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There are more possible NBA schedule combinations than there are atoms in the sun. That’s not hyperbole—it’s the mathematical reality facing anyone trying to arrange 1,230 games across 30 teams over six months while satisfying TV networks, player safety rules, arena operators, and competitive fairness requirements all at once. This impossible puzzle is exactly what Fastbreak AI, a 30-person startup out of New York, has built its business around.
Fastbreak’s AI software now powers scheduling for more than 50 professional leagues globally, quietly controlling when billions of dollars in sporting events hit your calendar.
“I’m always amazed when we produce a playable schedule,” Fastbreak cofounder and CEO John Stewart says. “It’s a nearly impossible set of math problems. We’re considering billions upon billions of possibilities.”
Map Anything
Stewart’s path to sports scheduling began with a $250 million exit. His previous company, Map Anything, was acquired by Salesforce in 2019 for its field service optimization technology, which used the same mathematical principles that would later power Fastbreak.
While still running Map Anything, in 2016, Stewart began recruiting two KPMG consultants, Chris Groer and Tim Carnes, who had built the NBA’s scheduling system, with the promise that he’d eventually start a company dedicated to sports scheduling.
