Medical school graduate, NFL linebacker and practicing attorney aren’t typical resume entries for most executives at hi-tech startups, but CrowdOptic Chief Operating Officer Jim Kovach has spent a lifetime reaching beyond expectations. This is a Q&A with Kovach.

Launched in 2010, CrowdOptic has developed a crowd-based mobile application that combines augmented reality with location services to connect people at live events such as NASCAR races, the red carpet at the Oscars and football games by determining where they point their smartphone cameras. The application has been used to monitor shifts in crowd attention to improve behind-the-scenes operations and to target advertising.