If you ask Nik Bonaddio why he wanted to build a new mobile trivia app, his answer is simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my life, I\u2019ve got very few true passions: I love trivia and I love sports,\u201d Bonaddio told me. \u201cI\u2019ve already started a sports company, so I\u2019ve got to start a trivia company.\u201d<\/p>\n
He isn\u2019t kidding about either part of the equation. Bonaddio actually won $100,000 on \u201cWho Wants To Be A Millionaire?\u201d<\/a>, which he used to start the sports analytics company numberFire (acquired by FanDuel in 2014<\/a>).<\/p>\n And today, after a period of beta testing, Bonaddio is launching BigBrain<\/a>. He\u2019s also announcing that the startup has raised $4.5 million in seed funding from FirstRound Capital, Box Group, Ludlow Ventures, Golden Ventures and others.<\/p>\n Of course, you can\u2019t mention mobile trivia without thinking of HQ Trivia, the trivia app that shut down last year<\/a> after some high-profile drama<\/a> and a spectacular final episode<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Image Credits:<\/strong> BigBrain<\/p>\n But Bonaddio said BigBrain is approaching things differently than HQ in a few key ways. For starters, although there will be a handful of free games, the majority will require users to pay to enter, with the cash rewards coming from the entry fees. (From a legal perspective, Bonaddio said this is distinct from gambling because trivia is recognized as a game of skill<\/a>.)<\/p>\n \u201cThe free-to-play model doesn\u2019t really work for trivia,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n\n