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The somewhat unusual idea generation process
It all started after a drunken wedding night of a teammate, when the three of us were on our way to the next training camp in Prémanon, France, the following day. Since we still had some time to “fritter away”, we went to an outdoor swimming pool. The idea of our startup was born in a flow passage. We discussed, swam, discussed and swam. We did an estimated 50 laps in circles and forgot about time in the flow passage. The euphoria was so great that we quickly realized, this idea will keep us busy for a little longer.
The start phase with ups and downs
Arrived in Prémanon, put the suitcase in the corner, started the laptop!
That same evening, we jotted down our thought processes and launched our project. What are the next steps? Should there be an app or a homepage? What about financing? Do we need help? Countless questions occupied us during our stay in Prémanon.
The next weeks/months we were busy with various researches and were allowed to acquire new skills. However,… what is the demand like? What competition is there in the market? Should we really take this step? We found ourselves in a roller coaster of emotions. But step by step we moved forward. During this intensive time, we got to know ourselves and each other even better. We invested every free minute in Trainpub. With a lot of fire, we planned our idea to the last detail and created a first demo version. With this demo version and a well thought out MVP (Minimum Viable Product) we went looking for developers to finalize our idea.
The courage to start
Some questions kept us busy. How can we reconcile top-class sports and entrepreneurship? Is our knowledge and experience enough to start a company? In addition, the Olympic Games were just around the corner. Time management has never been more important than at this stage. But working on Trainpub was more of a distraction to our daily sports routine than an additional burden. Thus, we packed up all our courage and decided to start a company.
Signing the founding documents
First web design implemented at the Olympic Games
With Mindset, we were able to find a partner who helped us set up the marketplace. At the beginning of the year Mindset started the development and we were able to focus on sports. The cross-country skiing season was in full swing. With good results, the three of us reached the selection for the Olympic Games. Preparations for Beijing 2022 were in full swing and yet we were able to invest time in Trainpub. This brought positive distraction and eased the nervousness.
When we were well settled in the Olympic Village, a message from Mindset reached us, “Can we meet in an online meeting?” Two days before the first competitions in Beijing, we were allowed to watch our first version. This provided us with additional motivation for our upcoming competitions.
The final sprint became a marathon
At the end of winter 2022 the foundation stone of our homepage was laid. The first test offers were created and uploaded by us. Until the end of June, we tested various links, the UX (user experience), we tested every step that will be made in the future by our community. We underestimated this phase, which is why our “go live” was delayed by a few weeks. Our homepage was more complex than expected and various small bugs appeared. The first time we had to fight with bugs (programming errors) in the virtual world. Together with our partner Mindset we fixed all bugs we could find. Countless meetings and countless hours we invested in our “current” final product.
After the competition is before the competition
This sports marketplace and our company are just at the beginning. The homepage meets our set requirements to enable our community to make everyday sports life more interesting in the future. Experience sports in a new way.
Your marketplace, your connection in sports!
Become part of the community and accompany us on our way.
Your Trainpub Team