The local startup scene is usually a good barometer for the business environment, and I’m always encouraged by the creativity I see with young entrepreneurs.
Michael Gifford, the founder of Dodecki (www.dodecki.com), stands out. The 34-year-old, who formerly worked as a graphic designer at West Hawaii Today, says the goal of his company is to “make the world more efficient.” He has developed an innovative mobile commerce app that allows restaurant customers to place orders through their smartphone and pay for the meal so it’s ready when they arrive.
The saving of time and hassle for the customer is a no-brainer. On the merchant’s side the advantages are equally compelling. By receiving orders displayed on screen, the process is indeed more efficient, and orders are less apt to be misunderstood. What’s more, the order is prepaid, and the arrangement is free of charge for all concerned.
Dodecki, which makes its money off ads, also can be used by the restaurateur to distribute promotions in a precise way. Once a customer database is established, ads for specific dishes can be targeted at specific customers who live in proximity to the restaurant.
“Marketing dollars,” said Gifford, “can go further than traditional media.”
He already has two Oahu restaurants as customers — Up Roll Cafe and Baker & Butcher — and Kope Lani on Hawaii island. He hopes to expand the business to other types of retailers.
Prepping students for bigger leagues
VarsityPrep (www.varsityprep.com), founded by University of Hawaii students David Holt, Italo Robinson and Travis Ganiko, is a startup that focuses on preparing athletes for high school and college sports.
The company does this by matching private coaching with athletes on a solo or group basis. They will customize their services to accommodate a student’s specific needs. This could entail conditioning, helping a youngster prepare for a tryout, improving skills and techniques ranging from shooting hoops to scooping up ground balls.
Holt reckons that the youngsters benefit not only by improving skills, but deriving greater pleasure and success. Proper technique also lessens the risk of injury.
The main source of VarsityPrep coaches are college athletes. There are a number of advantages to hiring college students. First off, they are closer in age to high school students, so there’s greater chance for coach and student to bond. From a purely practical standpoint, college students are less expensive to hire than older adults. There are a number of price packages for VarsityPrep sessions, starting at four lessons for $60.
Sports, says Holt, are both an important rite of passage for boys and girls and often a ticket to an athletic scholarship. VarsityPrep coaches can help youngsters jump through the hoops in applying for scholarships because they have been there. Holt cites his own experience as a high school athlete who didn’t even know that he should be communicating with college coaches.
“I got lost in the shuffle. Meanwhile, other students were sending videos to coaches,” he said.
Holt wants to establish a program that will help students with college essays and applications, and connect athletes with coaches as they apply for scholarships.
VarsityPrep also provides video coaching so that athletes can learn regardless of their location and, in the future, will offer baseball, soccer and conditioning videos. Viewers who like what they see have the option to sign up for individual coaching to reinforce the skills they learn in the videos.
Holt reckons that there are literally millions of young athletes brimming with talent who are burning to play sports but don’t have all the chops they need to be successful.
“We’re here with an affordable solution,” he said.
Mike Meyer, formerly Internet general manager at Oceanic Time Warner Cable, is now chief information officer at Honolulu Community College. Reach him at mmeyer@hawaii.edu.
