This Friday ten sports tech startups will give their company pitch to a group of five investors, a Sports Advisory Panel and successful entrepreneurs in Charlotte for the second ever Sports Tank, organized by TPG Sports Group. Each company will present for three minutes and then have an additional ten to negotiate and answer questions.
Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!
The Sports Advisory Panel is made up of the following sports industry leaders:
- Kevin Pritchard, General Manager, Indiana Pacers
- Chrystal Rowe, Director of Ticketing, Carolina Panthers
- Brian Kopp, President North America, Catapult Sports
- Rich Sheubrooks, retired Nike & NBA executive
- Tom Dusenberry, CEO, Dusenberry Martin Racing
- Megan Hughes, VP of Client Services, Genesco Sports Enterprises
Sports Tank is part of a growing trend of investing in sports tech startups and TPG Sports Group’s President and Indiana Pacer’s Director of International Scouting, Pete Philo, was kind enough to share some insights with us about his vision for this venture.
Below is a Q&A with Pete and a brief description of all ten startups entering the competition.
1) What differentiates Sports Tank from other pitch events?
We feel very confident that what sets Sports Tank apart from other pitch events are two things: (1) Our reach in sports. We have been very fortunate to run events and do business in four different continents. We feel that we don’t have any borders when it comes to our reach in the sports community. (2) The second is our relationships with the highest level of sports executives. Between our sports executives and our sports-specific venture capitalist being part of Sports Tank, we are a combination of pitch event and mini accelerator.
2) What are you most excited about for this year’s event?
The thing that gets me most excited about this year is the level of start up we have coming. From 1-10 we feel that they all have a real chance to get what they are looking for in regard to funding and partnerships. When you combine this level of start-up with strategic venture capitalists & sports executives all on one stage, the sky is the limit. Not only this year but moving forward, the interest, popularity and partnerships will continue to develop. Galvanizing the sports start up community from around the world and having Sports Tank be the destination would be something special.
3) How has the event grown from year one to year two?
The event has grown from year one to year two simply from an awareness standpoint and level of start-up company applying. We had 253 companies apply from 22 different countries and 30 states. We were overwhelmed by the response. The start-ups this year have early traction, previous funding, partnerships, etc. All the things you look for in a successful start up.
4) What are your hopes for the companies pitching?
My hopes for the companies pitching is that they all present well. It is not easy to pitch, and nail the pitch perfectly. The truth is, investors not only invest in the company, they invest in the people running the company. Pitching is one thing, being prepared to respond to tough questions from the investors & sports executives is another. I love the dialogue and new friendships that are built. These companies are like family to us. We want to see success as much as they do. We offer our network and relationships. It’s part of the package here at Sports Tank.
Sports Tank Presenting Companies
Brizi (Toronto, Canada) – Srin Sridaharan
Brizi uses in-stadium, fan-controlled cameras that enable teams to grow sponsorship revenue. The cameras, along with Brizi’s software, can be used as a digital platform for teams to create authentic fan-generated content (photos, images, videos etc) that they can sell to sponsors. The content the fans create can have a small logo or overlay with the sponsor’s branding that they can instantly share on social media. Brizi allows fans to take control of the in-stadium cameras to take selfies, and overlay images (e.g player jerseys) and videos.
Bubbl (New York, NY) – Mauhan Zonoozy
Bubbl drives lift in mobile video engagement by letting audiences clip 15-second moments from online video. The platform integrates easily with websites and apps, leveraging fans to multiply content into millions of clips that publishers can monitor and monetize each time they’re shared. Fans can clip their favorite highlights from a game and share it on their social media profiles. The clips (or “Bubbls”) are intelligent assets that drive increased user engagement, social sharing and conversions, and revenue opportunities for content partners.
Dasdak (Washington D.C.) – Swaptak Das
Dasdak is a mobile commerce platform that helps businesses leverage mobile to increase revenue and improve customer experience. Customers in stadiums and airports can use their cell phone to order food & beverage or retail for delivery to their seat, usually in less than 5 minutes. Some of Dasdak’s current clients include the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Superdome/Saints, New Orleans Pelicans/Smoothie King Center, the DC government, and the DC Convention Center. Although the main focus is currently on the stadium industry, Dasdak also has clients in other industries such as airports, restaurants, hotels, casinos, etc.
Hashplay (Hamburg, Germany) – Jan-Philipp Mohr
Hashplay looks to change the way computer and video games are enjoyed. Its unique technology allows users to play, share, and watch games in virtual reality – without the need to follow the player’s eye movements. Professional gamers can share their gameplay on multiple platforms in immersive VR, 3-D or 2D. Currently, watching virtual reality games is only possible in 2D. Live-spectators cannot enjoy games played in virtual reality because of the head movement. Hashplay solves this problem by providing software technology that allows gamers to enjoy games in virtual reality, while streaming a stabilized image to live-viewers within their VR player software.
IdealSeat (Seattle, WA) – Joel Carben
IdealSeat’s mission is to create, analyze, and deliver insights from unique data about the fan experience. The company’s strategy focuses on the three core aspects of a fan’s experience with live sporting events: ticket discovery, gameday decisions, and in-game experiences. IdealSeat is becoming the industry’s most valuable source for data and analysis about the fan’s experience from deciding to attend an event to raving about it at the office the next day. Using the app, fans can locate and select the best available seats for their individual preferences based on criteria such as sitting in the shade, proximity to concessions and bathrooms, and family-friendly sections for large groups of fans. For souvenir hunters, IdealSeat even suggests the seats at each Major League stadium that offer the highest likelihood of catching a home run or foul ball during the game.
Matcherino (Seattle, WA) – Grant Farwell
Matcherino is a crowdfunding platform for the eSports community. They make it easy to organize showmatches or tournaments and provide ways for streamers to interact and engage with their fans. Spectators can nominate one livestream personality (such as a Twitch broadcaster) or an eSports athlete to play against another. Other fans can pitch in money to watch the match, and Matcherino keeps the funds in escrow. It then hosts the match and pays the prize money to whoever wins.
Phazon (Montreal, Canada) – Chris Houle
The Phazon headphones are the world’s first one-size-fits-all wireless earbuds. Phazon provides wireless earbuds guaranteed not to fall out with only one size and no inserts. The earbuds work with Bluetooth and come with a stylish charging case that can be attached to a keychain. Some of the key feautres of the headphones include: fully waterproof, high-end audio, audio controls on earbuds, battery life for six hours of continuous listening, and advanced location technology to allow users to locate lost buds within 100 feet.
Physmodo (Dallas, TX) – Andrew Menter
Physmodo’s program can allow physical therapists to collect data on multiple joints simultaneously rather than joint by joint. Physmodo has created a tool that aims to bridge the gap between sports medicine and technology to help care for athletes. By going through some basic motions, such as lunges or squats, the sensor monitors the changes in movement and provides data for the physical therapist to analyze. They can then determine what exercises or treatments the patient might need for recovery as well as track the patient’s progress. The technology works to assess and analyze the athlete’s performance levels off the field. The program also records a patient’s session, allowing the physical therapist to go back and compare footage from different appointments.
Senaptec (Beaverton, OR) – Joe Bingold
Senaptec is a sports-focused sensory performance company. They provide products to sports teams, military, performance centers, healthcare professionals, and municipalities. The technology is designed to assess an individual’s sensory performance (e.g., brain’s visual response time), compare those results to others with similar demographics (e.g., NFL quarterbacks), and improve areas that are relatively weak.
Trago (Austin, TX) – Jac Saltzgiver
Trago is building the world’s first truly personalized hydration and sports nutrition platform for athletes and teams. Trago is a smart cap that fits on standard, wide-mouth water bottles and uses ultrasonic sensors to measure the change in water level. It syncs water consumption data automatically with their smartphone app using Bluetooth Low Energy. Trago is able to sync with fitness trackers (Apple Watch, FitBit, etc.) to provide personalized hydration data in conjunction with daily fitness progress.
For more information on Sports Tank visit tpgsportsgroup.com.
