Pursu.it, the platform that helps elite athletes crowdfund sponsorship, will launch the next version of its technology in late October, allowing users to interact with supporters for longer periods of time.

The Halifax organization is planning to unveil Pursu.it Journey, the new version of its platform that will feature enhanced marketing and continuous fundraising tools.

“The biggest thing we’ve found is athletes are looking for longer-term connection with their supporters,” said CEO Andrew Russell, a paddler who competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

“So we’re looking to extend the timeline of the crowdfunding experience.”

Pursu.it is a not-for-profit launched in 2012 by Halifax technology entrepreneurs Julia Rivard, also a former Olympic canoeist, and Leah Skerry to help elite athletes raise money for training through crowdfunding. Rivard and Skerry are best known as principals of the web-design company Norex, and Skerry is now the CEO of the educational technology startup Eyeread.

The idea behind Pursu.it is that Olympic-level athletes have a tough time raising money to cover the costs of preparing for international competitions, and there is only so much government money or corporate sponsorship to go around.

Pursu.it lets them post videos of themselves and co-ordinate crowdfunding campaigns so they can draw funding more easily from the general public. In the last three years, the company has raised more than $500,000 for a range of athletes.

Last November, Pursu.it USA launched and is working with about 10 American athletes.

Russell said Pursu.it has already assembled a pool of athletes to beta-test the new version of the platform. That will start in mid-October, with a view to having a full launch late that month.

There are crowdfunding sites, including some for artists, that allow longer-term engagement, and Pursu.it is examining those. Many users of Pursu.it have training cycles that extend through the Olympic calendar, so it may be advantageous to allow a four-year engagement, said Russell.

Pursu.it Journey will also allow athletes to connect with supporters and fans in new ways, possibly by offering training sessions to more generous backers, posting tips for the sport or updating results more often.

“The term ‘give back’ is what we use,” said Russell.

“We just want to give the athletes more tools. And as we experiment, I would imagine that what we have in terms of the give-backs will change over time.”

The company will celebrate the launch of Pursu.it Journey by hosting a five-kilometre run in partnership with Saint Mary’s University on Sept. 26. It will serve as a fundraiser that will support not only the development of Pursu.it Journey but also Canadian national team runner Dan Gorman. The run will be followed by a varsity football game at SMU.