The founders of Execute Skate, a Halifax startup developing an app for skateboarders, are casting an eye to California so they can work with the best tech experts — and skateboarders — in the world.

The quartet of entrepreneurs met in September when they enrolled in Dalhousie University’s Lean Startup course, which teaches entrepreneurship by having students start a business. They began to devise a piece of hardware that attaches to the bottom of a skateboard and monitors what tricks the skateboarder is performing. This is accompanied by software that shows the data on a mobile device, allowing the skateboarder to record his feats, share them with friends, and chart his progress.

“Right now, we’ve got to a space where we’ve validated our initial idea enough that it’s worthy of being built and we want to test it in the market,” said John Gleeson, one of the four founders. The founders are Connor Bell, an app developer and programmer studying computer science at Dal; Nina Nedic, a fifth-year management student at Dalhousie; Brian Jeffcock, a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design; and Gleeson, a small-business owner and a second-year MBA student at Dal.

Execute Skate also entered the Launch36 accelerator but it’s looking to gain more experience abroad. The company has applied to the Canadian Tech Accelerator in Silicon Valley, and to the programs of C100, the organization that helps Canadian startups make connections in the California tech community.

Gleeson said that whether or not the company is accepted to these programs, the founders want to spend time in California this winter because it is the home to opinion-makers in their market. Skateboard companies are based there, and trends in the sport develop there.

“We want to know what skateboarders will do with it and how brands could use it,” said Gleeson.

The founders are now determining the finer points of what their product will do. One aspect they are working on is allowing brands — mainly skateboard manufacturers — to deepen their relationship with the skateboarders. For example, the product could alert a manufacturer when a skateboarder is having difficulty with a trick or is using his board less and less. The board manufacturer could contact the skateboarder, maybe send him some stickers to encourage him.

The execute team has created considerable buzz in the startup community this autumn, and what has particularly impressed people is the strength of individual talent. Bell is a programmer, Jeffcock a designer, while Nedic and Gleeson both handle the business side. They’ve also had excellent mentorship, working closely with Tim Burke, CEO of Quark Engineering in Halifax, and Shawn Carver, a Moncton-based principal at tech advisory THENEXTPHASE.

The Execute founders have said repeatedly that regardless of how Execute Skate turns out, they’ve learned that they have a strong team that will continue to collaborate.

“We know we’ve got a great team that works well together,” said Gleeson. “Everyone has a unique set of skills that allows us to do things really quickly. And more importantly, we all get along really well.”