Many students think that what they can do with their CSE degree is clearly laid out for them: get a job as a computer engineer or computer scientist in a large company. Brian Kaiser went another direction. In 2006, he co-founded Agile Sports, the parent company of Hudl and is currently their Chief Technology Officer. As a result of his accomplishments, he has been featured in Forbes' 2012 "30 Under 30".
For UNL students, Hudl might be a familiar name. The company is headquartered in the Haymarket District and currently has 75 employees. They consistently hire UNL graduates and interns who are passionate about sports and engineering.
Kaiser graduated with a BS in CSE in 2006. While at UNL, he was a student in the Raikes School, which he claims exposed him to great engineers. This helps him in the hiring process as it allows him to identify skill sets of potential employees. It also provided Kaiser with a "great network of people." Most of Hudl's funding and advisors have come from the Raikes School and its connections, as well as many of the company's first employees.
"Hudl was inspired by a need from the Athletic Department," Kaiser says. He was finishing his MBA at the time and Kaiser, Graff, and Wirtz worked with Coach Callahan to design the software system for the Huskers.
The initial growth of Hudl "...was a slow process." They started the company with two NFL teams but eventually grew to include over 12,000 high schools, 80 NCAA Division 1 schools, and 10 NFL teams after two rounds of funding. They learned through trial and error about corporate structure and effective hiring. The latter point is especially important as it allows management to "recruit the top talent and to keep growing."
Hudl's corporate environment is key to their success. A central idea component to life at Hudl is "real talk", which encourages employees to be blunt with each other, which doesn't always work for everyone. This is why they send a HR manager out to do a culture interview with job candidates. It is also for these reasons that everyone really embraces the company. They regularly have company t-shirts available, cater in lunch everyday, have an annual Vegas retreat, and have no sick day or vacation policy, which "creates trust and transparency." Kaiser says that "employees have a lot of ownership over what they do." This creates high job satisfaction.
On being included in Forbes' "30 under 30", Kaiser says that it is humbling. "It is obviously quite an honor and cool for the company's reputation. It is also cool for the university and for Nebraska. It is just a neat recognition. I feel over appreciated and am definitely honored to be a part of it." He emphasizes that he is just one of many people in the company that contributed to him receiving this honor.
When asked to give advice to current students, Kaiser says that if you have an idea, that you just have to go for it. The idea stems from the fact that most students are not used to being finically secure and are "...used to operating without a steady flow of income." He also thinks that "...there are a lot of smart people at the university and a lot of staff who can help you in the process (of founding a startup), so use those connections."
Kaiser would like to remind students that Hudl is currently hiring. To see available positions, please visit http://hudl.theresumator.com/.