P
riya Narasimhan wonders sometimes how her life might be different if she were just a little taller.
Priya Narasimhan
YINZCAM,
FOUNDER AND CEO
She founded her company, the Pittsburgh-based mobile application developer YinzCam, in 2009 as a research project at Carnegie Mellon University. But the premise of the company was simpler and more personal than that.
She often found the views watching her beloved Pittsburgh Penguins at the now-demolished Mellon Arena blocked by larger spectators, so she went to work creating a venue-focused mobile solution for providing video replays, statistics, content from other games in progress, and additional programming for game attendees that viewers at home typically take for granted.
The Penguins were an initial client and have since been joined by more than 100 pro teams and college athletic programs. YinzCam now counts the NBA and NFL among its equity holders and has built official mobile applications for major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game and Big East men’s basketball tournament.
“It’s been an incredible ride for something that started simply as a research project for someone who was too short to see,” said Narasimhan, who remains a professor of electrical and computer engineering in addition to her work with YinzCam. “But people have liked us, stuck with us, and continued to believe in us, which is incredibly gratifying, and they have all contributed to our learning and getting better.”
— Eric Fisher
