To Red Sox fans, the Green Monster of Fenway Park is more than a left field wall and scoreboard – it is a symbol of hope, an icon of inspiration.
Perhaps it is no surprise, then, to hear the partners of an Attleboro startup tell how the major league landmark sparked the brainstorm behind their product — an electronic scoreboard that fits easily on a desk corner.
“We were out at a restaurant together, watching a Red Sox game on the TV,” recalls Peter Crawford, one of the four. “On the wall was a mural of the Green Monster, and someone said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if that thing showed the score.’ It was like a lightning strike. We all started talking about a personal scoreboard.”
The result is Liveboard, a wireless device that takes up no more space than a picture frame or a clock. It displays the score, inning, batter’s jersey number, batter’s count, and men on base for any major league baseball game, all in real time.
“There are some great Web sites out there for sports fans, but our product is more convenient and more stylish,” Crawford says. “With just a glance you know exactly what’s happening with your favorite team. It gives you a way to watch the game even if your kids have taken over the TV, or if you’re busy in the office. And if you’re a Red Sox fan who’s moved away from Boston, this is a great way to keep up with hometown games.”
On the market for just one year, Liveboard has already garnered praise from techies and sports fans alike. The technology blog CrunchGear gave the product a nine-out-of-10 score. And according to Crawford, several national magazines and metro newspapers are preparing reviews.
At Audio Concepts of North Attleboro, sales manager Peter Freeman says customer comments have been nothing but positive. “Everyone who’s bought one absolutely loves it,” he says. “We’ve sold a fair amount, considering that it’s a niche product. It’s a neat product, and it’s a local product, too – that gets people excited.”
Audio Concepts is the only store where you will find the device on the shelves. Most customers purchase it online, including at the Web site, myliveboard.com. The cost: $199, and there are no monthly fees.
The four partners have dubbed their two-year-old company Vroop LLC. Ask why, and they will tell you it’s a memorable single syllable that is easily typed into an e-mail address. And, they say, it sounds like the noise a superhero might make.
All four have kept their day jobs. Crawford is in advertising, Adam Newman is in marketing, and Dale Rheaume and Andy Galasso are both engineers. The four met 20 years ago, when they all ran track at Attleboro High School, and have been friends ever since.
As entrepreneurs, they wear many hats. Vroop has no employees. The partners assemble the product themselves (at an Attleboro electronics company owned by Rheaume’s father) and also handle quality testing, sales, and tech support.
Crawford plays that up as a plus. “We’re not venture-backed. We’re the entire operation,” he says. “That allows us to grow the company naturally and organically … Call the 800 line for tech support, and you’ll end up talking to one of the company founders. That’s actually been fun for us, because when people call we usually end up talking baseball.”
He’s quick to point out that most of the components are also manufactured in the area. Davis Woodworking in Norton, Mass., makes the frames, the circuit boards are assembled at Electronic Contract Services, Inc. in Taunton, and the front and rear panels are produced by Precision Graphics in Connecticut.
“It’s important to us to keep this as local as possible,” he says. “We could have it made in China or somewhere else overseas, but we wouldn’t have the same quality control. If we can have something made in New England, we do.”
The device accesses stats from online sources, using Bluetooth wireless technology to connect to a computer that is online. It comes with a USB Bluetooth adapter for those who don’t already have one integrated into their computer. The device can be placed as far as 60 feet from the host computer. Software can be downloaded from the Internet at no cost.
Liveboard users can choose from three different programming modes. The device can be set so that it automatically detects your home team’s game, and will instantly display the data. It also can be set to automatically display another game when the home team is not playing. And in scroll mode, the device will cycle through all the major league games in progress.
The little scorekeeper is more than just a bit of ‘gee whiz’ technology. The product was designed with aesthetics in mind as well. The attractive frame is made from American white ash, the same wood used in the Louisville Slugger bat used by so many Major Leaguers.
Crawford won’t reveal how many devices the company has sold to date, but he insists he’s happy with the number. “We’ve been selling them across the country,” he says. “There are Liveboards from coast to coast. Last season was more like a test market run. We had a lot of great feedback, and not a single return.”
He says the Vroop partners are considering other products, but beyond that, he’s keeping mum. He sidesteps questions as to whether Liveboard might be adapted for football or soccer or some other sport.
“It’s perfect for baseball, because every day from April to November there are a dozen major league games being played,” he says. “Does that mean we’ll never look into making one for another sport? No, but right now baseball is our focus.” •
