INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Ten sports startups from around the world will share their vision and prove their potential for generating venture returns at 1pm EST Thursday, October 8 at the Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy Demo Day, which will be virtually streamed for global viewing. Demo Day is a showcase event for these carefully selected 10 startups to present to a live digital audience of venture capitalists, corporate leaders, and industry experts.
The 10 startups were selected to participate in the 3-month Techstars Sports Accelerator based on their unique business models and technologies focused on the future of sports in categories including eSports, fan engagement, fitness and nutrition, AI and robotics, sports media and athleisure.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Techstars Sports Accelerator sought out startups that were relatively insulated from the risks of a prolonged battle against COVID-19. The 2020 class includes six startups located in the United States, two companies based in Europe, and two more from Tel Aviv, Israel and Bogota, Columbia. The founders include a diverse group, including several women-lead companies, immigrants, Latino CEO's, and former professional athletes.
"The 2020 class has really excelled over the past few months despite these challenging times that our world has been facing. They have proved to be some of the most determined and passionate startup founders we have met to date," said Jordan Fliegel, Managing Director of the Techstars Sports Accelerator, Powered by Indy. "I'm really proud of our founders and look forward to introducing them remotely at our virtual Demo Day on October 8th as graduates of the top sports accelerator in the world."
The 2020 Techstars Sports Class includes:
- ZoneIn: The first platform that is customized to the workout schedule and body needs of every athlete. (NYC)
- Fitnescity: Fitnescity partners with leading labs, hospitals and local clinics nationwide to offer consumer-facing lab tests for fitness, nutrition and performance —both at home and in person throughout all 50 states. (NYC)
- Tennibot: Patented robot using AI to automatically find and retrieve tennis balls, saving players and coaches to spend 20% more time. (Auburn, AL)
- Beastcoast: an eSports organization that puts a focus on player interests, well-being, and happiness while offering a wide variety of esports titles. (NYC)
- Esportudo: Sports media company focused on the underserved Latino sports fan, the first platform to focus on Spanish and Portuguese sports fans. (Boston)
- Reza: Cutting edge high-tech, high-fashion sneaker that connects to Bluetooth for color-changing heels. (Detroit)
- F2K: Professional eSports and streaming entertainment organization. (Germany)
- Locker: Reinventing sports media for dedicated fans (Dublin, Ireland)
- SensSwim: The first and only company to record, measure and analyze swimmers metrics in real time, using video only. (Israel)
- Rebus: Helps events, and sports teams, generate revenue and increase fans through unique ancillary experiences. (Columbia)
Techstars Sports Accelerator is made possible by partners including Next Level Fund, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, NCAA, and Indiana Sports Corp, and supporting partners the Indianapolis Colts, NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indianapolis location was chosen due to its booming (and give-first) startup community and its significant tech industry job growth, it's also currently ranked as the #6 fastest growing metro across U.S. & Canada and a top 4 midwest city for startups. Indianapolis is established as one of the top sports hubs in the U.S, with many of the Techstars Sports Accelerators using the Indy market to help launch their companies, including Beastcoast, Rebus, Tennibot, and more.
"The Techstars Sports Accelerator in Indy is a great partnership, attracting the best SportsTech companies from around the world while at the same time leveraging Indianapolis's sports resources to grow the overall startup and venture ecosystems," said Aaron Gillum, Senior Vice-President of 50 South Capital.
"Indianapolis has long been recognized as a sports business hub, and our evolution into the Midwest's fastest-growing tech ecosystem makes the marriage between tech and sports both natural and powerful," said Pacers Owner and NBA alternate governor Steve Simon. "The work Techstars has done in recruiting and supporting these incredible startups has been remarkable, and we are excited to see first-hand how these companies will change the sports business landscape."
"Techstars is presenting new and innovative companies that continue to push the NCAA in fun, new directions, which is opening up new opportunities for all NCAA stakeholders," said Judd Williams, CIO of the NCAA. "We are excited to see what the 1st and 2nd class companies do, as well as, what is in the future."
"We had a vision as a community to grow our sports business ecosystem by harnessing the power of our sports organizations and tech business sector," said Ryan Vaughn, President of the Indiana Sports Corporation. "What we needed to be successful was a partner who could recruit the best startup companies in the world and network and support them for success. Techstars has been a tremendous partner in helping us achieve these goals."
Learn more about the 2020 class of the Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy, here.
About Techstars
Techstars is the global platform for investment and innovation. Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas—entrepreneurs create the future, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Today our mission is to make innovation accessible to everyone, everywhere. We do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to create a more sustainable and inclusive world. Since 2006, Techstars has invested in more than 2,200 companies and today has a market cap of $27 Billion. http://www.techstars.com
SOURCE Techstars
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