Our mission

We started the “old fashioned way” as coat checkers using paper claim tickets.  At that time, we became well-aware of the century-old stigma: by walking into a checkroom, you’ll experience long lines and lost or damaged items.

Our mission is to eliminate the claim ticket and bring speed and trust to the checkroom. 

From CoatChex to Chexology

In 2010, as an Indiana University student, Derek Pacqué (now CEO & Founder of Chexology), recognized a very real problem—local establishments near campus weren’t offering coat check as they deemed it too much of a liability and a hassle.  To solve this problem, Derek invented collapsible coat check equipment that was quick to set up and easy to take down.  He sought the help of other students to operate a young business that filled a niche and quickly became profitable. 

After a few years of checking coats with paper claim tickets, it was clear that the industry needed to undergo a revolution.  Lost tickets led to long lines and upset customers.  Too many operations with no way to track items led to inaccurate revenue reporting.  The quality of service was outside of the operator’s control.  From the chaos, an idea was born to use technology to connect people with their items and turn an inconvenience into an opportunity.  Derek presented this idea to his professor, asking him to be an advisor.  In 2011, the two worked together to create CoatChex, a company focused on bringing innovation and value to an industry that hadn’t been touched in decades. 

After graduating in 2011, Derek joined an incubator and raised money to develop his multi-city pop-up coat checking business.  He met with software developers and hardware engineers to wireframe his concept and launch his prototype.  With the CoatChex app customers would have the convenience of using their phone number as their claim ticket, something they surely could not lose.  If an item was left behind at the end of the night, a quick text would let them know when and where they could pick it up.  To avoid giving the wrong item back to a customer, the app quickly and visually profiled people and their items.  Moreover, clients were now able to track their revenue, connect with customers, and gather valuable insights into their businesses.

By 2012, Derek had applied for and taped an episode of Shark Tank Season 4.  As the show aired, CoatChex’s website saw 1,000 hits each second.  Although ultimately, he turned down an offer from one of the sharks, CoatChex gained national brand recognition and garnered interest from hundreds of venue owners and high-profile events.  Soon Derek found himself overloaded with opportunities for his ticketless coat checking business.

Over the years, CoatChex became experts, process improvers, and system builders across hundreds of operations; the CoatChex vision expanded to include other markets that store, lend, and share items.   Through trustworthy software, CoatChex was able to bring the checkroom into the 21st century and deliver unprecedented customer experiences, insights, and connections.

In 2015 Chexology was formed allowing CoatChex to evolve into just one of its valuable products.  This same year, the Chexology process was patented, and Derek closed a $1.2 million seed funding round.  

Today, Chexology’s success is measured by shorter wait times and added security as proven with clients like American Express, Barclays Center, Bowery Presents, House of Blues, ICC Sydney, Javits Center, Live Nation, Museum of Modern Art, Nike, Terminal 5, and The Hippodrome Casino.

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Put trust back in your checkroom.