Flock Analytics | The future of tracking church data
Cody Blankenship won $1,500 in start-up capital for his business idea presented at the Vol Court pitch competition on October 3.
Cody Blankenship grew up in church. He was raised in a Christian school and is getting married to a pastor’s daughter. While most members of the church choose to serve through time or tithing, Blankenship has other ideas. He wants to combine his love for computer science with his love for the Lord.
Blankenship is a computer science student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). He said coding has been his passion since high school.
“I just love to build things and it’s a fun way for me to do that,” Blankenship said.
He started building a software called Flock Analytics about eight months ago – and now he’s ready to put his concept to the test.
“I rolled out a proof of concept probably two months ago at two churches in Knoxville. Now, I just finished the final version,” Blankenship said. “I’m just getting ready to market it and release it out. I’m hoping to do that soon.”
So, what is Flock Analytics? And how could it be a benefit to churches?
Blankenship said the company helps churches track data to learn more about their community. The software collects information such as who they serve, where they come from, and it helps identify gaps.
“My software can collect a lot more data about their congregation,” Blankenship said. “I just really want to help them get better access to that information to make decisions about what areas of town to reach out to.”
Blankenship said another benefit of the software is helping organize small group needs. For example, Flock can identify how many senior women are widowed in the congregation – and suggest a small group for them to meet and find fellowship with one another.
Another example, Flock may be able to determine age gaps at the church – which will allow church leadership to initiate more intentional outreach projects.
“It will help them understand their congregation better and be able to provide the best possible care and investment to grow as wisely and efficiently as possible,” Blankenship said.
Although Blankenship has big plans, he wants to start slow and small with the launch of his software. He is primarily focused on marketing Flock Analytics to churches in Knoxville. As it grows, he plans to focus on social media to promote his product and attend church conferences.
Blankenship said receiving top honors during the Vol Court pitch competition at the Anderson Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI) was just the first step in the launch of his business.
He has plans to enter the Graves Business Plan Competition and the Boyd Venture Challenge through UTK in hopes of landing more start-up funding.
Read more about Vol Court and other student pitch competitions on teknovation.biz.
