Fast Track to Success

An avid triathlete since his days at the Lundquist College of Business, Athletepath founder and CEO David Embree '05 wanted an easy way to share race information online. "I cared about my friends' races as much as my own but had no way of seeing what they had done--and what they were doing next," said Embree, who was included in Portland Business Journal's Forty Under 40 list for 2013. Seeing a gap in the marketplace, Embree set to work conceptualizing an online tool that would be a win-win for race directors and athletes alike. After creating the prototype for Athletepath, Embree left his day job in October 2010 to pursue his vision full time. "I spent about six months doing the most intense networking I'd ever done in my life to find the right team and to find individual angel investors in the Portland and Oregon area," the entrepreneur recalled. Embree also landed a spot in Wieden+Kennedy's Portland Incubator Experiment, which enabled him to leverage the firm's marketing smarts while working alongside other Portland-based entrepreneurs. In 2012, Embree introduced Athletepath to races throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the iconic Hood to Coast Relay. Embree's goal for 2013 includes bringing the service to athletes and race directors throughout the United States. Find out more in an article on Wired.com.