Florida company buys Covington startup Tixers

A Covington-based startup that launched a digital ticket exchange has been purchased by Florida-based mobile sports platform OneUp Sports.

But that doesn't mean you will see Xavier University graduate and Tixers founder and chief executive Alex Burkhart sipping Mai Tais on a beach any time soon. While getting acquired may be a dream of many startup founders, Burkhart, a 26-year-old Mansfield, Ohio native, said it does not represent the end of the journey.

Burkhart said he's excited about the prospects of building the business in Greater Cincinnati and remaining part of the region's startup ecosystem. Tixers, which launched in September 2013 and graduated from UpTech, continues to use shared workspace at the accelerator's Pike Street offices in Covington.

"This seemed like the right opportunity," Burkhart said about the acquisition. "Based upon their development resources, their networks from teams, affiliates and advertising, it seemed right on how we could get Tixers to a higher scale much more quickly than we could on our own."

Terms of the deal reached last week were not disclosed.

Tixers operates mobile and web-based platforms and serves as an intermediary ticketing outlet connecting season ticket holders, fans and businesses. The company helps people swap unusable tickets that can be redeemed for future sports and entertainment events. The swap can be completed without negotiating with a third party or physically delivering unusable tickets.

Burkhart said tens of millions of tickets go unused each year and the company's goal is to provide value to all parties involved.

OneUp has relationships directly with professional franchises including the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Maple Leafs, and has exclusive licensing partnerships with several professional sports governing bodies such as Major League Baseball, NASCAR and the PGA.

"We are thrilled to have Tixers join the OneUp family to further bolster our mobile fan engagement platforms," said Daren Trousdell, chief executive of OneUp Sports. "The revolutionary and progressive Tixers ticketing platform will provide an enhanced ticket experience for the fan bases of our partners and affiliates."

Prior to launching Tixers, Burkhart was working at Macy's in the company's executive development program. He arrived at the concept of developing a digital ticket exchange in November 2012 after attending three college and pro football games at various stadiums.

After that idea, Burkhart began working on the concept while still working full time at Macy's. In September 2013, he decided to leave Macy's and work on the startup full time. That's also when he joined UpTech's second class of startups.

Tixers' two other full-time employees are Jay Clouse and Anthony Sinders. Tarek Kamil, who founded WhatIfSports.com and sold the company to Fox Sports, is a company adviser. Derek Shewmon, a Sycamore High School graduate and founder of LetsMoveDown, which was also acquired by OneUp, is expected to return to Greater Cincinnati to help Tixers build out its platform under OneUp's direction.

The acquisition is just one of the big honors the company obtained in recent days. Tixers defended its wiffleball Home Run Derby title Wednesday at a Greater Cincinnati Venture Association event, earning a $1,000 prize.