Editor’s note: Nike Accelerator Spotlight takes a look at the ten startups participating in the Nike+ Accelerator, a three-month startup program based in Portland, Ore. and put on by Nike and TechStars. GeekWire is featuring each company leading up to the June 10 demo day. Check out past Spotlights below.
The team at Incomparable Things arrived in Portland three months ago wanting to use a fantasy sports league model to make activity data like NikeFuel more social and engaging.
But as experience designers and adventure takers, the entrepreneurs found that that there was a way to take their idea to the next level.
“We quickly realized there was a much bigger opportunity in building the social fabric for activity data in a way that gives it context, a story to tell and thus becomes shareable and interactive,” said co-founder Alex Howell.
So the team kept Incomparable Things as a holding company and then created a startup called Totem, a tool that pulls in all media related to a hike or similar adventure — photos, location data, NikeFuel stats, Tweets, etc. — and turns them into a polished story.
“Totem makes that connection between the moments you feel at your best and the data that supports it, explicit,” Howell said.
We caught up with Howell, who co-founded the company with Nick Park and Veronica Velasquez, to learn more about Brooklyn-based Totem.
Explain what you do so our parents can understand it: Last year Americans went on 11.4 billion active, outdoor adventures, but these stories are being lost in the flood of content we generate around them. Totem makes it easy to tell the story of your adventures. Totem collects all the media we already create on our adventures — from photos to location data, NikeFuel to tweets — and intelligently weaves them together to tell visual, personal and complete stories that others can collect and aspire to. Our mission is to inspire everyday adventures that get people active and feeling alive.
Inspiration hit us when: I wouldn’t call it a lightning bolt. We’ve been circling around the quantified self space for a while, scratching our head, asking, “are all of these numbers and bar graphs we generate really motivating?” The answer for us was no and so we doubled-down on what we’re passionate about as experience designers and adventure takers.
Our “secret sauce” is: Nice try.
How do you plan on using the Nike+ platform and NikeFuel?: Our friend Ricky Engelberg at Nike once asked us what NikeFuel score did we have to earn to know we were winning at life. He was on to something because a rush of great stories flooded my memory when I thought of all the days I earned at least 4,000 NikeFuel. Totem makes that connection between the moments you feel at your best and the data that supports it, explicit.
Who will use your product?: People who love to get out, try new things and explore — whether solo or with friends and loved ones.
The biggest mistake we’ve made so far: Our biggest struggle as a team is combatting perfectionism. I realize that sounds like something you’re supposed to say in a job interview, but it can be a real killer in a startup. Even though we actively strive to get our product in people’s hands as fast as possible, I’m not sure we’ll ever be happy with how long that takes.
The smartest move we’ve made so far: While applying to the Nike TechStars accelerator we knew we had to strive to set ourselves apart at every step. So we pulled some stunts that in hindsight were pretty creative and awesome. I’m sure they helped separate us from the pack when it came time to pick teams. None of what we did is public yet, but it will be one day.
Would you rather have Michael Jordan, Muhammed Ali or Tiger Woods in your corner: I mean, “Rumble in the Jungle”! Need I say more? Going to a new country, inspiring millions, testing mental, physical and cultural boundaries. Ali is our kind of adventurer.
We are truly unique because: Ha, the name of our holding company is Incomparable Things so you know we’re not short on swagger. I think we differentiate ourselves by focusing on adventure. Going on adventures, however you define yours, is just fun and increasingly how we choose to be active. Totem helps you capture those peak moments and share them to a community of inspiring stories.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to other entrepreneurs just starting out: There are some adages about startups that really are true. Like, “your idea isn’t worth jack.” Scott Kveton, CEO of Urban Airship, once told us to set the goal of building a basic product in thirty days regardless of how broken and crappy it might be. That’s when you can really start figuring out what you’ve got. We’re still working on this.
The greatest tech-related invention in sports is: The Totem team has a very visual background, so I have to go with the GoPro or Contour that have completely democratized and changed the way adventures, like really out there experiences, are captured and shared. When they figure out an easy editing solution that publishes to Vine, watch out.
Our favorite sports-related app/platform right now is: Does MGoBlog.com count? Go Blue! I’m a diehard Michigan fan. My co-founder, Nick, is from the University of Wisconsin. He’ll hate this.
Your first impressions of Portland are: Eat well, get wet often, nice people abound and when the sun comes out rejoice!
Past Nike Accelerator Spotlights:
- GoRecess helps you find, book classes
- FitCause lets you donate to charity by walking to work
- Coachbase lets you draw up plays, strategies with an iPad
- FitDeck turns exercise into a card game
- Chrom.io rewards exercise with customizable fighting robots
- HighFive is the advertising middleman between brands and fitness apps
- Nextstep.io teaches you about yourself with exercise data
- GeoPalz motivates kids to exercise with reward system
Previously on GeekWire: Slick video shows why Portland is an awesome city for tech startups … Portland just isn’t where young people go to retire: It’s where they get their VC money, too
