CoachUp

CoachUp is a venture-funded startup company that connects athletes with private coaches.[1][2]

CoachUp
IndustryPrivate sports coaching
Founded2011 (2011)
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Area served
Nationwide in the US
Key people
John Kelley (CEO)
Jordan Fliegel (President/Founder)
ServicesConnects athletes with private coaches
Number of employees
24
Websitecoachup.com

History

CoachUp was founded in 2011 by former professional basketball player Jordan Fliegel with engineers Arian Radmand and Gabe Durazo. Its site, CoachUp.com, officially launched on May 9, 2012. The firm is headquartered in Boston.[3]

In November 2012, the firm raised a $2.2 million seed round led by venture capital firms General Catalyst Partners and Breakaway Innovation Group. Along with the two VC firms, angel investors including Dharmesh Shah, Ty Danco and Walt Winshall also took part in the funding. In November 2013, it raised a Series A round, this time co-led by Point Judith Capital and General Catalyst Partners. Other investors joining this round were Datapoint Capital, Suffolk Equity Partners, Breakaway, as well as angel investors Paul English and Albert Dobron of Providence Equity Partners. In January 2015, it was announced that former The Princeton Review chief marketing officer John Kelley was appointed as CoachUp's new CEO.[4]

Recognition and partnerships

In 2011, the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council awarded CoachUp a Golden Ticket to become a member of the CriticalMass entrepreneur community.[5] In March 2012, Jordan Fliegel took 1st Place at the Microsoft Ultra Light Startup pitch competition in Cambridge, MA.[6] Shortly after its launch, CoachUp was selected to participate in the MassChallenge 2012 Accelerator Program[7] and was later announced as $50k Gold Winner. Concurrently, the firm joined TechStars Boston as a member of the Fall 2012 class.[8] On October 25, 2012, HubSpot CTO and founder Dharmesh Shah invested in CoachUp.[9] On February 22, 2013, CoachUp was named a finalist in the Sports & Fitness category of BostInno's "50 ON FIRE" Awards.[10]

CoachUp is the official private coaching partner of the Positive Coaching Alliance.[11] the company launched an annual scholarship program for student athletes in June 2013.[12]

Athlete Advisory Council

CoachUp established their Athlete Advisory Council in early 2014 with the purpose of partnering with current and former professional athletes to improve and develop connections between athletes and coaches. It was announced in May 2014 that Philadelphia 76ers Center Nerlens Noel joined the Athlete Advisory Council. Soon after, Cam Neely, president of the Boston Bruins became its second member. In September 2014, CoachUp announced that New England Patriots Wide Receiver Julian Edelman joined the Athlete Advisory Council by releasing a short video of Edelman reading his 2009 NFL Draft scouting report.[13]

References
  1. "CoachUp scores a $2.2M Series A from General Catalyst". PandoDaily. November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  2. Clark, Patrick (July 15, 2013). "Connecting Tomorrow's All-Stars With Private Coaches". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  3. "CoachUp Launches to Connect Athletes with Private Coaches". BetaKit. May 9, 2012. Archived from the original on June 13, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  4. Castellanos, Sara (January 8, 2015). "Former Princeton Review exec is now CoachUp's new CEO". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  5. "Welcoming CoachUp to CriticalMass!". November 29, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  6. Van Sack, Jessica (March 23, 2012). "Pitches to VCs heat up; Startups compete". Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  7. "MassChallenge Announces Final 26 Startups for 2012". Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  8. Kirsner, Scott (August 23, 2012). "TechStars Boston announces startups accepted into its fall 2012 class". boston.com. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  9. Kirsner, Scott (October 25, 2012). "Investor panel at FutureM conference puts $442,000 into five startups: Timbre, NBD Nanotechnologies, Jebbit, CoachUp, and Sidewalk". boston.com. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  10. "Introducing the 50 on Fire Finalists For Dining & Retail, Sports & Fitness and Arts & Entertainment". Bostinno. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  11. "Trusted Resources of the Positive Coaching Alliance". Positive Coaching. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  12. "CoachUp Announces 3 Annual Scholarships to Help Student-Athletes Advance to College". BostInno. June 10, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  13. "Patriots' Julian Edelman Works Hard to Prove Pre-Draft Scouting Reports Wrong". October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
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