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- #155 🚀 5 Major SportsTech Startup Initiatives Just Announced
#155 🚀 5 Major SportsTech Startup Initiatives Just Announced
Plus Sapphire Sport rebrands as 359 Capital with $300M AUM
Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.
AO StartUps, DFL's SportsInnovation, and IBM x Web Summit announced that applications are now open for their SportsTech startup challenges. Meanwhile, IIM Lucknow partnered with cricketer Bhuvneshwar Kumar to launch a new accelerator in India, and Saudi Arabia's Sports for All Federation with ASICS just selected 3 winners from their Riyadh startup challenge. This follows NBA Launchpad opening applications just weeks ago.
Early-stage founders: sharpen those pitches. It's application o'clock ⏰
To top it off, a new name with familiar faces: seven years after announcing its first fund, Sapphire Sport has rebranded as 359 Capital. The name? A tribute to the once-impossible sub-four-minute mile. A barrier Sir Roger Bannister shattered in 1954 with a time of 3:59.4, proving that limits exist only until someone dares to break them. Inspiring.
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🎟️ EVENTS
LevelUpSportsTech 🚀 The Region’s Largest Sports Technology Exhibition & Conference
🗓 27-29 November 2025📍Dubai
For industry professionals, LEVEL UP offers direct access to cutting-edge innovations, opportunities to connect with global leaders, gain market insights, and expand brand visibility across the region’s growing sports tech ecosystem.
For visitors, it’s a chance to test next-gen products, measure performance, learn from experts, and get hands-on with how athletes train and compete - all inside LEVEL UP’s smart courts powered by the latest technology.
Let’s #LevelUp2025 - See you in Dubai
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📅 December 1-2, 2025 | 📍 Munich, Germany
⚡STX First 25: €100 (Reg. €349) with Access to Sports Tech Nation + ISPO Munich. (First 25 buyers)
🔥 STX Special: €175 (Reg. €349) with Access to Sports Tech Nation + ISPO Munich.
🚀 STX Investors Summit Special: €275 (Reg. €449) with Access to Investors Summit + Sports Tech Nation + ISPO.
📰 THE LATEST
Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz
🎾 AO StartUps opened applications for its final 2025 intake, targeting AI-driven companies. Startups interested in applying for this current intake should demonstrate strong potential to impact the global sports and entertainment sectors, with a particular emphasis on AI technologies.
⚙️ SportsInnovation opened applications for its Startup Award 2026, inviting founders to showcase technologies in fan experiences, broadcasting, sports performance and stadium innovation for a chance to win €5,000 and present live at the March 4-5 event in Düsseldorf.
📊 IBM and Web Summit launched a global Sports Tech Startup Challenge seeking game-changing solutions for IBM’s technology and sports partnerships, supported by regional competitions in Qatar, Vancouver and Rio leading to a Lisbon 2026 finale and tied to IBM becoming Official AI Partner for all Web Summit 2026 events.
🏅 The Saudi Sports for All Federation and ASICS spotlighted top sports tech startups in Riyadh at an event underscoring Saudi Arabia’s growing sports-entrepreneurship ecosystem as public and private sectors worked together to boost participation through innovation.
🏏 Cricketer Bhuvneshwar Kumar partnered with IIM Lucknow EIC and LegaXy to launch a sports tech and gaming accelerator that would begin with a ten-startup cohort in early 2026, jointly evaluated by both organizations.
⚽ Cristiano Ronaldo, with Rui Costa and FOOTLAB, to open a 15,000 m² sports, technology and esports hub in California that combined training facilities, performance tech and interactive experiences.
🤝 Global Sport Group launched an Athlete Advisory Board with Roc Nation Sports International, bringing athletes including Siya Kolisi, David Villa and Skylar Diggins into strategic planning to strengthen fan engagement, youth and women’s sports, and athlete-aligned commercial growth.
📺 NBCUniversal launched a new linear NBC Sports Network carrying NBA, MLB, Premier League, Olympic sports and more from its broader sports portfolio.
🎮 Disney and Penn Entertainment agreed to end the ESPN Bet venture after the product launched in 2023 but failed to gain meaningful market share.
📊 Notre Dame Research and Under Armour reached a decade-long research partnership to co-invest in innovations across materials, data analytics and human performance through multi-disciplinary collaboration.
🏎️ Mercedes F1 posted a record £4.6 billion ($6 billion) valuation as CEO Toto Wolff prepared to sell a 5% stake, reflecting Formula 1’s accelerating global commercial growth.
Money Talks |
💸 Sapphire Sport announced that it had become 359 Capital after spinning out from Sapphire Ventures and rebranding as an independent firm managing $300 million in AUM, to back sports, media and entertainment tech startups targeting Series A and B rounds.
💰 Fastbreak AI, a North Carolina-based sports operations startup, raised $40 million in Series A funding with participation from the NBA, aiming to scale its AI-driven tools for team performance and strategy optimization.
💰 Sports video automation firm Pixellot raised $35 million to accelerate product innovation and global expansion under new CEO Doron Gerstel.
💰 The Icon League raised $16.2 million (€15 million) in Series A funding to expand its Berlin-based five-a-side football competition and enhance its global footprint.
❄️ The Snow League raised $15 million to drive global expansion of its snow sports competition platform and invest in digital community growth.
💸 Apollo Global Management finalized a $2.7 billion (€2.5 billion) transaction with Atlético de Madrid, extending the wave of private capital flowing into European football and expanding Apollo’s sports investment portfolio.
💰 Excel Sports Management, the agency representing athletes such as Caitlin Clark and Derek Jeter, secured a $1 billion investment led by Goldman Sachs to strengthen its position in athlete management and media ventures.
💸 Monarch Collective acquired a 38% stake in German club FC Viktoria Berlin Women, marking the US investment firm’s first European football deal and underscoring its growing focus on the women’s game.
🤝 Scorability acquired Ryzer, combining the two companies’ data and event management tools to build a unified platform for college sports recruiting and athlete evaluation.
🤝 A Houston Texans affiliate acquired League One Volleyball’s Houston pro team through Lone Star Sports & Entertainment as Cal and Hannah McNair expanded their investment into professional volleyball.
🤝 Google donated $1 million to the Thunder Community Foundation to support AI training and sports programming as part of its broader investment in Oklahoma’s tech landscape.
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