The seven selected startups are Urban Roosters, Pendular, Kaikoo, Horizm, GoPick, CeleBreak, and SportBuff, out of 120 applications. Following the co-investment in INDYA, the selected companies will be analyzed to explore potential future investment. Wayra will support the startups in developing their business with Telefónica and will offer them physical space at its facilities on Gran Vía (Madrid).
· The Sportboost team will provide startups with a network of mentors made up of professionals from the world of sports and will collaborate on the events that are organized.
Madrid, October 20, 2022. SportBoost, the startup accelerator linked to the world of sports founded by Iker Casillas, and Wayra, Telefónica's open innovation initiative, have selected the seven best startups from the 120 submitted from 17 countries last May. Urban Roosters, Pendular, Kaikoo, Horizm, GoPick, Celebreak, and SportBuff have been selected by the SportBoost and Wayra expert committee. The goal of this initiative is to support and promote the most innovative sports-tech companies internationally. To this end, SportBoost and Wayra will analyze the possibility of future investment in these startups. Following their recent co-investment in INDYA, SportBoost and Wayra have decided to continue analyzing these seven startups within the sports ecosystem.
Iker Casillas, founding partner of SportBoost, states that “we are very pleased to have received applications from 120 startups and with their high quality. We have decided to support seven of them by offering them different benefits and helping them with the invaluable collaboration of Wayra.”
The startups in this first call cover a total of 18 different areas, including event management and organization, fan engagement, performance, wearables, AI and data analytics, wellness, Web 3, blockchain, and sustainability.
The seven chosen after this first selection are:
·Pendular: A technology startup capable of automatically generating content for media outlets and broadcasters.
·Kaikoo: A data-driven online platform that helps esports players and coaches reach their full potential by providing all the necessary tools to make it happen.
Horizm: is a German digital asset platform for the global sports and entertainment industries that aims to revolutionize how clubs operate in this new digital age.
·Gopick: is the application that comprehensively manages the entire food and beverage offering of an event, football stadium, festival, and large crowd venues.
· CeleBreak: is an online football player community where anyone is welcome regardless of location, time, or skill level. This startup is able to connect people with a shared passion for the sport.
· SportBuff: Based in London, this startup aims to enhance the viewer experience through graphics that adapt to the original coverage and broadcast designs, offering additional information and interaction such as polls, contests, and posts.
Those selected, in addition to receiving an analysis of the financial investment and active collaboration from SportBoost in the events they organize, will have access to a broad mentor network comprised of Business Angels and professional athletes. Furthermore, SportBoost will support startups by facilitating access to the ecosystem within the sports world and contributing to their positioning. Wayra, for its part, will offer startups the opportunity to access physical space at its Gran Vía (Madrid) facilities. This space will support the startups in developing their projects with Telefónica's various business units. Talks and meetings, both in-person and online, will also be organized to foster networking among the startups and facilitate their access to the investment ecosystem of Telefónica's open innovation initiative. Chema Alonso, Chief Digital Officer at Telefónica and President of the Open Innovation Board, Wayra's parent company, points out: “Telefónica has a long history of investing in sports-tech startups, and that's why this collaboration with Sportboost is proving to be such an exciting experience. Of the 120 projects submitted, it was very difficult to choose just 7 because there is so much potential and a clear passion for technology as a catalyst for change in the sports world. Hackers aren't just in the cybersecurity field, but also in sports.”