CREDIT: STEPHANIE LAI
Learn to land tricks like a pro with ZonedIn, an app developed by a Fanshawe grad.

Flipping video games on their heads

What began as a class assignment would soon gain recognition at venture contests and conferences and have a mobile presence in over 60 countries.

When Fanshawe business alumnus Brad Smith observed kids becoming increasingly glued to TV screens, as well as athletes lacking the proper connections to reach pro levels in extreme sports, he conceived a solution that might solve both problems at once.

“Kids are no longer playing outside because of technology,” Smith said. “Forever, athletes have lacked the connection and exposure they need to make it to the next level.”

Smith created his app, ZonedIn, in order to create a video game experience to learn and complete skateboard tricks that the likes of Tony Hawk and Chad Muska can land.

Because Smith hails from Port Dover, a small beach town southeast of London, he spent a lot of time on his skateboard – and skimboard – and became knowledgeable of the sport. Knowledge he was able to incorporate into his app.

So he used the knowledge – along with some help from Hawk’s YouTube channel and Pro Skater video game – to build ZonedIn.

“The actual task to becoming a professional is not laid out in front of you like it is for hockey or basketball,” he said. “There’s really no stepping stone to say, ‘This is where you really need to go; these are the tricks you need to hit.’”

Instead of being inside and landing tricks on the TV screen, Smith says he decided to take the instant gratification modules into the fundamental learning of sports.

After launching in January, Smith says the app is hovering around 2,500 users.

“We’ve proven we’re not crazy – that kids are in fact playing a reallife video game.”

While ZonedIn is on-pace and attaining investments – recently winning the $20,000 Start Up Business prize from Venture London and in the process of securing more – when Smith graduated in 2014 he took a not-so-favourable summer job in order to focus his efforts into his app.

But his efforts are now paying off.

“I’m at Western [University] now where I’m able to work on my startup full time for the last four months,” Smith said. “We’re on pace right now … when it comes to development and where we are.”

“It was a huge risk … we’re six months old and we’re moving pretty quickly.”

With the success he’s found, he thanks two Fanshawe instructors for giving him the push he needed.

“Mike [Sloan] has been helping me since day one … [he] really took me under his wing and helped me lean towards the right direction,” he said. “[And] it really speaks volumes that the director of the program [Sherry McEvoy] had so much spare time to help me with [this].”

Sloan says it was motivation and perseverance that brought about success as well.

“The main reason is Brad,” Sloan said. “People come up with ideas all the time and just brush it back because it’s too much work – Brad just jumped in, he’s super driven.”

Now that ZonedIn has lifted off, Smith’s goal for the app is coming to fruition.

“The overall goal is to allow athletes across the world [to access] not only the fundamental path to become successful in whatever sport they desire, but also the connection and the exposure they need to progress to the next level,” he said. “[Even] if you’re from California or you’re from a little town in Brazil, if your talent is at a professional level, you will be found.”

This desire stems from his past dreams.

“I had dreams to make it to a professional level. There was a barrier that was in front of me and we’re trying to remove that barrier.”

ZonedIn is available on iOS and Android platforms. For more information, visit zonedin.ca.