Squby is a cloud-based software designed to improve the management and security of sports organizations, cooperatives working in the world of education, schools, parish and public summer centers. According to a recent survey conducted by Fondazione Sociale with Deloitte Private and TechSoup Italia, 49% of third sector organizations consider organizational processes the most relevant area in which to identify and implement innovative digital solutions. Thanks to its latest update, organizations that adopt Squby can independently select the version of the management system that is best for them: non-profit, edu, sport or grest. Each version has features designed specifically for the sector to which the organization belongs. In addition, each company profile can be configured “on demand”, installing the extensions that best suit their needs, at any time.
The startup that developed Squby, founded by Antonio La Salvia and Marino de Stena, was called iGrest until a few months ago. The decision to rebrand by launching Squby stems from the desire to communicate the full potential of the new management system.
With Squby, everyone can get organized!
“The idea behind Squby was born in 2014, from a chat with a parish priest, who had realized how difficult it was to safely organize the entrances and exits of hundreds of children in the summer center of the oratory – explains Antonio La Salvia, CEO of Squby. That’s why the company’s old name was iGrest. Grest is the term used (especially in northern Italy) to define the summer centers offered by parishes.
Summer centers respond to the needs of millions of parents. Parents who want to guarantee children and young people a fun and educational experience during the summer season, when schools are closed but adults still have to work.
Summer camps meet the needs of millions of parents. Parents who want to provide children and teens with a fun and educational experience during the summer season when schools are closed but adults still have to work. In an increasingly digitized world, the daily reality of summer centers, even today, is far from a computerization that would make their organization easier and also safer.
“We are talking about a widely varied offer that comes from different realities, from schools to sports associations. In 2021 we supported over 100 structures between associations, cooperatives and oratories. Many of these organizations still do everything with pen and paper or, in the best of cases, they use an Excel file, which makes the work of the operators (educators, volunteers, coaches, administrative employees) difficult and complicates things for parents, who are forced to fill out form after form that they then have to remember to turn in on time.”
A tool for clubs and parents
Squby provides everyone with the tools they need. For those who organize activities, Squby offers a management system for recording all members, checking attendance and absences, keeping track of payments and memberships, etc. For parents, Squby offers a convenient App. For parents, it offers a convenient App . Useful, for example, to pay for the cafeteria, check course and event schedules, upload small amounts of money to the virtual wallet or verify that the children have actually entered the center. “This is an element that we particularly care about – underlines co-founder Marino de Stena – because it protects the safety of children and young people in a very effective way. Squby can be interfaced with various recognition devices such as badges, electronic bracelets or key rings, all of which can be personalized with the company’s logos and colors”.
The main objective of Squby is to help schools, cooperatives, oratories and sports associations to finally say goodbye to paperwork, to manage in an easy and automated way a whole series of procedures that otherwise require too much time and space.
Digitization of the third sector is a hot topic. Non-profit companies and organizations linked to the world of sports and education are experiencing a phase of transition, in which the detachment from the models and tools of the past has already taken place, but the transition to new ways of working has not yet been completed.
What has changed with the Covid-19 emergency
“The pandemic has put a strain on our startup, which has not been able to work for over a year – explains the CEO of Squby. In 2020 the majority of sporting activities such as gyms, swimming pools and clubs but also school and parish summer centers were forced to close temporarily. But the coronavirus emergency has also given a strong digital boost to public and private companies, including those in the third sector. If many have not yet managed to take the step towards computerization, at least in part, it’s because they haven’t found the right tool, easy to use and at an affordable price“.
Antonio La Salvia and Marino de Stena founder of Squby.
Squby fits into a context of user-centered innovation by virtuously promoting change. The software has been developed by listening to the needs of the different realities that operate in Italy. That’s why it exists in four different versions and offers numerous extensions. “Our motto is growing together – specifies the CEO. Currently, our team is working hand in hand with some companies in the world of rugby and basketball, including an important reality in the A2 series, to identify new features to be implemented.
Over time, Squby has evolved. Both to meet the needs of an increasing number of organizations and to allow those who adopt it to use it all year round. So not just for the purpose of organizing summer campuses but also for the day-to-day management of activities as a whole.
What will happen in the future of Squby
Squby boasts over 50,000 users. The year 2021 was marked by some inevitable repercussions related to the aftermath of Pandemic. Despite this, Squby has managed to increase the number of memberships. Today, the developers of the startup are busy testing new features, dedicated as already pointed out to the world of rugby and basketball. “But we will not stop here, we will continue to improve the offer to make it more and more flexible and customizable. In the rebranding phase we were accompanied by Lorenzo D’Amelio and the D-Group team together with the Impact Hub Milano accelerator. And in the near future we are thinking about a fundraising campaign to grow further” concludes La Salvia.
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