Success Stories
TeamPages.com
City: Greater Victoria
British Columbia Regional Science & Technology Network Council: Vancouver Island Advanced Technology Centre (VIATeC)
With kids these days having jam-packed agendas, figuring out sports schedules can be a nightmare for team planners and parents alike. But a group of recent graduates from the University of Victoria has tackled this problem by creating a new online media company called TeamPages.com.
TeamPages.com has developed a social networking tool that allows sports teams and organizations to manage their schedules and share information. By using Ruby on Rails, a software programming platform on its way to becoming an industry standard, TeamPages.com has been able to use its own code and develop the software to tap into the vast market of amateur sports. The company already has plans to expand its services to include message and information updates via cell phone.
TeamPages.com began when Mike Tan, the current CEO, and one of the original founders were managing a soccer team, and had a hard time communicating schedules and messages sent from the league to the entire team.
“We looked for online solutions, but there wasn’t anything out there that would let people manage teams over the Web,” says Tan.
TeamPages.com got a kick-start with support from the Vancouver Island Advanced Technology Centre and UVic’s Innovation Development Corp. The IDC Business Challenge program for students on Vancouver Island linked TeamPages.com to mentors and information to help them expand their business. Meanwhile, VIATeC helped the company by providing strategic connections to Greater Victoria’s $1.7-billion-a-year technology community, where TeamPages.com could meet potential investors and mentors. VIATeC also provided TeamPages.com with information including up-to-date compensation data specific to Greater Victoria’s tech sector. And the UVic intramural sports program acted as a ‘beta tester’ of the product.
TeamPages.com launched in September 2007, and revenue generation has already begun as other companies see the value in using the site for online advertising. With over 70 million people playing sports in North America, the market potential for TeamPages.com’s networking tool is huge.
TeamPages.com’s vision and innovation have already been recognized: the startup software company recently placed second in the New Ventures B.C. Competition, winning cash and professional services. The company has also created seven new jobs over the past year.
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