SPARXlife Light the Way for College Grads
9th April 2012 · 0 Comments
Austin cloud-based service is ready to help people nationwide find new purpose
“Too many people are desperate for an answer to the question, ‘What the heck do I do with my life?” SPARXlife aims to help answer that question,” says Justin Jeter, who Co-Founded SPARXlife with Shannon Meairs at the beginning of 2011 after two years of planning and preparation. “SPARXlife is the first of its kind: a cloud-based software system that combines personal development with online networking to help people discover their unique purpose — and live it.”
Jeter and Meairs based the SPARXlife concept on work they began at their previous company, the college admission consulting firm Full Ride, Inc. “Instead of trying to shape the student to fit traditional admission paradigms, we started tailoring the admission journey to the student by finding out what makes each student tick,” he explains. This approach led to the development of SPRAXlife’s web-based Discovery tool, which evaluates an individual’s Strengths, Passions, Awareness and Relationships. The system then finds X, the point where all these categories come together. ” The X is where the magic happens,” notes Jeter. “Users collide their S, P, A and R to develop a powerful sense of their unique purpose in life, and to connect algorithmically with professional, extracurricular, learning, and networking opportunities (SPARX) that fit.”
Jeter and Meairs are currently working hard to fan the flames of SPARXlite’s development through fundraising. Following an initial seed investment of $85,000, plus practically all of their own money, the team now seek $500,000 in an initial round of angel investment while pitching to various angel groups and pursuing institutional seed funds. ” Aside from funding, says Jeter, “The hardest thing has been focusing on a single business model. The Texas Entrepreneurs Network and Austin Lean Startup Circle have been particularly helpful resources for us in keeping on track, funding-wise and vision-wise.”
