Former NHLers and current entrepreneur/investors Paul Reinhart and Bret Hedican have both invested in Vancouver startup RosterBot, a service that allows users to put team management “on autopilot”, while allowing individuals to find sports leagues and teams to play in.
Hootsuite cofounder David Tedman also participated in the round.
The investment “exceeds $1 million,” while the startup has been accepted into the acceleration program at Invoke Labs. Invoke Labs alternately accepts outside startups into its program or simply builds products on its own and spins them out into new startups. It’s most famous example, as it frequently cites, is Hootsuite, the social media dashboard company that’s been making noise in the news department lately through its CEO’s twitter account.
Launched as an experiment in 2008, RosterBot said it pioneered the idea of organizing teams and leagues using the web.
“Users have spoken, and have resoundingly supported our vision to ‘take the work outof play,’ said Ian Andrew Bell, RosterBot’s creator and founder. “As a new generation embraces the health benefits of team sports,our mission is to grow with them, service their evolving needs, and continue to lead competitors through innovation and a focus on user experience.”
“I’ve been fortunate to play at the professional level prior to embarking on my career as an investor, and have since raised three boys from tyke through to pro hockey” said Reinhart. “By bringing professional-level organization to competitors from all walks of life, RosterBot is a service that should quickly become essential to all levels of sport, and it’s a service that I certainly wish existed 15 years ago when my career as a hockey dad began.”
Reinhart is the father of Sam Reinhart, the projected 2nd overall pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft. He also recently invested in HelpHub, a platform that connects students with tutors via video chat.