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.
Company: Programax
CEO: Jason Mejeur
Headquarters: Holland, MI
1. What is your elevator pitch?
Programax is a universal web-app that is changing the way coaches run their programs. The first-of-its-kind app pulls together all functions of program management for a coach and athlete, in one place. Programax allows coaches to create a custom library of skill-developing and strength-building exercises and deliver these workouts directly to smartphones – the device athletes have with them wherever they go.
Equally important, it measures the athlete’s’ activity in real time, and fosters competition and accountability across the entire program by posting their results to leaderboards. The app also allows coaches to post schedules to the interactive calendar, send texts and emails, and share files with their staff, all from any web-enabled device.
Programax was designed as an all-in-one technology for the college, high school, and youth sports spaces, and has already helped hundreds of coaches lead better programs. Having been in the marketplace for only 6-months, Programax is creating a movement allowing coaches to harness technology to engage their athletes and communicate more effectively.
Programax Demo Video – 2 minutes from Programax on Vimeo.
2. Problem & Solution
Coaches have the potential to make immeasurable impact on athletes, parents and other
coaches on their staff….but they often get bogged down by program management and admin work. Most coaches also have a full-time job – meaning their coaching duties happen in the margins of their lives.
As a Varsity Coach myself, I know first hand that there are endless hours that I could pour into skill and strength training, communication, scheduling, running camps, and teaching my coaching staffs.
Programax uses technology to minimize the time spent on admin work and maximize the time a coach can spend impacting their athletes. This creates a win for the coach, a win for the athlete, a win for parents, and a win for Programax.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
There are 1 million coaches in the United States at the college, high school and youth levels.
Programax’s primary target is currently U.S.-based high school and college coaches. Secondary targets also include club teams, youth sports coaches and private skill/strength trainers. We have a handful of coaches using our product outside of the U.S., but have not been proactive in pursuing these markets yet.
4. Business Model – how do you make money?
Currently we have three revenue streams:
- Annual subscription of $250 for a coach to use Programax for his or her entire program
- A marketplace of skill and strength packages for coaches to purchase
- A percentage of revenue from camp sign-ups
5. Management Team
Jason Mejeur – CEO
Ryan Vanderpol – CTO
Jon Slenk – Business Development
Simon VanLangevelde – Business Development
6. What else do you want the audience to know about your venture?
Sixty percent of coaches that sit in on a 20-minute over-the-phone demo for Programax recognize the value and potential of the product, and sign-up. We have a product that thousands of coaches want. Many of them just don’t know it yet.
If you could go to any sporting event, what would it be and why?
I’m a college basketball junkie. Having played in one of the top 10 college basketball rivalries (Hope vs. Calvin) according to ESPN, I would say that being in the gym for the #1 college basketball rivalry would be #1 on my bucket list. A spot to stand on the bleachers amongst the Cameron Crazies at Cameron Indoor Stadium on a Saturday afternoon would be the experience of a lifetime!
