While enrolled in the MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Trinity Business School in Dublin, Ireland, Lucy embarked on a new journey—bringing her fledgeling idea for a potentially revolutionary app into the world.
Here, Lucy shares where she found her inspiration, recounts her journey so far, and reveals how studying at business school has given her the tools to live the entrepreneurial life.
What inspired you to start your business?
As a long-time supporter of women’s football, I was attending an Ireland Women’s game in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin when I realised there was no one application that could be downloaded to get quick and easy access to other women’s football results exclusively.
Often, fans could have three to four different apps downloaded on their phones to try ‘patch together’ information about women’s football matches.
When I started speaking with other supporters across the UK and Ireland, it was then that I decided to build SportElle—providing one-click access to women’s football scores.
What’s your business USP?
SportElle is a mobile application for women’s football. The mobile app currently offers real-time updates, in-depth analysis, live scores, statistics, and news to fans of women’s football globally. The app showcases 28 women’s football leagues across 12 countries, ensuring fans never miss a moment again.
SportElle hopes to partner with professional football clubs to provide club-generated commercial and media content to fans, whilst capturing insights on fan behaviour and analytics, powering clubs to leverage and better understand such data on their fanbase and generate new commercialisation opportunities.
In addition, commercial partners benefit from cross-platform advertising and sponsorship opportunities throughout SportElle, increasing global reach for their company as well as benefiting from connection with an engaged female fan audience.
How many people do you employ?
SportElle currently employs two freelancers in marketing. We’ve just secured our first partnerships and the business will be revenue generating in advance of 2025.
What part did your b-school experience play in developing your business idea?
My business school experience was instrumental in transforming SportElle from an idea into a viable business model. The modules I studied throughout my time at Trinity allowed me to validate the idea through theoretical market research and to refine and pitch my ideas based on the feedback received from such research.
My learnings from business school really helped in identifying SportElle’s value proposition
How do you draw upon the skillset developed at b-school?
I continually draw upon the skills gained from business school as we prepare for funding rounds. Data-driven decision making and financial strategy learned in university has become increasingly valuable. It was in business school that I first learned how to pitch a business, this experience to practice in front of my classmates was fundamental in building confidence and reassuring me that this was the right idea.
How has your b-school network helped with your business development?
The network I built at business school has been a great asset to SportElle.
Having access to mentors in the tech and sports industries has opened the door to critical insights on how to shape SportElle and great advice on product development and market entry. Additionally, connections from business school have facilitated introductions to potential investors and strategic partners, further propelling SportElle’s growth.
What obstacles have you encountered along the way?
A significant obstacle involved breaking into an underrepresented market and convincing stakeholders of the commercial viability of a women’s football-focused platform. However, building hype around SportElle as both a brand and a product, as well as creating new partnerships with well-known sports brands helped to overcome this and proved the potential value of SportElle
Where would you like your business to be in five years’ time?
In five years, I would like SportElle to be the leading application for women’s sports. I would like to develop new features whilst also expanding SportElle’s offerings to include more sports and create partnerships that bring true value to women’s sports fans.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business?
My advice would be to start with a problem that you’re interested in and passionate about solving. Ensure it is a tangible problem—speak with potential customers and absorb their feedback. Build a network where you can share support and ideas together.
How would you describe a typical day at work?
A typical day starts with planning the day ahead, replying to emails and ensuring content has been posted across our social media. Often, the morning may involve a stand-up meeting with our app developers to ensure the app is running smoothly or to plan new features.
The rest of the day might involve calls with potential sponsors or individuals in the sports tech space who we may be interested in working with or would like to hear more about SportElle. I also spend time content planning and understanding user feedback to inform the business’ next steps.
At weekends, I’ll watch as many women’s football fixtures as I can, to ensure we have interesting news and content for the week ahead.
