The High School Sports Tech Solution

High school athletics is an "industry" poised for big growth. BigTeams is a tech firm with 4,500 customers in said industry. It's perfect timing to hire its first CTO.

Mark Keffer (back row, far right) started at the McLean firm this week and will relaunch the company’s mobile app in about a month. High schools use the software to build websites that organize the team’s schedule, fundraising campaigns, communications with athletes and their parents, and process applications from incoming athletes. CEO Clay Walker (back row, next to Mark) says the company’s growth is being driven by shrinking school budgets and athletic programs having to rely on raising funds from parents and the wider community. The company, which has $7M in outside funding, launched in 2008 to offer a fundraising platform. Big Teams expanded its product when it acquired Schedule Star from Gannet in January 2014. The other members of the team are Jeff Gilbert (back row) and Steven Galm and Paige Keffer in the front. 

Mark, a former Navy officer who worked on submarines for six years, will lead the 20-person company’s release of a new online registration system and rewriting the platform from Cold Fusion to Java. The changes will allow parents and coaches to start sharing photos, because well…high schoolers like photos. Clay, who worked as SVP of the NFL Players Association's licensing and marketing company and as a VP for USA Today Sports after selling his company to the media company in 2012, says several sponsors are being signed. The most recent is Adidas, and Clay says others will be announced shortly.