Boise startup redefines the way youth athletes register for summer training camps
NetCamps, a software company based in Boise, recently signed two NFL youth training camps to use its camp registration software. The camps – GridironDreams Football Academy, led by NFL players Alex Guerrero and Jerad Rabb, both former Boise State football players, and PatrickPeterson’s Skills Camp – will begin using the software for this summer’s youth camps.
NetCamps was founded in 2012 by Chris Chattin, a former Air Force pilot and college football player, who now is a self-taught programmer. Chattin had the idea for NetCamps while working on the football operations staff at Boise State. At that time, the staff at Boise State was hand-processing about 1,500 registrations for summer football camps – pencil, paper, checks, insurance cards, waivers – and it took roughly six months prepping for and handling the administrative workload.
“NetCamps grew from the desire to solve a very painful and time-consuming process for people who can’t afford to waste time on paperwork,” Chattin said. “When we are done, coaches’ lives will be better, and the landscape of sports will be improved.”
Working on a “Software as a Service” (SaaS) model, Chattin explained that there are several things the software could be used for, including event registration, conferences, school enrollment, gym memberships, ticketing – really anything that takes a registration and a payment. However, since the staff is made up of many former athletes, the NetCamps team tries to stay focused on what they know best. Once NetCamps has saturated the market in athletic training camps, Chattin believes that it will be a fairly easy process to expand into other markets.
The NetCamps team was able to sign the NFL camps by reaching out to individuals who staff members know personally. NetCamps currently provides software solutions for 25 camps, with several more in the works. Most are located in Idaho, Utah and Washington, but they are involved with camps all over the United States. Chattin and his team also are exploring open channels in Canada, hoping to be an international company soon.
NetCamps also debuted its software at Tech Cocktail Boise on April 17, a quarterly networking event where technology startups compete for a chance to present their company to the audience. Headquartering his business in Boise was a no-brainer for Chattin. He knows that the vibrant and constantly growing technology community in Boise is a natural fit.
“Boise is a city that is absolutely perfect for technology startups as cost of living is reasonable, which is important to new businesses. There is always something to do; it’s beautiful here; weather’s great, people are friendly, it’s awesome,” Chattin explained. “I would love to see Boise become a hub for technology startups in the future. The stars seem to be aligned for it to become one.”
For more information about NetCamps, visit www.netcamps.com