New technology from startup ventures is transforming the sports industry. The mission of our Startup Profile Series is to introduce startup companies in the sports technology space to a broader audience and allow founders of new ventures to tell their story. This particular article is profiling one of the four startups in the inaugural Stadia Ventures Accelerator, which is culminating in a Demo Day on December 10th in St. Louis.
Company: Winning Identity
Founder: Joe Shuchat
Headquarters: Toronto
1. What is your elevator pitch?
The easy button for golf. Winning Identity is a customizable software application dedicated to changing the game of golf.
2. Problem & Solution
The golf instruction industry is very fragmented, we don’t see many large companies in the space. Coaches typically have only one revenue stream. The equipment side of the industry is overly brand centric, very confusing, and flooded with lots of product. Nothing ties instruction and equipment together leaving many golfers with equipment that’s not suited for them.
Winning Identity has developed a software program that assists the golf teacher to run their business, helps the golfer get better with instructional tools, and ensures they purchase the right equipment via our proprietary club fitting algorithm.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
We’re located in the golf industry with a major focus on instruction and equipment. The equipment industry is a $5 billion industry while the instruction industry is $300 million. We’re the first solution, which looks to bring these two spaces together; streamlining a number of the processes within the industry. With over 28,000 golf-teaching professionals in America alone, we aim to help each and every one of them generate additional revenue.
4. Business Model
We utilize a Software as a Service based model. We charge a monthly licensing fee to the golf coaches and in some cases a setup fee for our instruction management solution. On the equipment side, we get a commission for every club we sell. We also tier golfer memberships where any user can upgrade their account for an additional monthly fee for college golf resumes, live online lessons, and image-processed stat tracking. We have partnered with Golf Channel Academy and have begun to white label some solutions under their brand that will be launching in the coming months. Look for our swing analysis software on the Golf Channel Instruction shows.
5. Management Team
Joe Shuchat, Founder and President – Joe is a passionate golfer at heart with a background in instruction. He’s responsible for determining the direction and strategy of the company.
Derek Allard, CTO – Derek is a very strong programmer with over 15 years experience developing applications of all kinds. His primary focus is to ensure that our technology strategies with provide the optimal return on investment.
Steven Cai, Lead Developer – Steven is responsible for ensuring that all applications developed by the company are coded to the highest standard. Steven is a multilingual coder with an understanding of several different programming languages.
Our advisory team consists of James Leitz, Golf Digest top 50 instructor and top 100 club fitter, and Ben Shear, a world class golf fitness instructor and current trainer to several players in the top 50 in the world.
6. What else do you want the audience to know about your venture?
We’re dedicated to growing the game of golf. We understand the opportunities this game can provide our users and we make it our main objective to help them get the most out of the game as well. Our focus is on how can we streamline the industry to ensure that golfers get a positive experience every time they pick up a club.