[2012-07-05: This position has been filled.  I’m leaving this post on the site for archival purposes.  You can find the latest job notices on the Jobs page, and we’re always looking for talent at [email protected].]

I’ve been running SRC full-time for almost seven months now.  A lot has happened since June 1: I moved cross-country, built internal software, integrated myself into the Atlanta startup community, collaborated with the major sports data companies, spoke at the Sports Management conference at Florida State, attended the Leaders conference in London, gave an elevator pitch to Damien Comoli, met and posed for a photo with Billy Beane, and communicated with fans, analysts, coaches, and decision-makers from all over the world about me and my company. It’s exciting to see the level of interest not only in soccer, but also in other sports from basketball to rugby union to cricket. A lot has happened, but there remains much for me to do.

Soccermetrics has been a one-man operation since the blog days.  I perform my own analyses, do original research (standing on the shoulders of giants, of course), and write my own software.  Since I launched the business, I’ve had to think more about business models, sales strategies, and legal agreements, and of course money. I’ve had a number of people whose expertise I could use to build my skills in those areas, and I thank them for sharing it with me. Soccermetrics has progressed pretty far on the vision and passion of one person, but I recognize that I need a second person to move the company further and more quickly.

I’m looking for a partner to help direct Soccermetrics Research & Consulting.

What am I looking for in a partner? I’m sure that my list will change over time, but I am looking for these qualities:

• You are as passionate about soccer analytics as I am. That should be a given, but I feel the need to state it nonetheless.  I’d like someone who reads my blog, understands what I’m trying to accomplish, and sees the potential of soccer analytics to change dramatically the way evaluation and analysis of football matches, teams, and players takes place.
• Preferably, you have a record of work in the sports analytics sector. Sports analytics is a very young field, but if you have experience in the sector as a hobby or job, and other people have used (and liked) your work, that is a plus.  If you have done these things in soccer, that is a bigger plus.
• You have the business skills to compliment my technical skills. I like programming and doing cutting-edge research on soccer analytics. I have worked very hard on building relationships with prospective clients, marketing the company, and developing business strategies, but I would like to bring on someone who has more experience in those areas. (Alternatively, if your software development skills are much better than mine and you have a record of previous development projects, it might free me up to pursue the business-related activities.)
• You have experience in the startup sector. Again, this is a preferable quality, but there is a big difference between working in a startup and working in an established company.
• You have a high level of personal and business integrity. My company is built on its ability to provide information to clients with a high level of impartiality, and protect the information that those clients provide me.  If you don’t have integrity — and if your friends don’t think you do, either — please don’t contact me.

I’ve mentioned qualities that I’d like to see in a partner. Here is what’s required:

• You must be self-financing. I don’t have the money to pay a partner at this time, so you will have to be able to meet your own financial needs for at least 6-8 months (and preferably 12 months). I’ve taken on a lot of risk in launching this company.  If you become a partner, with the ownership rights that that entails, you will have to do so as well. (This can be offset if the company is accepted to a seed accelerator, as explained later.)
• You will have to “bring money” to the company. SRC is a capital-light company, but money will be required to hire a contract developer and pay other expenses. The amount of money can be negotiated, but it will be at least in the four-figure range, US dollars of course. (This requirement can be relaxed or even waived, but if you can bring money, you move to the front of the line.)
• If selected, you will have to come to Atlanta for a week at your expense. At this stage of SRC’s life, I don’t need co-located personnel and I envision distributed work teams, but I will have to work shoulder-to-shoulder with selected partners for a week.  That way we finally confirm that we are who we say we are and determine if we like working together. I can’t reimburse you for your stay (I can refer you to some nice hotels), but like I said, there’s a risk involved.  Of course, if you’re already in metro Atlanta (hour radius from Georgia Tech), you also move to the front of the line.
• You must be willing to relocate for a three-month period. There are a number of startup accelerators that I will apply for in 2012, and they require that selected companies have at least two people and be located in the host city.  These are the accelerators on my radar, and the locations and dates:
  Tech Wildcatters — Dallas, TX — April to July
  Gazelle Lab — Tampa, FL — March to June
  Y-Combinator — Palo Alto/Mountain View, CA — June to August
  TechStars — New York City — March to June
  Flashpoint — Atlanta, GA — June to August
  I should mention that the seed accelerators give between $10-20,000 to each selected startup in exchange for an equity stake, which would more than offset the relocation expenses for the three-month period.
• You must provide business references.  At least two, no relatives, the more the better. And since you are also evaluating whether I would be a good fit for you, I will provide my own references upon request.

If you’ve read through all of this and concluded that you are indeed interested in joining me, please send a cover letter and CV to [email protected]. If it’s a serious inquiry, I will contact you within 24-36 hours and start the evaluation process.

(To those who email me from time to time to inquire about other positions, thanks as always for your interest.  Not hiring at this time, but if you still want to send me a CV and/or samples of your work, send them to [email protected] — and please use this link, it auto-populates the subject line.)