Avi Stopper, CEO of
CaptainU, says he'd like to fill five technology and customer-service positions in Denver as soon as possible.
Stopper founded the company in Chicago in 2008 and relocated the headquarters to Denver in 2011.
“We've built the largest youth and collegiate sports network online,” says Stopper. “We're connecting all of the key constituents: players, coaches, fans, school counselors.”
The site's 500,000 users can access free features -- players can build a profile page, for example, to showcase everything from YouTube highlights to SAT scores to college recruiters -- but paid users have access to upgraded features like a comprehensive list of college coaches and their contact information. Subscriptions are $20 to $40 a month.
“As an athlete, there are a number of tools you can use to promote yourself,” says Stopper. “What we care about most is fit -- when you're going someplace not because it's the right team -- but because it's the right school.”
New in November 2012 was
Radio CaptainU. “We're doing interviews with fascinating people around the world of college sports,” says Stopper. “We're trying to pull back the curtain."
The company is self-funded, says Stopper, and all of the growth is organic. “We're really proud that we've been able to grow the company without any outside funding.”
Eight of CaptainU's 14 employees are in San Francisco, primarily working in sales. Five are situated in the Denver office in the Art District on Santa Fe.
Stopper says he picked Denver over the Bay Area for CaptainU HQ for several reasons.
"Denver is an awesome, emerging technology center,” he says. “San Francisco is totally flooded with startups. It's difficult to distinguish yourself."
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