Daniel Coen, a management consultant by background, established Skippio, a Dublin-based company, to improve efficiency at various venues.

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Going to music festivals or large-scale events often involves long hours of waiting in queues for food and drinks. Daniel Coen, the founder of this week's Start-up of the Week, experienced this frustration firsthand.

Tired of spending so much time standing in line at concerts and sports stadiums, Coen decided to find a way to make the process more efficient, ensuring that people don't miss out on the actual event while waiting in queues.

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That's when he came up with Skippio, a fan experience management app designed to reduce queueing times by an estimated 92% compared to the global industry average.

The service has been extensively trialled and tested, with valuable customer feedback contributing to its success and adoption at various venues.

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Expanding Across the UK

Skippio can be used at a wide range of events, including festivals, stadiums, racecourses, and concert arenas. Being a web application instead of a traditional app allows for quicker access and usability, giving users more time to enjoy the experience with others.

"We aim to target the large-scale event space, where attendees don't need to download multiple apps or sign in to various applications that they rarely use or often delete," explains Coen, who has a background in management consulting and project management.

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Skippio's goal is to bring together the best venues and events on one platform, rewarding users with loyalty points, discounts, and free gifts. They strive to be the market leader in this unique solution.

The initial focus is on becoming the go-to service for venues in Ireland before expanding internationally to help venues worldwide maximize their event experiences.

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Having secured the Enterprise Ireland Pre-Seed Fund valued at £100,000, Skippio was among the early Irish start-ups to do so. This funding allowed the company to grow its team and operations across Ireland. Now, Coen has set his sights on the UK market.

As one of the 13 start-ups in the Furthr program (previously Dublin BIC), Skippio will soon initiate a seed round of investments. Coen reveals that some "great potential investors" are already on board.

"Establishing credibility is always a significant challenge for any start-up, especially when dealing with major venues or global companies. However, our priority is improving the customer experience, and with more venues and events coming on board, we are taking the risk in 2024," says Coen.