The Story of VuPal
After spending several months tweaking its model, the VuPal team knew it was on to something when the University of Kentucky signed a development agreement in May 2009 to explore the potential of VuPal’s video teaching technology.
That was confirmed a few months later, when the nation’s 10th largest school district signed up to use VuPal for teacher development.
These two partnerships demonstrate the flexibility and utility of the VuPal Network.
At UK, VuPal is working with athletic department coaches to perfect a video system that allows coaches to post comments on game video so players can watch the video and see feedback as they’re watching a play unfold.
At Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools, VuPal is allowing teachers to use video of their classroom work to receive constructive feedback from peers on how they can improve.
In both instances, VuPal is giving teachers and coaches a revolutionary – and cost-effective – way to improve performance with video technology. The UK and Jefferson County Public Schools deals are the culmination of a lot of work and expertise in the video technology space.
In June 2008, the VuPal team was sitting in a Louisville Starbucks, debating the direction their fledgling business should take.
“I could tell from the energy in that room there was something going on here,” says Terry Minton, chairman and CEO of VuPal Network. The debate was whether VuPal should continue focusing on content or whether it should shift to a technology focus.
The answer, even though they didn’t fully realize it at the time, came as they discussed a key problem.
VuPal was striving to be a Web 2.0 enterprise. But video largely was trapped in Web 1.0 thinking. Sure, users can comment on YouTube and other video sites, but the comments are not an integral part of the experience.
How could VuPal give its audience the ability to comment in tandem with the action of the video so comments are seen at the precise moment the action in question is rolling in the video?
“Part of my goal is to pay attention,” says Minton. “I felt like there was something real there. I decided to put some money to it, to flesh out a design and create a few screen grabs.”
By late fall 2008, Minton was looking for investment, and during one of those meetings, he happened to show the mockup of the comment-focused video player while he was discussing VuPal.
“They saw the screen shot of the player and got excited,” he says. “But I didn't have anything built.”
While Minton ended up shuttering the content-focused incarnation of VuPal in spring 2009, he didn’t give up on the idea of revolutionizing video player technology.
That’s where Wes Jackson, VuPal Networks COO and president, brought his expertise to bear.
Jackson had been working on his own startup since returning to his hometown of Louisville in 2008. His previous experience as a senior executive at Belo, a major local media company, made him an invaluable resource as Minton built his VuPal strategy.
Another coffee shop meeting proved pivotal for VuPal, and it ended with Jackson moving out of his consulting role and onto the newly revitalized VuPal team.
As Jackson and Minton talked, the vision of using VuPal’s video technology to aid coaching started to take shape. Jackson, who played Division I football for the University of Kentucky, immediately saw the value of a video player that would allow coaches to comment on game video easily and simply. More importantly, players would be able to see comments directed at them in the exact spot of the video where it was applicable.
“I had the benefit of seeing it as a former athlete,” Jackson says. But what really attracted me was the simplicity of the technology. The most salient thing I heard Terry talk about was the idea that there was all this interactivity on the web, but you click on a video on the Internet and then never interact with it. It becomes a passive experience where you sit and watch.”
Coaching seemed like a no-brainer for the application. But Jackson was soon to uncover another area where VuPal would provide immense value.
While hanging out at the lake with a friend who is a high school principal, Jackson was talking about VuPal and its potential use for coaching.
“Why are you just focusing on athletics,” the principal asked. “Turn this loose with teachers to help them hone their craft.”
After doing more research and due diligence, Jackson and Minton narrowed the focus of VuPal to two areas:
1. Coaching: VuPal technology allows coaches to comment on game video so players can go specifically to the plays where comments are directed at them. They can watch the action, read comments from one or several coaches and do it from anywhere they have an Internet connection.
2. Teaching: The peer review process is a critical component of the education system. VuPal’s technology will allow peers to watch an educator in front of the classroom, comment on technique and offer advice on how to improve. VuPal’s video technology allows this to happen in a more cost- and time-effective way than the process currently operates.
The potential for VuPal technology is immense. Minton is securing patents on the idea, and the startup’s agreements with UK and Jefferson County Public Schools are just the beginning. VuPal is working aggressively to bring more athletic departments and school districts on board so they can gain the benefits of this powerful video teaching tool.