Life After Professional Sport Ltd (LAPS) is a members-only platform for current and former elite athletes looking for new careers after elite sport. Founded by Robbie Simpson, professional footballer, this Cambridge-based company saw the opportunity of using the lockdown period to future-proof their business.
By applying for a Digital Technology Grant for Business, this career advisory and recruitment agency service for elite athletes was able to create an app for use on IoS and Android devices to help move away from being ‘in person only’ to also operating as an online business.
The company had already started to transform during the first lockdown – with a transition to online coaching and webinars. But their website-based members’ area needed some enhancements, and an app was recognised as being the best way to kick off these improvements.
LAPS used the grant to pay a local Cambridge-based company to develop, build and release the app for them.
Robbie Simpson, LAPS Managing Director, said: “We’d always wanted to have an app, but hadn’t had the money or resource within the team to justify starting a project to create one before.
“When we heard about the Digital Technology Grant it was too good an opportunity to miss, and we probably wouldn’t have got around to building an app yet without the funding. We recently held an in-person event, and it was great to see our clients getting out their phones to show us how they now use the app to engage with us more easily.”
Since the launch there’s been a positive response to the LAPS app, which helps to enhance the member experience by allowing users to receive notifications about job opportunities – which they can then apply for instantly. The app also lets members easily access online coaching and support much more efficiently.
Robbie went on to explain: “Ultimately, this project has helped LAPS hit revenue targets and build a more sustainable business at an increased staffing level much sooner than would have been possible without the grant funding being available.”
