Sanwood, LLC is crowdfunding its launch of Sweet Spot, a smart swing sensor for golf and tennis. Sweet Spot is available for preorder through Indiegogo.com and supporters of the campaign are able to reserve Sweet Spot for $99.95. Sweet Spot was developed by Sanwood, LLC and founded by Dr. Robert (Bob) Woods and Eric Sanchez with development in Santa Barbara, CA and business development in Las Vegas, NV.
Sweet Spot is a smart swing sensor that connects via BluetoothSmart to an iOS or Android app and works with any golf club or tennis racket. The Sweet Spot sensor records data from a golf club and tennis racket, helping players improve their game by gamifying practice and play. Sweet Spot’s Swing Away Activity Games develop a users’ swing and make practice fun through multilevel training games for all ages and skill levels. Sweet Spot’s social integration will allow users to connect with friends on Facebook to challenge, compete, and share accomplishments. The activity games teach the fundamentals of golf and tennis while developing the key skills.
Sweet Spot is the first product from Sanwood LLC, a developer of activity gaming technology. is the technology development company behind Sweet Spot and IoT Skybox. The Sweet Spot sensor records data from a golf club and tennis racket, helping players improve their game by gamifying their practice and play time.
Today’s sedentary technology is adversely impacting the health of our children, but Sweet Spot is part of a movement to change that trend with “internet of things” devices that gamify activity. Activity games, like Sweet Spot, engage users and challenge them by making it fun to learn how to play a new sport. Sanwood incorporated game mechanics to make Sweet Spot challenging for all skill levels and by connecting Sweet Spot to Facebook, players will be able to challenge their friends around the world.
Regarding the crowdfunding campaign, Eric Sanchez, President of Sanwood LLC, said, “We are very excited to be launching on Indiegogo. This is a great opportunity for us to intro the product at a discount and help us finalize our tooling and manufacturing here in the US.”
Register now for preorder notifications by visiting http://gosweetspot.net/preorder. Sweet Spot’s crowdfunding campaign is now live. Contributors that give $99.95 will receive a Sweet Spot sensor and hardware for golf and tennis. To learn more about Sweet Spot, visit www.GoSweetSpot.net.
For Press inquiries, contact Sweet Spot Marketing rmcmanus(a)contentvia.com.
About Sanwood LLC & Sweet Spot
SanWood, LLC is a Nevada-based corporation with software and hardware development in Santa Barbara, CA and business operations at The Integration Center in Las Vegas, NV. Learn more about Sweet Spot at www.goSweetSpot.net.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Pioneering Hackathon Event to Accelerate Latino Entrepreneurship Takes Off on the Central Coast of California
SANTA MARIA, CA - July 2, 2014 - Nestled between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Santa Maria is part of a Central Coast hotbed of rising entrepreneurial activity. Set to take place on August 1st - 3rd, Startup Weekend Santa Maria (http://santamaria.startupweekend.org) is aimed at accelerating entrepreneurship in an arena where Hispanics account for 70% of the population.
Offering a dynamic runway for launching new ideas, Startup Weekend Santa Maria brings a robust mix of mentorship, idea generation, unmatched networking, team building, and startup community energy. “Startup Weekend is a legitimate resource for people with ideas and we are delighted to help make this event a reality providing a solid launch pad for entrepreneurship to the local Hispanic business community,” stated Sandra Valdez, Co-Organizer and local business leader.
“This ‘No talk. All action.’ event stands as a true landmark in enhancing the economic vitality of our city and region.”, said Jose Huitron, Co-Organizer and Central Coast Chapter Director of the Latino Startup Alliance. “We are beyond excited to address a growing demand for startup fuel and help share the unmatched excitement of Startup Weekend by hosting an event in Spanish that will foster tangible outcomes and continued momentum.”
To register or attend this event, follow this link Register!
Startup Weekend Santa Maria en Español will take place at MIYB Spaces, the newest coworking facility on the Central Coast.
ABOUT STARTUP WEEKEND
Startup Weekend (http://startupweekend.org) is a non-profit, community-building event that brings together entrepreneurs of different backgrounds, including software developers, marketers, designers, and other enthusiasts throughout the globe. They gather to to pitch ideas, form teams and start companies in just 54 hours. The participants that attend have 60 seconds to make a pitch (optional), the pitches are whittled down to the top ideas, and then teams form around the ideas to come out with several developed companies or projects. Finally, the weekend culminates with demonstrations in front of an audience of judges and potential investors.

Friday, June 6, 2014
For Latinos Gaining Access to Capital is Like Climbing Mount Everest
Capital is a critical resource for accelerating ideas and keeping entrepreneurs on the path to changing the world. However, a recent study highlights significant discrimination in the land of plenty.
Conducted by business school professors at Utah State University, Brigham Young University and Rutgers University, the study featured nine businessmen—three white, three black, and three Hispanic. Similar in size and stature, donning the same outfits, and armed with similar education levels and financial profiles, they visited numerous banks seeking a roughly $60,000 loan to expand the very same business.
The Hispanic and black business owners were provided far less information about loan terms, offered less application help by loan officers, less frequently handed a business card, and asked more questions about their personal finances. (Washington Post)Despite the fact that Latinos make up the fastest growing entrepreneurial segment in the U.S., these barriers in financing prove as a stark reminder of the need to amplify awareness around the real challenges that exist for minority entrepreneurs.
In an arena where only 1-2% of VC money finds its way to African American and Latino entrepreneurs, there is still plenty of work to do and kudos to those who are raising the flag of awareness.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Developments in the Hispanic Media Market
Media companies' interest in the booming Hispanic market increasing according to a recent timeline report released by the PewResearch Journalism Project. Providing a solid overview into the growth of media outlets geared towards the Hispanic market, the timeline highlights an important overview of the media landscape.
"What’s clear from the timeline is that general market companies, those that also own outlets geared to the overall U.S. population have jumped into the Hispanic news industry in recent years. Six of the seven national outlets listed were started by these general market companies, including a handful that are partnerships: Fusion is a partnership between ABC News and a company focused solely on Hispanic media (Univision) and MundoFox is a partnership between Fox International Channels (owned by 21st Century Fox) and RCN Televisión, a Colombian broadcast television company."The fact remains that solid material geared towards the Latino market has the potential to garner significant growth and relevance among an audience that is hungry for quality content. There are obvious pioneers in the business of Hispanic media. Today, the energy around entrepreneurship combined with rising technologies has presented individuals and organizations with a great opportunity to satisfy the market's desire for relevant content based on insights, cultural affinity, and good judgement.
It will be interesting to see the continued rise of winners and losers in this competitive landscape.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Entrepreneur Series | Q&A with Kevin Hernandez, Founder of RecCheck
Ideas are better served with inspiration. Sometimes on the roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship we need a little bit of motivation and a hard reminder about the possibilities in front of us and the merits of hard work. Kevin Hernandez is the Founder of RecCheck, a mobile application that would allow users to easily set up pick up games with their friends and other players around them. RecCheck is a way for users to discover new parks and players in their area. Following is an interview with Kevin who recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdismo. (Disclosure: I am a Co-Founder of Crowdismo and huge supporter of Kevin's startup.)
Tell us About Yourself | You have an amazing story.
I was born and raised in the Silicon Valley so I have always had a very strong interest in technology and entrepreneurship. Growing up during the Dot-com Boom, I was always surrounded by crazy ideas that seemed to only work here in the Valley. Additionally, my parents always taught me that hard work pays off and they exemplified this mindset by leading by example. My mother worked her way from the Philippines all the way to the Bay Area where she worked many jobs in order to put me and my sister through school. My father also went through his share of struggles just trying to make his way to the United States. He left El Salvador in the 80s while the country was going through a civil war. He had a vision of raising his kids through education and the right morals. This is why I have such a strong affinity with education and especially schools that teach entrepreneurship. Because of this, I decided to earn a degree in entrepreneurship from Arizona State University where I graduated Magna Cum Laude. After graduating from ASU, I decided that I wanted to further my education and expand my network. That's when I decided to apply to the program at Draper University.
What was it like at Draper University?
Draper University was one of those rare experiences where you feel like you can accomplish anything. Here we were taught to be bold and have radical ideas. But to us, our radical ideas were just "out of the box" solutions to problems that needed innovative thinking. We listened to speakers that changed the world with video games, coached companies into billion dollar successes, had theories of the universe that would make Einstein cringe, and even a founder that sold a company while he was still in High School. Everyone that I encountered at Draper University was like-minded and incredibly talented. This was the first time I felt as if I could really bounce ideas with others in such a welcoming environment. Since this was a boarding school, I was able to form lifelong connections with my fellow classmates and I still talk to a lot of them to this very day. Looking back, I'm incredibly grateful to Tim Draper for putting together such a life changing experience. Here I learned to be brave. Whether it was trying to get a job offer in one day, learn someone's life story, recount my most embarrassing moment to a room of 50+ people, or pitch an idea to a team of investors, I always felt prepared and feel like I can accomplish great things with courage and even a little bit of failure.
If you could lock in the mentor of your choice who would you choose and why?
If I could lock in the mentor of my choice it would be someone that values education and has been surrounded by entrepreneurship. Additionally, I'd like a mentor that knows what it takes to succeed as a startup. This is why I feel blessed to have two mentors that exemplify this with Bill Draper and Bruce Brege. Bill has aided in the success of countless startups and even worked in D.C. as the President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Bruce has been my mentor since high school and has always supported my education. With his guidance, I've been able to go through a 4 year university and even start my own company. Bill and Bruce have been tremendous mentors and continue to support me with my endeavors.
Have any tips for other Latinos(as) looking to get into an accelerator?
My biggest tip to Latinos(as) looking to get into an accelerator is to just do something risky and fail while you're at it! Entrepreneurs are supposed to know how to take defeat and dust themselves right off in order to tackle their next challenge. I challenge anyone trying to get into an accelerator to start something. The lessons you gain will far outweigh anything you have to lose. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to be a bit crazy.
What's the idea behind RecCheck?
As someone who loves to play sports and compete against other people, I enjoy hitting up the local court or field to play a game. However, often times I find that there's no one there or no one is willing to play a game. After experiencing this several times I decided to come up with the idea of RecCheck. RecCheck will be a mobile app that lets users discover and organize pickup games around their area. Users can set up a profile according to their favorite sports and difficulty level then challenge players around them, join in on open games, or even create their own events. After a nice run, users can add other players to their network in order to invite them to future games. Also, as a premium feature, players can earn rewards by checking into parks and clocking in their hours. So, the more you play, the more points you get for things like protein shakes, coupons for athletic apparel, sports equipment, etc.
Love it. So this is a mobile startup plat that encourages folks to be active?
Yes, and our motto is actually "Check Into An Active Life" because we feel that it's important to maintain an active lifestyle. We also want to encourage people to get out there and meet local players through the power of pickup games. Often times I'm on vacation and have a hard time finding a basketball court or field. With RecCheck, you'll have the opportunity to look up the closest facilities and even meet new people through games.
Why is there such a need for this type of startup?
There's a need for this kind of startup because people need to get rewarded for the hard hours they put into perfecting their jump shot, practicing their swing, or throwing the perfect spiral. At the same time, sports provide a way for people to work together towards a common goal. With the growing trends in wearable technologies and fitness tracking, we hope to be a part of this wave and move towards a healthier and more active society.
Why did you create a crowdfunding campaign?
I created a crowdfunding campaign because I want to give people the chance to become a part of this whole experience from the beginning. With crowdfunding, I have the opportunity to give any potential backers or users a sneak peek into the whole process of building this app from the ground up. Crowdfuding also gives us the chance to really connect with people that are truly interested in what we're doing.
Why Crowdismo?
I chose Crowdismo because I wanted to reach out to the Latino community. I want to show Latino entrepreneurs everywhere that there is a support system out there that can really make your ideas a reality. I love Crowdismo's mission statement of "Empowering Latino Genius Everywhere" because I do believe that this is the sort of thing that minority entrepreneurs need.
How can folks get involved?
You can get involved by checking out our crowdfunding campaign or checking out our actual site and sharing it with anyone that might be interested. Spreading awareness is the first step towards a successful campaign and we're hoping to get as much exposure as possible! You can also stay in contact by filling out the contact form on our site or by simply liking our Facebook page as well. Thanks for all the support and if you have any questions or want to challenge me to a game then email me at Kevin(at)RecCheckApp.com!
Thanks Kevin! You are an inspiration to us all. Absolutely have no doubts your startup is going places. We can all learn from your hustle. This is the first in a series of Q&A posts with successful and awesome Latino(a) entrepreneurs doing amazing things.
Article by @josehuitron - Entrepreneur. Author of Vista Hispano. Founder of Hub 81. Co-Founder Crowdismo.
 |
| RecCheck Mobile App |
Tell us About Yourself | You have an amazing story.
I was born and raised in the Silicon Valley so I have always had a very strong interest in technology and entrepreneurship. Growing up during the Dot-com Boom, I was always surrounded by crazy ideas that seemed to only work here in the Valley. Additionally, my parents always taught me that hard work pays off and they exemplified this mindset by leading by example. My mother worked her way from the Philippines all the way to the Bay Area where she worked many jobs in order to put me and my sister through school. My father also went through his share of struggles just trying to make his way to the United States. He left El Salvador in the 80s while the country was going through a civil war. He had a vision of raising his kids through education and the right morals. This is why I have such a strong affinity with education and especially schools that teach entrepreneurship. Because of this, I decided to earn a degree in entrepreneurship from Arizona State University where I graduated Magna Cum Laude. After graduating from ASU, I decided that I wanted to further my education and expand my network. That's when I decided to apply to the program at Draper University.
What was it like at Draper University?
Draper University was one of those rare experiences where you feel like you can accomplish anything. Here we were taught to be bold and have radical ideas. But to us, our radical ideas were just "out of the box" solutions to problems that needed innovative thinking. We listened to speakers that changed the world with video games, coached companies into billion dollar successes, had theories of the universe that would make Einstein cringe, and even a founder that sold a company while he was still in High School. Everyone that I encountered at Draper University was like-minded and incredibly talented. This was the first time I felt as if I could really bounce ideas with others in such a welcoming environment. Since this was a boarding school, I was able to form lifelong connections with my fellow classmates and I still talk to a lot of them to this very day. Looking back, I'm incredibly grateful to Tim Draper for putting together such a life changing experience. Here I learned to be brave. Whether it was trying to get a job offer in one day, learn someone's life story, recount my most embarrassing moment to a room of 50+ people, or pitch an idea to a team of investors, I always felt prepared and feel like I can accomplish great things with courage and even a little bit of failure.
If you could lock in the mentor of your choice who would you choose and why?
If I could lock in the mentor of my choice it would be someone that values education and has been surrounded by entrepreneurship. Additionally, I'd like a mentor that knows what it takes to succeed as a startup. This is why I feel blessed to have two mentors that exemplify this with Bill Draper and Bruce Brege. Bill has aided in the success of countless startups and even worked in D.C. as the President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Bruce has been my mentor since high school and has always supported my education. With his guidance, I've been able to go through a 4 year university and even start my own company. Bill and Bruce have been tremendous mentors and continue to support me with my endeavors.
Have any tips for other Latinos(as) looking to get into an accelerator?
My biggest tip to Latinos(as) looking to get into an accelerator is to just do something risky and fail while you're at it! Entrepreneurs are supposed to know how to take defeat and dust themselves right off in order to tackle their next challenge. I challenge anyone trying to get into an accelerator to start something. The lessons you gain will far outweigh anything you have to lose. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to be a bit crazy.
What's the idea behind RecCheck?
As someone who loves to play sports and compete against other people, I enjoy hitting up the local court or field to play a game. However, often times I find that there's no one there or no one is willing to play a game. After experiencing this several times I decided to come up with the idea of RecCheck. RecCheck will be a mobile app that lets users discover and organize pickup games around their area. Users can set up a profile according to their favorite sports and difficulty level then challenge players around them, join in on open games, or even create their own events. After a nice run, users can add other players to their network in order to invite them to future games. Also, as a premium feature, players can earn rewards by checking into parks and clocking in their hours. So, the more you play, the more points you get for things like protein shakes, coupons for athletic apparel, sports equipment, etc.
Love it. So this is a mobile startup plat that encourages folks to be active?
Yes, and our motto is actually "Check Into An Active Life" because we feel that it's important to maintain an active lifestyle. We also want to encourage people to get out there and meet local players through the power of pickup games. Often times I'm on vacation and have a hard time finding a basketball court or field. With RecCheck, you'll have the opportunity to look up the closest facilities and even meet new people through games.
Why is there such a need for this type of startup?
There's a need for this kind of startup because people need to get rewarded for the hard hours they put into perfecting their jump shot, practicing their swing, or throwing the perfect spiral. At the same time, sports provide a way for people to work together towards a common goal. With the growing trends in wearable technologies and fitness tracking, we hope to be a part of this wave and move towards a healthier and more active society.
Why did you create a crowdfunding campaign?
I created a crowdfunding campaign because I want to give people the chance to become a part of this whole experience from the beginning. With crowdfunding, I have the opportunity to give any potential backers or users a sneak peek into the whole process of building this app from the ground up. Crowdfuding also gives us the chance to really connect with people that are truly interested in what we're doing.
Why Crowdismo?
I chose Crowdismo because I wanted to reach out to the Latino community. I want to show Latino entrepreneurs everywhere that there is a support system out there that can really make your ideas a reality. I love Crowdismo's mission statement of "Empowering Latino Genius Everywhere" because I do believe that this is the sort of thing that minority entrepreneurs need.
How can folks get involved?
You can get involved by checking out our crowdfunding campaign or checking out our actual site and sharing it with anyone that might be interested. Spreading awareness is the first step towards a successful campaign and we're hoping to get as much exposure as possible! You can also stay in contact by filling out the contact form on our site or by simply liking our Facebook page as well. Thanks for all the support and if you have any questions or want to challenge me to a game then email me at Kevin(at)RecCheckApp.com!
Thanks Kevin! You are an inspiration to us all. Absolutely have no doubts your startup is going places. We can all learn from your hustle. This is the first in a series of Q&A posts with successful and awesome Latino(a) entrepreneurs doing amazing things.
Article by @josehuitron - Entrepreneur. Author of Vista Hispano. Founder of Hub 81. Co-Founder Crowdismo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)