Lantern scores big with Sporting Kansas City deal
June 26, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Tech firm Lantern Software’s mobile app hit the right pitch with its hometown soccer team.
Lantern CEO Aaron Sloup
The startup, located in Kansas City, Kan., recently partnered with Sporting Kansas City to offer its mobile concessions ordering platform. The deal, effective Saturday, will allow fans in Sporting KC’s Boulevard Members Club to order and pay for concessions on their phones, and then pick up orders quicker at a separate “fast lane.”
Lantern CEO Aaron Sloup said that working with Sporting KC’s affiliate tech company — Sporting Innovations — enabled the companies to try new, innovative approaches to improve fans’ experiences at the stadium.
“This is definitely a big deal for us,” Sloup said. “Their whole team has been great to work with. They want to stay at the leading edge of technology and that means they’re willing to do some new things to move quickly.”
The app, named Gameday, allows fans to choose concession items and pay for their order via credit card or PayPal. Featuring Sporting KC colors and photos, Gameday then tracks fans’ orders, notifying them of when an order is placed and ready for pickup from a separate line.
Gameday app
Fans may draft an order before entering the Boulevard Members Club, but must enter the club to activate the order via small Bluetooth beacons confirming one’s proximity. The app is now available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.
“We’re continuously looking at ways to improve the fan experience at Sporting Park,” Sporting KC CEO Robb Heineman said in a release. “Lantern has a proven track record of using micro-location to improve the fan experience at sporting events. We are excited to form a relationship with a local company to provide a service that will greatly benefit our fans.”
Lantern previously was conducting pilot testing with the same app technology with the Kansas City Chiefs. Sloup said that testing has yet to result in a contract, though he remains hopeful for a partnership.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Innovation Festival returns Aug. 16 with focus on human connections in a surging biotech hub
While the third iteration of BioKansas’ Innovation Festival might initially seem scaled back, said Dr. Kevin Mills, the summer biosciences conference is amping up its emphasis on what makes Kansas City a great biotech hub. “The idea is really to get people with really diverse viewpoints and diverse jobs and careers together to hear from…
I’m with Hank: Meet the tribute-turned-brew child of these beer-drinking serial entrepreneurs
A limited-release craft lager at Jim’s Alley Bar and Alma Mader Brewing pays homage to classic American brewing traditions and a shared family name, said Nick Mader and Eric Flanagan. The duo joined forces this summer to release “Hank” — in honor of several family relatives with the middle name “Henry,” as well as Flanagan’s…
CPKC Stadium, Rabbit hOle named to TIME magazine’s list of ‘World’s Greatest Places’
Two recently opened Kansas City attractions were announced today among 100 extraordinary destinations to visit; named to TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places. TIME’s annual feature includes CPKC Stadium, home to the KC Current and the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional team, and The Rabbit hOle, a North Kansas…
Kansas artist carves Kamala Harris’ portrait into a field — and left room for her VP pick
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. World-renowned crop artist Stan Herd is almost finished with the portrait of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee outside Lawrence, Kansas, near…