Active Network, LLC, is an American
multinational corporation
A multinational corporation (MNC; also called a multinational enterprise (MNE), transnational enterprise (TNE), transnational corporation (TNC), international corporation, or stateless corporation, is a corporate organization that owns and cont ...
headquartered in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, that provides
software as a service
Software as a service (SaaS ) is a cloud computing service model where the provider offers use of application software to a client and manages all needed physical and software resources. SaaS is usually accessed via a web application. Unlike o ...
for activity and participant management. ACTIVE's management software supports a range of clients including: races, nonprofits, outdoor activities, camps, sports, schools, and universities. On October 18, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued the online event registration company ACTIVE Network for tricking people trying to sign up for fundraising road races and other events, into enrolling into its annual subscription discount club, Active Advantage. The CFPB’s lawsuit describes how ACTIVE automatically and unlawfully enrolled families into its discount club by using digital duplicity. Consumers, many of whom just thought they were registering for a community race or event, ended up being enrolled into a costly membership club. The CFPB is suing to require ACTIVE to change this unlawful enrollment practice, reimburse consumers, and pay a penalty.
History
ACTIVE was founded in 1998 by Jim Woodman under the name of Active USA as an information source for recreational athletes looking for regional sports information. In December 1999, ActiveUSA and Racegate merged in a deal that brought TicketMaster City Search as a major investor and the combined entity became headquartered in La Jolla, Calif.
ACTIVE underwent a round of
mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...
in 1999 and 2000 with companies including: LeagueLink, Inc, Eteamz and Sierra Digital (RecWare).
On May 25, 2011, ACTIVE went
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
at $15 per share under the ticker symbol “ACTV” and completed its
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
two days later.
On September 30, 2013, ACTIVE announced it was to be acquired by
Vista Equity Partners
Vista Equity Partners Management, LLC is an American private equity firm that invests in software, data, and technology-enabled businesses. It is one of the largest private equity firms in the world, managing over $100 billion in assets. Vista Eq ...
for $1.05 billion, completing the sale on November 15 of the same year, at which time the company's president, Darko Dejanovic, was named CEO.
Following its acquisition, ACTIVE moved its corporate headquarters from
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
to
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
.
In March 2015, ACTIVE launched ACTIVEkids.com, a site focused on kid specific events and activities. Following the launch of ACTIVEkids.com, ACTIVE announced a new data insights platform, Activity Cloud, to provide business intelligence to event organizers in May 2015.
In September 2017,
Global Payments
Global Payments Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company that provides Financial transaction, payment technology and services to merchants, issuers and consumers. In June 2021, the company was named to the Fortune 500. The c ...
Inc. completed the acquisition of ACTIVE's communities and sports divisions.
Products
Current
*ACTIVE.com – Online race and activity registration portal
*ACTIVEkids.com – Online kids events and activity registration portal
*IPICO Sports – Race timing chip systems (Purchased February 2015)
*Activity Cloud – Data insights for event organizers (Launched May 2015)
*ActiveWorks Endurance – Online race management and marketing
*ActiveWorks Camps & Class Manager – Online camp management software
*ActiveWorks Hy-Tek – Online swim team and meet management software
*ActiveNet – Facility and program management software
*LeagueOne – League management software
*TeamPages – Sports websites for teams and leagues
*JumpForward – Collegiate athlete recruiting management (Purchased May 2016)
*Maximum Solutions – Recreation management (Purchased January 2017)
*Thriva – Online registration software and marketing
*RegCenter – Online registration management
Former
*ActiveWorks Outdoors – Online campground, hunting and fishing, marina, venue, lodging and golf management (Vista Equity retained ownership during the Global Payments Inc. acquisition of ACTIVE)
*FellowshipOne – Church management software (Sold to Ministry Brands in March 2016)
*ServiceU – Event, giving and ticketing management (Sold to Ministry Brands in March 2016)
*ActiveGolf – Software for online tee time booking and golf operations. (Sold to
GolfNow
GolfNow is an online booking service for tee times at golf courses. Originally established in 2001 by Cypress Golf Solutions in Scottsdale, Arizona, US, it was acquired by Comcast via its Golf Channel unit in March 2008. Since Comcast's purchase ...
in October 2014)
Acquisitions
ReserveAmerica
ACTIVE purchased
ReserveAmerica from
IAC in 2009 to extend their offerings to campground booking services. ACTIVE traded 3.5 million shares of convertible preferred stock in ACTIVE as part of the deal, giving IAC a nine percent holding in the company. ReserveAmerica provides reservations for campgrounds at state and national parks as well as reservation services for the
Army Corps of Engineers, federal campgrounds and privately operated campgrounds.
StarCite
In 2012, ACTIVE purchased StarCite, a strategic meetings management technology, and created the Business Solutions group. In February 2014, the division was spun off and merged with Lanyon, a hospitality travel company, into
Lanyon.
IPICO Sports
Philip Lockwood founded Mercury Sports Group (MSG) in 2003 with the goal to revolutionize race timing. At the same time, IPICO Inc. was working on their
RFID
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When tri ...
technology in South Africa while looking for ways to expand into the global market. After working together to build technology for sports applications, MSG was acquired by IPICO Inc. to form IPICO Sports in 2008 following the shipment of the first Elite Reader kit in March 2007. In 2009, IPICO won
Frost & Sullivan's North American RFID Sports Technology Leadership of the Year Award. In 2015, IPICO Sports was acquired by event management and registration company ACTIVE Network, LLC.
IPICO race timing chips have been used to track a variety of sporting events, including the Main Cross Country Festival of Champions. Additionally, the BolderBOULDER worked with IPICO Sports and End Result starting in 2007, tracking times for over 53,000 participants in the 2009 race. IPICO also teamed up with End Result on the 2008
Ironman World Championship
The Ironman World Championship is a triathlon held annually in Hawaii, United States from 1978 to 2022, with no race in 2020 and an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culminat ...
, among other races.
In addition to running races and triathlons, other events utilize IPICO's sport timing. One example is the
American Birkebeiner
The American Birkebeiner, or Birkie, is the largest cross-country skiing race in North America. It debuted in 1973 and is a founding member of the Worldloppet federation of cross-country ski marathons. The Birkie's two premier events are the s ...
cross country skiing event.
ACTIVE acquired IPICO Sports in February 2015.
JumpForward
In May 2016, ACTIVE acquired JumpForward, a provider for NCAA recruiting, compliance, and business office management.
Maximum Solutions
In January 2017, ACTIVE acquired recreation management software provider Maximum Solutions.
Hacking incident
In August 2016, a computer breach of Active Network's system that processes online hunting and fishing license sales was announced. Several million records containing personal information of persons with Oregon, Idaho and Washington state licenses were exposed.
Controversies
Active Network was charged by the
Alameda County
Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. A ...
District Attorney in 2016 for violating California
consumer protection
Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...
laws. The complaint alleges Active Network enrolled consumers into a free trial of their product Active Advantage without disclosing sufficient information that it would become a paid subscription without cancellation. The matter was settled with Active Network agreeing to pay $2.7 million in civil penalties and setting aside $1 million in restitution payments for the approximately 100,000 California consumers who were enrolled between 2010 and 2013.
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.activenetwork.com
1999 establishments in California
Companies based in Dallas
Software companies established in 1999
Multinational companies headquartered in the United States
Software companies based in Texas
Software companies of the United States
Companies established in 1999