#167 💡NFL, FIBA, Juventus & More Launch Innovation Programs

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

The NFL, FIBA, Juventus, Padel World Summit, Thinksport & ABSG, all announced sports innovation initiatives this past week. When that many organisations move at once, it's worth paying attention. This week's feature rounds up the major innovation programs launched in 2025, all of which we'll be covering in more depth in our upcoming Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report.

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

Sports Tech Initiatives & Innovation Programs 2025

If you’re building in sports tech, whether performance, AI, fan engagement, data analytics or new business models, these ecosystem initiatives, hubs, and research centers are worth exploring for support, collaboration, insights, partnerships, and exposure.

Europe

• SportTech Latvia: A national platform uniting sports and technology professionals to drive digitalisation, data analytics, and innovation across the Latvian sports industry, while connecting local projects and startups to the global sports tech ecosystem.

• Football Innovation Hub #11: The KNVB’s football innovation platform focused on shaping the future of football, running applied projects across talent development, referee decision-making, VAR evolution, competition formats, and rule changes through initiatives like Reimagine Football.

• Hub23: A Barcelona-based sports tech hub building community and visibility for digital sports startups, supporting founders and industry partners working on technology-driven solutions across the sports value chain.

• Atleti Lab: Atletico Madrid’s innovation program seeking disruptive solutions in sustainability, accessibility, and inclusion, with opportunities for collaboration and testing within an elite football environment.

• Burnley FC Innovation Hub: An accelerator built inside a Premier League club, giving startups the chance to pilot solutions in live football operations, receive rapid feedback, and develop pathways to long-term partnerships.

North America

• Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition: A statewide initiative using a data-driven roadmap to advance Georgia’s sports industry through athlete development, incubator creation, economic impact analysis, and community engagement, with the goal of catalysing new investment and new businesses.

• AI Advantage: A Sports Innovation Lab program focused on practical AI training and application for sports and entertainment professionals, translating emerging AI tools into real-world use cases across media, marketing, operations, and fan engagement.

• Spire Performance Research Institute: An innovation lab launched by Spire Academy applying a holistic youth performance model, combining mental training, physical development, injury prevention, recovery, and embedded technology across the athlete experience.

• University Hospitals Haslam Sports Innovation Center: A sports medicine innovation center providing a pipeline for new technologies across injury prevention, rehabilitation, and athlete health, focused on identifying, validating, and accelerating clinically backed solutions.

• Women’s Sports Xccelerator: A growth platform focused on building sustainable women’s sports businesses, helping teams increase fan bases, strengthen community, and unlock new revenue, with a strong emphasis on ticketed sports and high-growth leagues.

• SPORTx by ASU: An Arizona State University initiative designed to accelerate sports-related startups and empower student-athletes, operating across athlete engagement and venture development.

• Columbia-Dream Sports AI Innovation Center: A transdisciplinary research institute focused on advancing AI and machine learning in sports, addressing foundational and applied challenges across performance, analytics, engineering, and decision-making.

Why Startups Should Check These Out

• Industry pilots and real-world trial partners

• Education, mentorship, and network connections

• Research insights and early adopter feedback

• Potential funding introductions and collaboration frameworks

An updated list for 2026 and additional upcoming trends will be broken down in the 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report. Submit your interest to get featured.

🏆 ThinkSport & ABSG Launch Sports Innovation Challenge: AI & Robotics 2026

ABSG joins ThinkSport in calling on startups worldwide, from PoC to MVP stage, to bring forward disruptive technologies that have the potential to inspire, challenge and reshape the global sports industry.

The Challenge focuses on innovative applications of artificial intelligence and robotics, including but not limited to performance, health, operations, engagement and access to sport.

Applications are now open until March 1 2026.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🏈 The NFL launched its HealthTECH Challenge to advance helmet safety, inviting innovators to develop next-generation solutions aimed at improving player protection.

🏀 FIBA invited sports technology companies to participate in test events in Doha in March, as the international federation evaluated automated video and tracking solutions to support future competition and broadcast innovation.

⚽ Juventus unveiled the next chapter of Juventus Forward, the innovation platform first launched in 2024. Juventus introduced a pair of partnerships with CDP Venture Capital and The Players Fund, as well as a debut cohort of startups that will support Juventus across athlete development, guest management and content production functions.

🏓 Padel World Summit invited startups to participate in its upcoming event, offering booth space and industry access to accelerate growth, connect with clubs and investors, and gain visibility within the global padel ecosystem.

⛳ LIV Golf launched “Fan Caddie,” an AI-powered digital assistant built on Salesforce’s Agentforce 360 that delivered real-time insights and interactive content throughout the season to personalise the global golf fan experience.

🤖 China launched the world’s first robot combat league in Shenzhen with a $1.44 million prize pool, showcasing humanoid robotics capabilities through competitive fighting events.

📺 Olympic Broadcasting Services delivered its most immersive Olympic Winter Games coverage to date at Milano Cortina 2026, deploying drone cameras, AI-powered replays, cinematic production techniques, and fully virtualised workflows to bring fans closer to the action across all platforms.

⚽ Mexico deployed robotic dogs to support police and security operations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reflecting increased use of robotics in major sporting event management.

📺 The Famous Group added a mixed-reality animation element to NBC’s Super Bowl LX broadcast, integrating immersive virtual production into live game coverage.

🏈 Super Bowl LX averaged 124.9 million viewers while Bad Bunny’s halftime show drew 128.2 million, both falling short of all-time US broadcast and halftime viewership records.

🏀 Sportradar signed a multi-year agreement with NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks to enhance NBA broadcasts using real-time data, advanced visualisation tools, and enriched storytelling solutions.

🏀 The Big 12 Conference confirmed it would use an LED-embedded ASB GlassFloor court for its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, integrating dynamic digital visuals into live competition.

💰 CURAPOD raised $2.4 million (₹20 crore) in a Pre-Series A funding round led by V3 Ventures, as the Litemed-backed Indian healthtech startup continued scaling its non-invasive, personalised pain management device.

💰 YesRef secured funding for Australian expansion, for an undisclosed amount, as the UK-based sports tech platform reported that 60 percent of Premier League clubs used its referee-matching software for junior team matches.

💰 SportsSkill Ladder raised lead investment from Nirav Mody, for an undisclosed amount, to support the launch of its beta platform enabling players to build custom ladders, form communities, and compete digitally.

🤝 Humain acquired a controlling stake in scouting and player development app ai.io, for an undisclosed amount, as the PIF-backed AI company launched a new sports vertical focused on talent identification and development.

🤝 WSC Sports acquired Partnerbrite, for an undisclosed amount, to expand its AI-powered video platform with enhanced sponsorship activation tools for leagues, broadcasters, and digital platforms.

🤝 Bolt and Blue Pool Capital joined the Germany SailGP Team ownership group as minority investors, backing the Deutsche Bank-supported team competing in the global SailGP championship.

💸 Apollo Sports Capital prepared to deploy up to $6 billion into a newly formed sports investment company, having already acquired stakes in Atlético Madrid and Wrexham since launching last September.

💸 A Luka Dončić–backed investment group moved to acquire an Italian basketball team, Vanoli Basket Cremona, as part of a broader strategy aligned with potential NBA Europe expansion, according to people familiar with the transaction.

💸 Investors including Manchester United owner interests circulated around potential bids for Indian Premier League franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals, with sales expected to reach up to $1.8 billion.

💸 Washington State Athletics' Cougar Athletic Fund launched its "Rally Your Region" fundraising campaign, with a $2.5 million target. An initiative to promote philanthropic giving to the Cougar Athletic Fund in WSU Football Name, Image, Likeness (NIL).

💸 Dream Sports, parent company of Dream11, reported a net loss of $57 million (₹479 crore) for FY25 as operating scale declined 15 percent year-on-year following domicile changes and director-related benefit expenses.

💸 Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Chelsea Women’s ownership group, adding NBA star backing to the Women’s Super League club’s growing investor base.