Kyle
Talent discovery is a tough nut to crack. How can you judge whether someone is truly talented or not. There are a few startups in the talent discovery space and most of them are based on recommendations. Now of course recommendations are great, especially if you can get top shelf people in your industry to recommend you, but how can you tell your personal story?
You can make as many self YouTube videos as you would like, and those are great, but the next question then is how much talent do you have over the next guy?
SWVLE, a new startup brewing in Nova Scotia, is tackling that problem in a head to head, video to video bracket system. It’s like an all out talent tournament.
In terms of talent you can be talking about the next marketing rockstar or the next actual rockstar. When you use SWVLE it doesn’t matter what kind of talent you have you can put yourself up against someone else in your space, and let SWVLE work it’s magic.
What magic is that you ask? Well we needed to find out so we went right to the source and we interviewed SWVLE co-founder Sam Doyle. Check out the interview below:
What is Swvle?
Swvle is a game-changing online platform that uses a revamped bracket system to gives users a fair shot at becoming the next Internet sensation. A Swvle Sensation!
In layman’s terms, how does it work?
Users upload videos that are then randomly selected and matched with others in the same category. Video matchups are then placed in a bracket – a simple tournament whereby videos go head to head and public vote decides which videos move on and which are eliminated (think a March Madness bracket with American Idol voting!). Users can vote for videos directly on Swvle or tweet their favourites.The bracket’s ultimate winner is then named a Swvle Sensation and is granted premium space on the site. Once a user becomes a Swvle Champ, other Swvle users can become his or her fans.
In addition, the pool of talent in the bottom tier of the bracket is updated after each round, creating a never ending tournament and consistently new content for users to view and vote on.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
Sam Doyle (@iamdoyle), Mason MacDonald (@pokemace) and Adam Stacey (@Adam_Stacey). We grew up together in the small town of Pictou, Nova Scotia and are all currently attending Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Sam is the mastermind behind the Swvle idea, and has experience in sales, marketing, and web development. Mason is the creative force at Swvle, and draws on his passion for art (music, comedy – you name it) when engaging new users and generating interest in the idea. And finally, Adam is the details man. A stellar student with a knack for grammar, Adam manages Swvle’s content and social media presence.
Where are you based?
While we complete our Bachelors’ degrees, we’re based out of the booming metropolis of Wolfville, Nova Scotia – population 7000. But that’s the beauty of the Internet and building a web company – accessibility!
What’s the startup scene/culture like where you’re based?
Thriving, but underrated. Need proof? Look no further than InnovaCorp, Eastern Canada’s first VC firm; a direct result of all the great start-ups coming out of our region.
How did you come up with the idea for Swvle?
We were tired of seeing our talented friends get lost online, and we wanted to come up with a way that gave everyone a fair shot. We’re also sports fanatics and tend to our March Madness brackets like they’re our first born children. So naturally, we combined the two and came up with Swvle – a website that uses bracket-style tournaments to give talented individuals their fair chance at getting recognized.
How did you come up with the name?
Pronounced “swivel,” the name was created by Sam, who wanted to embody a user’s experience on the site – jumping from bracket to bracket, voting for different videos and constantly checking your profile to see the status of the videos you uploaded and voted on – the idea is that your head will constantly be on a swivel. After tweaking the spelling to make the name unique and memorable, Swvle was chosen.
What problem does Swvle solve?
Swvle takes the luck out of getting discovered online. Just like in sports, bracket-style tournaments give users the fair chance they’re looking for – if a video truly is entertaining and/or interesting, public vote will validate that and the video will succeed in its bracket. In addition, only users that have won brackets can gain “fans,” which provides further incentive to upload videos, grow a fan base and gain traction on the Internet.
What’s one dilemma you have encountered in the startup process?
We had a hard time finding a fit when it came to a developer. Thankfully we were patient and eventually found a great fit and everything has gone rather smoothly!
What’s one challenge you’ve overcome in the startup process?
Entering the crowded video space, we knew we were in for a challenge. We just had to work that much harder to differentiate ourselves from the competition and ensure our site provided incentive for users to sign up. It took us a long time to get to where we are now, but we are excited about the direction we are heading in!
What’s the first thing you would do with a one million dollar investment?
We’d expand our web development team and start hunting for local office space. As much as we love living in a university house with seven of our best friends, it isn’t always the most productive work environment.
What’s next for Swvle?
With today being our official launch date, we’re now working hard to build our user base and video pools. As that grows, we’ll be adding new site features and perks to ensure our audience stays engaged.
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