New technology from startup ventures is transforming the sports industry. The mission of this series will be to introduce startup companies in the sports technology space to a broader audience and allow Founders of promising new ventures to tell their story. Feel free to contact us if you know of a startup that should be considered for this series.
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Company: Phenom
CEO: Brian Verne
Headquarters: San Francisco
1. What is your elevator pitch?
Phenom is the digital identity for every young athlete in the world. At 75,000 users, we are the largest community for young athletes to create an identity around the products and brands they love and share stories about their athletic achievements. Phenom is changing the definition of athletic brand evangelism from the middle school and high school ranks.
2. Problem & Solution
Young athletes are the next generation of influencers who brands like Nike and retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods absolutely crave.
Brands and retailers have a difficult time reaching young athletes at a grassroots and granular level, gathering feedback from these segments, and understanding consumer behavior, particularly in a timely fashion.
We help brands and retailers measure, as well as increase, the efficacy of their marketing campaigns across all channels.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
The User
We are targeting the 13-18 year-old athlete. There are 45 million in the United States alone.
The Brands
Right now brands rely on traditional market research firms like Millward Brown for overpriced and largely ineffective surveys to measure the efficacy of their marketing efforts. We can tell the biggest sports brands in the world ‘who, what, when, where, and how’ their products are being used. Wilson Sporting Goods is our first major brand partner.
4. Business Model – how do you make money?
Our marketing intelligence tool, Shopletics, allows brands and retailers to access the HS athlete segment, and more importantly, gather product feedback and understand consumer behavior in a hyper relevant and targeted manner.
5. Management Team – with titles
Brian Verne- CEO
Michael Eppich- President
Clay Zug- CTO
6. What else do you want the audience to know about your venture?
Phenom is a 500 Startups Batch 16 company that was originally started in Cleveland, Ohio. Available on the iOS App Store only, Phenom reached 75,000+ users at the start of Q2 2016 and has seen as many as 25,000 MAU.
Answer 1-2 bonus questions:
If you were stuck on a desert island with any three athletes, who would they be and why?
Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr. The Cavs definitely beat the Warriors in the finals if these three guys are stuck on an island.
If you could go to any sporting event, what would it be and why?
A World Series game at Progressive Field. Go Tribe!