Kickstarter

Hello!

My name is Mark Wyner. In addition to being a father of five, husband to one, and a master scorpion catcher*, I am a league bowler and a veteran web designer/developer. The last two are relevant to this project. The others are relevant to why you might want to pledge support for my project. Because kids need to eat and scorpions need to lose in a standoff in your kitchen.

So here’s the skinny on LeagueFriend™. (Oh—that’s the name of the application, by the way.)

I’ve been a bowler in two leagues for around four years. Each week we get this little black/white sheet with updated scores, standings, and the like based on the previous week’s session. The information is really packed in and there’s nothing there beyond the previous week’s numbers and some season highs.

One of my leagues posts these sheets online. Not the data, though, just image files of the sheets. And there is no way to cross reference anything or communicate with anyone else in your league. And the site it littered with ads and other blinking animations to make the entire experience second rate. Moreover, forget trying to access anything on a mobile device.

So I’m sitting there a couple years back wondering why there isn’t even a moderately decent web application for league bowlers. I dig around and find nothing of consequence. Really? Well, hell, I design/build websites for a living. I should just make one.

Two years later and I’m still creeping up on this thing. Without any funding I can’t dedicate my time to it. I spend my days with a studio of clients and my evenings/weekends with my family. But this is two years in the making, and it’s really close to being finished. And if I don’t finish it soon, someone is going to beat me to market.

So last fall my wife and I decided we would dive in and take a leap of faith. I would turn away client work this spring and dedicate my time to getting this ready in time to launch before summer leagues. It’s paying off, but the money reserves are running low and the credit cards are going to begin seeing some serious action.

And that’s where you come in, dear people of the web. I’m so close I can taste it. But I need some funding to push me over the finish line and get this to market.

So what does LeagueFriend™ do?

It enables league secretaries to manage their leagues with ease and affords bowlers an opportunity to keep a watchful eye on standings and statistics for themselves, their teams, and their leagues. Data that’s accessible in a number of relevant ways, housed in an interface that’s been designed and built by someone who not only understands the best practices of web design, but is also part of the target audience.

As a league bowler I know what I want. I have also conversed with a number of other league bowlers and league secretaries to learn more about what they want. Combined with my seasoned experience in web design, I truly believe this application is destined to be huge. I even have a road map with loads of new features which will make their appearances in new versions of the app moving forward.

But here’s the best part. Mobile use is front of mind. Today’s web is going mobile in a big way. The first version will have a web-based version of the interface available to anyone with an modern mobile device. Shortly after the initial release free native-apps will be published in app stores for iPhone, Android, Palm, Blackberry, and Nokia. Anyone with a LeagueFriend™ account will be able to use them.

There will also be a second version of the native app called LeagueFriend™ Solo™. This app is a sister app of the main application for bowlers who aren’t in leagues. It has most of the same features, but focuses on single bowlers wanting to track their own statistics.

This has been a long time coming and I just need this extra push. The funding will enable me to pay my bills while I reach the finish line of this first release and will provide some marketing dollars I need to get the word out.

Philanthropic Bonus

As an extension of the philanthropic efforts of my wife and I, we will be donating a percentage of profits from LeagueFriend™ to the Beaverton Education Foundation. They fund programs in our local school district, which is where our five children are educated during the week.

Thank you in advance to anyone who pledges to support my efforts. Your funding will make more of a difference than you can imagine.

Cheers!

*As noted in the rewards section, those who pledge $25 or more will get to hear my scorpion-catching story.