035 Frank Panko on Building A View From My Seat Into a 35M-User Fan Platform

In this episode, we sit down with Frank Panko, founder of A View From My Seat, the fan-powered platform helping millions of people see real photos of their seats before buying tickets.Frank shares how a simple dilemma while buying Phillies season tickets in 2010 sparked an idea: instead of relying on static seating charts, what if fans shared photos of their actual views? That idea grew into A View From My Seat, a global community with 35 million users and photos from more than 5,000 venues.We talk through Frank’s entrepreneurial journey—from building websites in the dot-com era to creating one of the earliest mobile apps—and how persistence, adaptability, and listening to the community turned a side project into a trusted tool for fans worldwide. He explains the “give and take” at the heart of the platform: fans use it to make smarter ticket decisions, then give back by uploading their own views for others.Frank also pulls back the curtain on the business side: partnerships with StubHub and Viagogo, plans for international expansion, and what makes authentic fan photos more valuable than 3D renderings. Along the way, he shares lessons for entrepreneurs on solving real problems, leveraging community, and building in Philadelphia.This conversation is packed with lessons on building something people truly need, scaling with community at the core, and staying persistent through every phase of the entrepreneurial journey.