#143 💰 Sports Orgs: The New VCs in Town

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New innovation hubs in the Premier League, the Bundesliga will be on YouTube and Real-money gaming, including fantasy sports, gets banned in India. Has been a busy busy week in SportsTech.

Sports Organizations in Venture Capital

Last week we explored how various corporates are investing in the sports venture and innovation space. But they are far from the only players, Sports organisations themselves - teams, leagues and federations - have been stepping into the startup game by launching their own funds, accelerators, and innovation hubs. 

The rationale is simple: better access to technologies that impact key business areas, like fan engagement, athlete performance, and media distribution. Being proactive helps shape the innovations they truly need.

Here are the key examples of how sports organisations have evolved from passive adopters to active investors and innovation drivers.

Investments and Fund Activity

USA

• NBA Equity has backed companies including Playback ($22 million raise), Greenfly ($14 million raise), and Springbok Analytics in early 2025. The NBA has also been running a startup program Launchpad, with annual cohorts since 2022.

• 32 Equity, NFL’s Investment Arm continues to invest in companies aligned with NFL growth and content.

• EP Golf Ventures, a joint fund of the PGA of America and Elysian Park Ventures, invested in Evenplay to scale AI golf tech with cash prizes, and joined the funding round for Dryvebox

• USTA Ventures invested in Edge Sound Research to enhance the fan experience, acquired a stake in Court 16, partnered with Lead for strategic tennis investments, and launched a fan engagement partnership through PlayReplay.

• WTA Ventures achieved strong growth in its first year, extended its CVC partnership, agreed a Tencent rights deal, and enlisted Wasserman for sponsorships.

• Hawks Ventures, by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, makes capital available primarily for minority- and women-led ventures.

• Sapphire Sport, which includes City Football Group, adidas, and owners of the Indiana Pacers, Boston Bruins and New York Jets in their LP group, closed its second fund at $181 million in 2023 and continues to back early-stage sports, media, and entertainment companies.

Europe & Oceania

• WTA Ventures is also headquartered in London, making it a key European-led commercial entity, while driving global deals listed above.

• AO Ventures is the official VC arm of the Australian Open Grand Slam and Tennis Australia.

Innovation Labs and Ecosystem Programs

USA

• TitletownTech, backed by the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, ran an NFL Draft pitch competition, invested $27 million in two winners, and has supported ventures such as Realta Fusion.

• Sixers Innovation Lab continues to support early-stage startups with investment and mentoring.

• Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) piloted new fan-access programs, launched a generative AI video editor with AWS, and advanced that following Rogers’ majority stake.

Europe & Oceania

• Barça Innovation Hub continues to invest in startups to develop partnerships and research projects across sports tech. They have also played with the idea of a startup investment fund, it is yet to materialise

• Real Madrid Next had partnered with FundingBox to invest in early stage ventures through their SCORE program

• AO StartUps, also by Tennis Australia, is as an accelerator program for sport, health, and entertainment startups, running an annual cohort since 2022/23.

And there are numerous other sports organisations driven innovation hubs that we could list, especially in Europe. From FIFA & UEFA to the Euroleague, the list goes on.

Rights-holders have embraced a new reality: venture capital isn't just an investment tool, it's a competitive opportunity. Whether through NBA Equity’s portfolio bets, USTA and WTA’s targeted investments, or AO and Barça’s accelerators, rights-holders now view venture capital as a strategic lever.

For startups, this is both funding and validation - a direct pipeline into the institutions that own the audiences, events, and platforms they seek to serve.

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Top News from the World of Sports Tech & Biz

⚽ Burnley FC launched an Innovation Hub at Turf Moor in collaboration with industry partners to pilot next-generation sports technologies across fan experience, player performance, and stadium operations.

⚽ YouTuber Mark Goldbridge joined the Bundesliga’s UK broadcast partners for the 2025–26 season, with rights to show 20 matches on his “That’s Football” channel alongside outlets like Sky Sports, BBC, and The Overlap.

🎮 Manchester City launched its first project under City Fan Labs, a fan innovation unit focused on next-gen fan experiences, with a Roblox campaign called StickerBook Challenge.

⚾ The Miami Marlins benefited from a cutting-edge robot pitcher that replicates opposing teams’ deliveries, which has fueled one of Major League Baseball’s best records since late June.

⚽ Burnley FC’s Academy opened a new Player Development Centre in Manchester, working with AiScout to run sessions that help identify and nurture emerging football talent.

🤖 The San Antonio Spurs hosted a generative AI demo day to explore AI use cases including onboarding, sponsorships, fan engagement, and analytics.

🏈 Robinhood announced the launch of “prediction markets” for NFL and NCAA football in partnership with Kalshi, positioning them as contracts in a marketplace rather than traditional sports betting.

🏈 The NFL’s Surface tablets received a major AI upgrade through Microsoft Copilot, allowing coaches and players to make faster, data-driven in-game decisions. The parties also extended their multi-year strategic partnership to bring more AI-driven technology to sidelines, enhancing player performance and in-game decision-making.

⛳ The PGA Tour and LIV Golf went head-to-head on YouTube TV’s “Multiview” experience over three consecutive weeks-pitting FedExCup Playoffs against LIV events in major U.S. cities-highlighting the changing landscape of golf broadcasts.

⚖️ India’s Lok Sabha passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, amid opposition protests, banning real-money gaming and boosting the esports sector.

🎾 The ATP announced a record $18.3 million distributed to players through profit-sharing from ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in 2024 under its 50‑50 formula.

🏀 Google named Stephen Curry as a Performance Advisor, integrating his elite athlete insights into Google products.

⚽ FIFA Rivals signed a multi-year partnership with Borussia Dortmund to add select BVB players, kits, and emblems to the mobile game, launch a BVB Launch Giveaway Week Aug 18–24, and extend activations into real-world fan locations.

📱 Fox launched its direct‑to‑consumer streaming service Fox One, priced at $19.99/month (or $199.99/year), offering live and on‑demand content across its full portfolio, including Fox News, Sports, Entertainment, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, and more.

📡 Yahoo Sports joined the FAST channel rush with a new free-to-stream network featuring fantasy-focused programming, original content, and targeted advertising for connected TV audiences.

Money Talks:

💰 Eight Sleep raised $100 million from HSG, Valor Equity Partners, Founders Fund, Y Combinator, and Formula 1 names Charles Leclerc and Zak Brown to expand its AI-powered sleep technology.

💰 Sports Impact Technologies raised €650k in pre-seed funding led by private investors with Enterprise Ireland HPSU support to accelerate rollout of its behind-the-ear sports wearable monitoring head impacts in real time.

🤝 Ultrahuman acquired viO HealthTech to integrate its fertility-tracking technology, launching Cycle & Ovulation Pro as a new feature on the Ultrahuman Ring AIR, billed as the world’s most accurate cycle tracking smart ring.

🤝 CoachUp acquired Bando Performance to form a next-generation athletic development company with a nationwide network of CoachUp Performance Centers.

🤝 WIT acquired the Tally gamification platform to strengthen its real-time audience engagement and data capture capabilities across digital experiences.