interesting trends you’re seeing across sports and entertainment right now?

From a ticketing standpoint, I really like how venues are starting to think outside the box by offering inclusive benefits, unique access, and quirky features that add real value. For example, the Detroit Tigers didn’t just build a new club or add seats – they created an inclusive space with a standout feature: seats that have both heating and air conditioning, much like car seats. It’s a pretty cool touch, especially for a team playing in Detroit, where late-season and playoff games can be freezing cold, and mid-summer games can hit 100°. It’s a smart way to keep fans comfortable no matter the weather and a fun way to play in the Motor City.

What’s been your biggest “aha” moment as a founder so far?

My biggest “aha” moment came when we launched our single-event listing feature. Early on, users would reach out saying, “I have extra tickets that aren’t in my package – can you help me sell them?” We would assist, but it wasn’t something we actively promoted. Then one day, we realized there was real potential here and decided to build out the structure to support single-event sales. Once that feature launched, the volume of listings kept growing, and we knew we had found a new direction. That moment really opened the door for us to evolve beyond just serving season ticket holders.

Looking ahead, what are your biggest priorities or milestones for Winventory over the next 6 to 12 months?

Vastly increasing our user base is my biggest priority every day. Of course, I’m interested in partnerships that can support that and enhance our brand, but ultimately, user growth is what matters most today. It’s the key milestone I focus on, and everything else is in service of that goal.

How do you stay grounded or motivated during the ups and downs of startup life?

In addition to my wife and kids, anytime I hit a wall or start feeling insecure or worried that this won’t work, I remind myself of how far we’ve come and the huge volume of extremely satisfied users we have. If they’re happy, it’s a good sign that others will be too. It’s okay to have doubts sometimes, but you have to remember everyone starts somewhere, and progress takes time.

What advice would you give to others looking to launch a company in the sports tech space?

If you believe in what you’re doing and think it can help others like it’s helped you, then you have to go for it. Even if it doesn’t work out, no one can fault you for trying.

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