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.
Company: Membi
CEO: Arran Abbott
Headquarters: London
1. What is your elevator pitch?
Membi is a search engine for discovering sports and fitness clubs. We make it easy to search by price, location, facilities, you can compare reviews, photos and more. Whether you’re looking for a new gym or golf club, Membi makes the search process much quicker and easier.
2. Problem & Solution
The idea for the company came from a personal problem, when Arran moved house to a new area in London. Being an active sportsman, he was looking for a new gym, golf club and tennis club near his new home. The process of searching through all the different clubs, their website, trying to find accurate reviews or even basic information such as pricing was an incredibly slow and arduous task.
Naturally we thought, surely we can create something better? Wouldn’t it be great if we had all the information in one place where you can see everything you might like to know about a new gym or sports club, quickly and easily. A place where you can immediately search for exactly the type of place you are looking for and get the answers immediately. This is how Membi was born.
Over time the idea grew further as we realised that not only were people struggling to find the information they need, but at the same time, clubs are finding it difficult to fill their venues and are desperate for new members and off-peak users. By getting clubs onboard with the service, Membi is able to solve both these problems at once. The platform helps users find the activities they are looking for while driving quality leads and enquiries to clubs and coaches.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
There are over 15 million people in the UK who play sports at least once a week. As Membi is just getting started, we have decided to focus only on a few key categories, namely gyms, tennis and golf, three markets in which we are familiar and have useful contacts. In addition, the team is based in London, so we have chosen to launch the service just in London (and surrounding areas) to begin with. Our aim is to eventually expand to the whole of the UK, covering all major sports, and hopefully to grow internationally in the future. With government stimulus to try and get more people active, and an increasing appetite for a healthy lifestyle from the public, we believe Membi is well positioned to help the cause.
4. Business Model
For the services we offer to clubs and coaches, we charge a monthly subscription fee, plus a flat fee per enquiry that is sent through the platform.
5. Management Team
Arran Abbott – Co-founder & CEO
Arran has over 8 years experience in sales and marketing, most recently working for Mars. An avid sports player, Arran plays golf, tennis, cricket and others to a high standard and has a wide network of contacts in the sports industry.
Peter Matev – Co-founder & CTO
Peter is a software developer with many years experience building modern software and websites. Most recently, he worked for a startup hedge fund where he helped to develop their web-based trading systems. Peter is also a keen tennis player and attends the gym often.
6. What else do you want the audience to know about your venture?
As the co-founders of a sports tech startup, we are incredibly passionate about sport and have made it our mission to try and show the world how amazing playing sport regularly can be. We have the aim to get more people playing sport, particularly those who have never played before, and thereby try to make a healthier, more sociable society.
Bonus Questions:
If you were to invite any CEO to dinner who would it be and why?
Definitely Elon Musk. This guy is a huge inspiration to so many people, not only for the successes he has had with startups and business in the past, but also for the companies that he is currently running. He is probably the best example I can think of, of someone who has made massive contributions to society and has quite literally changed the world. I also think any conversation over dinner with him would be fascinating as he is knowledgeable on so many different topics.