Even as Derek Harper and his development team prepare to launch Daily Ace, the latest entrant into fantasy sports’ rapidly-growing daily game space, he sees the success of companies like Draft Kings and FanDuel as helping to lead growth for the whole industry.

That’s one of the big reasons Harper and Daily Ace will be at the Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s 2015 Winter Conference, Jan. 15-16 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

“We’re very excited to come to Vegas and communicate with 300 of the brightest minds in the industry, ” said Harper. “Whether you’re trying to bring an entrepreneurial spirit or if you’re an established company, everyone is trying to grow. Everybody faces a little of the same challenges. “

Harper sees the FSTA conference as a chance to help grow fantasy sports as a whole. “It’s not a king of the mountain type of thing, ” he said. “There’s lots of room for innovation. And you can be a fan of other people while bringing an entrepreneurial spirit of your own. “

A veteran of CBS Sports in the 1990s, Harper and his business and development team have been working for a year to bring Daily Ace to life. “We assembled a team of rock stars in the industry, and we took a fresh look at the space, ” Harper said. “We admire what others have done, admire the success they’ve brought to the table. With our expertise in the sports industry and our development strengths, I think we bring some new things that we hope will energize the space. “

The growth of fantasy sports has been dramatic over recent years. Today more than 40 million people in the U.S. and Canada play some form of fantasy sports. The fundamental attraction isn’t hard to figure out, Harper said. “What’s fueling it is easy. Players love to interact with other fantasy players and they love to have a stake in the games, ” he said. “In the daily space, there are two real drivers. One is being able to do it day after day and not be saddled with your same team all year. Then there’s the skills-based aspect of it-staying engaged with a sport on a day-to-day basis. “

The 2015 Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) will hold its 2015 Winter Conference on Jan. 15-16 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Among the planned events is the FSTA Experts’ League Fantasy Baseball Draft, Live on SIRIUS XM Radio, on Jan. 15 and sessions on fantasy sports legal issues, new product launches and marketing fantasy sports on Facebook. To register for the winter conference, go to www.fsta.org.