Today we’d like to introduce you to Sebastian Duque.
Sebastian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a lover of technology, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of creating something “in my parent’s garage” that could affect millions of people. I’ve also loved soccer ever since I could remember being alive, and marrying the two was a dream for me. Lucky for me, I was able to start Plei from my parent’s second floor and not the garage 🙂 Plei is a mobile application that allows its users to play soccer on demand. By working together with local soccer facilities across various U.S. cities, Plei connects players in the real world and brings them together to enjoy The Beautiful Game. Whether players have their own team or not, users are able to go out and play in just two clicks. The idea for Plei came during one of my soccer games where we had a group of people who were watching, and after the game asked us: “Is this a league? How can we play and get involved?” As an avid soccer player, I could empathize with them on the complicated process it takes just to go out and play, especially if you don’t know enough players.
In an age of instant gratification, I thought to myself: “Wouldn’t it be nice if you can just press two buttons to play a fun, organized soccer game?” I then decided that it was going to become my sole mission to build a platform where playing soccer was as easy as ordering an Uber driver while providing an unforgettable experience. The first name I came up with was ISA, or “Indoor Soccer Application.” As the idea began to develop, I wanted to think of a name that fit the following criteria: easy to remember, a name that we could build a strong brand around, and one that did not limit us to just soccer in case we expand to other sports in the future. After deciding that the best thing was to let the name come to me naturally, one day I thought of a word that encompassed the funness of what we were trying to achieve: Play. At a sit-down dinner with my family, my mom gave us the idea of having a different spelling to it. Thus, Plei was born. Mamadukes knows best!
Fast-forward to today, and Plei currently hosts over 400+ games a month with over 20,000+ players on the app! Headquartered in Miami, FL, we currently have the app live across 40 soccer facilities throughout South Florida (Including Broward County), as well as Orlando, Florida and Houston, Texas. Plei was built specifically for soccer players and takes the headache out of planning, organizing, and finding a game to play in. Working with not only the players themselves but also soccer field operators, Plei users have real-time access to their favorite facility’s schedules at all times. No hassles, just football. In 2021, we plan on growing to 10 cities in the U.S., and in 2022 we plan on growing our company overseas. Our goal long-term is to build a global community where players all over the world are able to play soccer anytime, anywhere they want.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’d categorize the road as bumpy rather than smooth, to say the least, but that is the beauty of it all! Startups go through the highest highs and the lowest lows, and our experience has been no different. For us, it’s always been important to never get too low and to embrace those experiences and use them as fuel for growth and improvement. One tough moment I remember was when we were first building the app. I had a meeting with a potential client (a soccer facility) to demo our app to the owners and managers of the company. I was excited because this was one of the first times we were showing our app to potential customers. However, once everyone at the meeting downloaded the app and tried using it, the app kept crashing. At the moment, I felt embarrassed and knew that we would lose out on that customer, but it was experiences like those that allowed us to keep getting better and better. Today, that soccer facility is one of our clients, who we have a strong relationship with. As cliche as it may sound, it’s not about how many times you fall; it’s all about how you pick yourself back up and do whatever it takes to achieve the goal.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’ve always said that one of the biggest lessons Plei has taught me is that patience really is key. As a millennial, growing up with technology made us used to have things when we wanted them. Plei taught me that getting to the end goal was a marathon, not a sprint, and over time, that philosophy allowed me to fall in love with the journey rather than the destination. Staying laser-focused in the now and not getting too caught up with the future has allowed me to soak this journey in as much as possible and to love every minute of it. I would also add the characteristics my parents constantly preached to me as their rules for success: discipline, dedication, perseverance and consistency. I’ve learned that creating daily habits around these four characteristics will equal success in whatever it is you are trying to achieve.
Contact Info:
- Email: s@pleiapp.com
- Website: www.plei.app
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/pleiapp
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/pleiapp
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/pleiapp
