As the entrepreneurial scene grows not only in Cincinnati, but nationwide, different sectors of the business community are getting involved in all sorts of ways. The
E.W. Scripps Company, a national media group headquartered in Cincinnati, has begun incubating startup companies and ideas within the structure of the company.
Launched in April by Scripps,
Youthletic is an online tool for parents in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky to help them find the best sports organizations for their kids. Youthletic allows parents to search through options based on location, age, cost and reviews.
“Within Cincinnati alone, there are over 1,500 organizations,” says Bo Schuerman, director of digital solutions and new business development Scripps and Founder and CEO of Youthletic. “If you are just Googling sports organizations in your area, the results are pretty overwhelming. The parents want to have confidence in their decision-making; what we want to do is build that confidence in the selection process and help them figure out what’s right for their family.”
Youthletic promises that it has done extensive research on these organizations so that parents don’t have to worry vetting them themselves. Though launched in the spring, the team spent six to eight months not only on developing the product, but also on building a comprehensive list that so far includes more than 1,200 organizations in the region. The platform allows registered users to set up reminders and alerts as well as rate organizations and send messages.
“We’ve also brought in local experts to provide guidance and expertise to parents,” Schuerman says. “The site has all sorts of helpful content on youth athletics, including the benefits for childhood development such as leadership, character, sportsmanship and time management. We chose to include this type of content after talking with many parents about what they need.”
The Youthletic team is still small, with four or five employees working on it at the moment, so it still functions like a small startup. The main difference is that has access to Scripps' vast array of resources and doesn’t have to scramble for funding. Schuerman says it’s like having a “built-in” venture capital firm.
“This division launched about a year and a half ago,” Schuerman says. “It’s really the best of both worlds.”
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