In the third of Gather's three-part start-up series with Gather Collective Member Old Tom Capital, we welcome Adeel Yang, Co-Founder of Dryvebox.

Learn about the journey so far including how Dryvebox recently took the decision to launch its franchise model; it has rapidly scaled from its first franchise to eleven across America.

Randi Zuckerberg was an early investor in Dryvebox. Dryvebox also has a wide range of collaborations with the likes of Lululemon, Cobra Puma, Michelob Ultra, Topgolf, Malbon, Topgolf, Barstool, LAGC, Lexus, and PGA Hope.

Adeel has other startup experience and understands the investor landscape; the pros and cons of partnership deals. Couple this with the experiences of Evan Roosevelt from Old Tom Capital and you have a fascinating conversation packed full of helpful insights and advice.

Key discussion areas to listen out for:

• 3:00 mins. What did Old Tom Capital see in Dryvebox and their Founding team that prompted them to consider investing?
• 7:50 mins. What’s the backstory of Dryvebox and how did Adeel jump from being a doctor over into starting a mobile golf simulator company?
• 12:00 mins. Many businesses start from a Founder’s need to “scratch their own itch.” How powerful a motivation is this if you are starting a company? Is growing a new company as simple as this?
• 15:00 mins. The value of co-founders. Is it important to seek other people to help build a new business?
• 22:40 mins. What has surprised Adeel the most about coming from outside the golf industry and building a business within golf?
• 26:03 mins. Which market currently demands Dryvebox the most: existing golfers, or people new to golf?
• 28:11 mins. Is it less desirable for investors to invest in a company run by a single person rather than investing in a team?
• 31:17 mins. How much of the early-stage decision making at Dryvebox was done through data and insights vs gut instinct?
• 33:20 mins. Does Adeel feel part of the golf industry? Or does Dryvebox feel like an external business with a product partnering with golf industry businesses?
• 35:30 mins. Was it critical for Dryvebox to start discussing potential partnerships in the business's early stages?
• 39:52 mins. “Staying Switzerland.” What is the no.1 learning that Dryvebox took from their first few years in the golf industry?
• 42:18 mins. “Let other people do what they do best.” What is the no.2 learning that Dryvebox took from their first few years in the golf industry?
• 43:48 mins. Company Mission and Values – do they matter more to the next generation of customers?
• 51:02 mins. Was the decision to go the franchise route the biggest pivot for Dryvebox so far? What has Dryvebox learned from this?
• 58:14 mins. How can you help Dryvebox? Want to discuss potential collaborations?

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There are two letters that have become particularly famous in recent years:

AI.

So, we're delighted to welcome our guest JR Charles from ParOne to delve into this theme and help you understand what AI might mean for your business.

JR leads a small team that is flying under the radar, yet ParOne provides services to GOLF, Golfweek, Golftec, SwingU, LET, LPGA, Legends Tour, and LIV Golf.

JR and his team understand the opportunities AI offers to the golf industry. Best of all, JR discusses AI with humility; an outlook we found refreshing during our recent conversation.

Key discussion areas to listen out for:

• 04:04 mins. Every week, ParOne process over 1 billion analytics. Is this what JR and the team originally set out to achieve?
• 09:22 mins. What was the starting point for ParOne with AI?
• 11:08 mins. How a toy dinosaur taught a young JR the power of automation.
• 14:10 mins. JR runs us through a golf scenario to demonstrate how AI can solve golf problems.
• 20:38 mins. Using the science of storytelling; is the result you get from AI only as good as the data you put in?
• 24:41 mins. Fear about AI. How golf leaders can overcome their fears about implementing AI in their businesses to enhance decision making. Will it replace jobs, and will it replace traditions?
• 29:14 mins. Could AI help diversify the golf industry’s future leadership?
• 31:46 mins. “How do you get more golfers into the game?” – how would AI answer this question?
• 35:24 mins. How do we solve pace of play issues that impact course revenue – what would AI say?
• 46:26 mins. How could AI help golf course efficiencies and sustainability?
• 50:08 mins. How could AI help players improve their game?
• 51:24 mins. How could AI improve golf club fitting?
• 55:19 mins. How could AI assist golf course design and re-modelling?
• 56:56 mins. How could AI help with challenges around the ball rollback?
• 58:19 mins. How could AI help golf insurance companies better estimate risks?
• 58:51 mins. How could AI help solve the golf course supply challenge in the US?
• 59:40 mins. How could AI help sponsors that are considering investing in golf?
• 68:47 mins. Where do golf businesses start in AI?

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Do you use insights to inform marketing decisions?

What do you consider when expanding into new markets?

How do you quantify markets?

Learn the answers to these questions (and more) in just 30 minutes from Cassandra Bausch.

Cassandra is the Director of Marketing at Club Champion. Club Champion delivers tour-quality golf club fittings to high performing, and recreational golfers. Each store has more than 50,000 clubhead, shaft, and grip combinations for golfers to test. Because the company’s approach is agnostic – the fitters don’t favour one brand over another – players find the best combination of components.

After opening 100 new Club Champion brick and mortar stores in the last five years, the company is expanding internationally.

“We’re always trying to pick a segment that is underserved, or isn’t thought about in the grand scheme of club fitting. Women make up about 35% of the golf industry in general, but if you look at club fittings they are maybe 10-15%. So that’s an underserved market. When we do market analysis, what we’re looking to do is learn how to speak to that segment.” (Cassandra Bausch, Club Champion)

Key discussion areas to listen for:

• 1:08 mins. The similarities of marketing to bowling fans vs. golfers. How helpful is it for golf marketeers to be the target market?
• 7:27 mins. 100 new Club Champion brick and mortar stores have opened in the last five years. What’s the advantages and disadvantages of growing this fast?
• 9:37 mins. How did Club Champion quantify the market opportunity five years ago? Would they assess new growth opportunities using different insights and metrics now?
• 11:49 mins. Personalised club fitting has been available for a long time with club professionals. Why are more golfers getting fitted for clubs, and how is Club Champion capitalizing on this?
• 14:40 mins. What difference is Club Champion seeing with international markets? And how do you change your marketing tactics to succeed in these markets?
• 17:17 mins. When setting customer acquisition goals for a new market, does Club Champion use the same goal setting approach as in a new US state, or different?
• 18:39 mins. Gather’s Sue Shapcott conducted research for Club Champion that specifically looked at the club fitting experience for women and higher handicap golfers. How did Cassandra and the team use insights from this research to inform marketing decisions?
• 20:57 mins. How do you track brand perception and awareness?
• 24:25 mins. What is Cassandra’s framework for taking a brand like Club Champion forward in the future?

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