PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Student startup Scoutr is revolutionizing the athletic experience, one honest review at a time
Scoutr puts athletes first when it comes to the most important decisions of their athletic career
February 14th, 2017 – Created by former junior hockey player Stormer Santana, Scoutr changes the way athletes and families make one of the most important decisions in a young player’s career – where to play their sport.
Scoutr is the first website of its kind to allow athletes to anonymously rate, review, and share their experiences playing on competitive hockey teams and leagues in Canada and the United States. Think Yelp! or Rate My Professor for competitive sports. At this time, Scoutr focuses solely on hockey, with the goal to build up the number of reviews and gain insightful content on all 400+ hockey teams on the platform. Scoutr will scale to lacrosse and all college sports in later 2017.
“Currently, when an athlete is looking to develop and compete at the highest level, there is very little unbiased information available to the athlete and their families. Often the only information one has is coming directly from the coach who is recruiting them, and this information can be skewed” says Stormer Santana, Scoutr CEO & Founder. “Scoutr aims to provide a voice for the athlete and add a level of transparency to athletics that has been absent.”
Using a simple, yet effective verification process, Scoutr confirms that every review is submitted by someone who has played for that team. Once confirmed, the review is anonymously published. Athletes are able to rate and review nine categories; academics, travel, equipment, facilities, management, living conditions, game atmosphere, team reputation and exposure. Parents can also leave information on their child’s experience from their perspective.
“We have done our research and know that a tool like Scoutr is needed across all sports,” says Santana. “When you have devoted your life to training for a sport, decisions like where to compete or where to go to school shouldn’t be made based on information from one single, potentially biased source. These are important, possibly life changing decisions. The only way to get a full perspective is to learn from those who have been there before you.”
New Jersey Devils draft pick Anthony Brodeur stated, “The potential that Scoutr has to influence up and coming athletes and families is very powerful. It provides a level of accountability and transparency for organizations.”
Stormer Santana created Scoutr as a result of his personal experiences and those of his teammates. To help turn the idea into reality, he reached out to the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, a catalyst for economic development and diversification in the technology sector in his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, and it’s YouLaunch team, which specializes in youth entrepreneurship. Through their entrepreneurial advice and business support services, Santana was able to access over $20,000 in startup funding, $6,000 of it through the National Research Council Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) which allowed Santana to successfully launch and create the online business.
“Stormer has come up with a new and innovative idea that will enhance the athletic experience for current and future athletes. Here at the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, we’re very proud to work with him and help get the web-based business up and running,” said Don MacLennan, Acting Executive Director, Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre. “Our YouLaunch team’s ability to help a young entrepreneur through the process of starting a business, providing guidance, and helping obtain funding from partners like NRCC and NOHFC is very rewarding.”
“We want athletes to find their path as much as we want transparency and honesty amongst teams. We strive to make Scoutr the benchmark metric for future athlete and teams alike” adds Santana.
Scoutr is now officially launched. Athletes are encouraged to rate and review the teams and schools they have played for, as well as for parents to review their experience of the teams their child has played on.
Highlights:
· Launched Feb. 14th, 2017 with over 100 thorough team reviews and 400+ teams on the platform.
· Former junior hockey player and Scoutr Founder, Stormer Santana aims to provide elite level hockey players and families with a voice and the proper transparency to make important development decisions.
· Scoutr is the first platform to allow athletes to anonymously rate and review their experience while playing on competitive teams.
· “Competing at a high athletic level involves making important decisions. Where do I play? Where do I focus recruitment? What will my living situation be like? Athletes need unbiased information from athletes who have been there.” – Founder Stormer Santana
For media inquiries, please contact:
Stormer Santana, CEO & Founder
720-280-1041
