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
CAPS Network selects first cohort for $951K initiative toward rural Kansas learning expansion
A significant U.S. Department of Education grant is expected to serve as a catalyst for CAPS Network’s ambitious plan to expand profession-based learning in rural America, with a particular focus on its home state of Kansas. Seven rural partner communities already have been selected. The federal funding came after impactful advocacy from U.S. Jerry Moran,…
KC Futures DAO aims to launch Kansas City’s first blockchain-driven innovation magnet
As the US races to catch up to Europe, Asia and the developing world with regard to crypto, blockchain and Web3 tech, can the careful creation of talent-attracting digital hubs help close the distance? Today’s global economy — and its hyper-competitive talent market — rightly sees rapidly advancing technology as a relentless force, said Troy Carlson,…
New summer pitch competition builds on KCMO capital programs’ early success; applications open now
A new pitch competition is expected to give impactful small businesses and startups an opportunity to gain broader exposure and win cash prizes as the city’s KC BizCare Office expands capital programs supporting entrepreneurs in Kansas City, Missouri. In late July, five selected business leaders are set to pitch their ideas to about 50 judges,…
Vytelle’s next expansion: A third IVF lab in Australia as startup scales reproductive solutions for beef, dairy farmers
A Lenexa-based agtech company’s 21st lab space is planned for Melbourne, Australia, as the global leader in bovine in vitro fertilization works to revolutionize the industry and give farmers unparalleled access to hormone-free IVF. The state-of-the-art facility — set to open later this year — will be Vytelle’s third lab in Australia following the opening…