When wandering the concourse of the Palace of Auburn Hills, you might notice a TV screen announcing how long the the wait is for the restroom or concession stand. That useful service is the work of
WaitTime, which developed a software platform that utilizes advanced imaging technology for large entertainment venues.
The technology helps fans as well as venue managers, who now have the capability to track when and where its fans go during the game and how to better serve them. One of those helpful things is letting them know wait times inside the venue. They can also access this information on their mobile device.
Palace Sports & Entertainment is the first full-time client of WaitTime, employing it at the
Palace of Auburn Hills, the home of the
Detroit Pistons. That work prompted the 2-year old startup and its core team of 10 people to move into the Palace to work on perfecting its technology. Now that WaitTime has some solid footing, it is looking at moving its software into other large venues later this year.
"We are quickly moving into other NBA stadiums, and hopefully MLB stadiums, too," says Zachary Klima, founder & CEO of WaitTime.
WaitTime added three employees in strategy and business development over the last year. The company’s team members are invested in the startup as a way of bootstrapping its growth. So far WaitTime hasn’t raised any outside seed capital and doesn't plan on raising any in the near future.
"We didn't want to take outside capital because that can be tricky," Klima says. "We want to internally fund this venture. That way everybody is rowing the boat together in the same direction."
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.