Interview with Xan Varmuza, Founder and CEO of Sportside
It goes without saying that these are unprecedented times. Founders and investors are making drastic adjustments on a daily, even hourly basis in hopes to adjust to the unknown. Every company and team is unique, and our hope is that through sharing best practices and collaborating, we will come out of this season stronger and more resilient than ever before.
Last week, we sat down with one of our Fall 2020 class founders Xan Varmuza, founder and CEO of Sportside, to learn what’s keeping them up at night, how they’re adjusting to the COVID-19 crisis, and more:
A: We’re really looking forward to having you as a part of the Fall Class. For those who don’t know Sportside, tell us - what are you building?
X: Sportside’s mission is to increase connection, communication and participation in physical activity and sport. To do that, we’re building the global local sports club which is an app and SaaS platform.
Sportside is described as Meetup and Tinder for connecting people interested in the same sports; Eventbrite for finding sports events and competitions; Booking.com for finding facilities; and Groupon for receiving sports related special offers and discounts. In essence, Sportside provides the all-encompassing solution for anyone wanting to connect, communicate, participate and commerce in sport by creating a global local sports club in your community leading to a healthier and fitter world both physically and mentally.
On one hand, there’s the Sportside app which has a whole host of different functions - it allows users to find someone to play a sport with anywhere in the world; find a sports coach; find a sports event or competition; or find a sports facility. It also allows sports marketers, merchandisers, retailers, equipment manufacturers, brands and corporate entities to access the Sportside Community with special offers, discounts and promotions.
The platform also allows and enables sports clubs and teams to promote their club, events and competitions they are hosting and facilities that are available to rent. This results in local sporting communities being built for people to connect, communicate and participate.
A: How are you and your teams adjusting in the wake of COVID-19?
X: We are focusing on using this time to do everything we can to improve our tech and to encapsulate in our marketing what Sportside really is. There were a lot of things I wanted to do before our official launch, but we decided to attempt to build traction before we do more development work. COVID-19 will affect everyone differently but for us, it has been a slight blessing in disguise. It is allowing us to delve into the product and perfect it in every way without worrying about missing out on opportunities for people to use it.
We’re keeping the same team together at present which is fantastic. Our team is full of exceptionally talented and hardworking people, and the value that they bring to our business is incalculable. That does not mean that it is going to be smooth sailing, but our team truly believes in what we are building, and our investors are thrilled about the progress that is being made in these tricky times.
A: In what ways are you supporting your employees, now that they’re working remotely?
X: Funnily enough, our employees have always worked remotely right from the beginning. Initially we leased offices in Oxford but after COVID-19 passes, we will be preparing to move to offices to London. Our team is currently distributed throughout South East England and before COVID-19, we would have monthly meet-ups. Our employees are finding that not too much has changed for them which is always helpful. In fact, I think lots of them are delighted they can have meetings via video conferencing now rather than having to travel to meetings!
A: Are there any core company values that have shifted or that you plan to change in the future?
X: One thing that has changed drastically is our mentality. Clearly we are all working remotely at the minute but we are putting in the hard yards to prepare our processes and platforms for when the world overcomes this virus. That means when we are ready to expand, we can do so swiftly and efficiently. We plan on being in California in September and October, and the ideal scenario is that we’re able to set up quickly, bring in the right people and be ready to go immediately. It’s very easy in these times to give up and to wallow in the fact that there are no sports events for the foreseeable future. Thankfully our team has been able to retain a laser-like focus on the tasks at hand and have been working behind the scenes to really perfect our product and make sure we hit the ground running when this is all over.
We’re also a small team and that has huge benefits. I regularly remind myself and the team that we could have raised the investment we planned to raise back in January, employed 25 people, rented a big office and it would have been a nightmare. Fortunately, due to the size of the team, we can adapt quickly, something that is hugely beneficial at the moment, and ensure we are ready to go when physical activity and sporting restrictions begin to ease off.
A: What’s keeping you up at night now?
X: Sleep doesn’t come naturally to me. Being one of those people who never need much sleep, my nights are always spent with a racing brain and sometimes a whiteboard!
Of course, like any other business, we concern ourselves with our revenue streams and we discuss these with our stakeholders and our investors. In these uncertain times, we could easily have changed our business model to sell fitness products online or offer a different service to our members entirely, but that just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. Instead, we are doubling down on our original ideas and making sure we continue to focus on increasing connection, communication and participation in sports.
We also have a number of sporting ambassadors whom we speak with regularly. It can be really difficult to see the effect that COVID-19 is having on them personally, on their fellow athletes, on their sports, and ultimately on their businesses. I am constantly stressing to every one of them that Sportside and our wider community is there to help them and that we must all work together to ensure sports and livelihoods are not destroyed forever.
This pandemic will hopefully be short-lived but there will be profound and lasting changes that will impact on sport as a whole, its participants and its supporters. We at Sportside want to make sure that any change is a positive one, and we want to do that by making sure Sportside is a world leader.
I will be coming over to America in October to participate in the Founders Embassy Program and we hope to really increase our status in the US as a result. Our end goal is to set up an office and operational base where we can launch Sportside within America to do our bit in making the world a healthier, more active and positive world for everyone.
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On behalf of Sportside and the Founders Embassy team, our thoughts are with you and your loved ones in this difficult time. Physical distancing does not have to mean “social distancing” any longer - we’re here to support our founders in this journey, and we’re always an email away: founders@foundersembassy.com