HYPE GVA 2.0: Sport industry giants hand-pick startups for pilots

LONDON, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The much-awaited HYPE Sports Innovation Global Virtual Accelerator (GVA) 2.0 DRAFT Startup Selection LIVE sessions, took off with 52 top Sports Brands, Clubs, Leagues, Federations and Broadcasters, among them Under Armour, Bundesliga, the French Football Federation, leading soccer clubs across the world, DAZN, Rogers, Sinclair, and multiple teams from the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and NFL all total covering 14 countries and more than 10 sports.  All of them have chosen to transform the experience they provide to their stakeholders.

The session provided a glance into how the future of Sports will look like 5 years from now! (and maybe even sooner...)

During the session, the partners announced which technologies and solutions they are choosing to focus on such as AR/VR, Watch together solutions, 5G gamification, eSports and next generation second screen technology to enhance the fan experience, maximise sponsorship and increase reach.

Following the grand success of the GVA campaign last year, over 1,400 startups applied for GVA 2.0 with the ultimate goal of securing pilots with the leading brands. This came after 3 months of deep understanding of each of the partner's needs and challenges where each partner spent an hour plus discussing areas they were searching for solutions and innovation. This was a revolutionary concept which instead of only focusing on innovation, focused specifically on the real needs and challenges of the Sports Brands. The next stage was a virtual pitch day where each of the startups tailored their offerings and solutions to the needs of the respected partners.  The 52 Partners then had a week of deliberations to really dig deeper into the solutions, prior to making their final selections at various selection shows or Drafts. 

The selection of startups for the program is being announced at the HYPE DRAFTS, multi day, live virtual events that have already been hosted twice this week. The first one took place on Tuesday, 30th of March, where 20+ startups of the Performance and Fitness vertical were selected by top partners such as Under Armour, Lululemon and FIBA amongst others.

The second event was hosted on Wednesday, 31st of March, for the Clubs & Federations, and Media & Broadcasting verticals, which was led by Ryan McCumber, Program Director of both verticals. ALL of the 34 shortlisted startups were selected by at least one of the 31 partners involved, further emphasising the unparalleled quality of opportunities that HYPE's programs bring for the startups to capitalize on.

Multiple startups were left in awe to see their product/solution being chased by the industry giants and to also witness their years of hard work coming to fruition. Philadelphia & Bengaluru-based startup Edisn.ai founded by Ashok Karanth was selected by an astonishing number of 18 Partners including Sinסclair, DAZN, MIlwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Wolves out of EPL Amongst Others Sizzle, ImagineAR (a publicly traded company that entered the program), CatapultX and Bleachr were all selected by 13 top sports brands to explore setting a pilot and commercial agreement. "The potential to now secure 18 or 13 new clients across the world in multiple sports in a single program is truly game changing and something the sports tech or general startup ecosystem accelerator programs have not seen before. What we just did for these startups is incredible, but I wouldn't even call many of these startups many are late stage and mature companies even publicly traded ones which speaks to the uniqueness of how the program is designed….all about business outcomes" said Ryan McCumber HYPE GVA 2.0 Program Director.

Startups progressing in the program will now receive the opportunity to have three months of mentorship from top industry professionals, prior to the pilot where they will be collaborating with a variety of sports professionals, investors and mentors from around the world.

The coming week will be kicked off by the DRAFT for the Winter Sports vertical on Wednesday 7th of April, followed by the Motor Sports DRAFT on Thursday April 8th, before being concluded by the Esports & Gaming + Sports Betting DRAFT on the 12th of April.  If interested in viewing the upcoming drafts live, click here.

HYPE Sports Innovation is delighted to end the last steps before the start of GVA 2.0 and are determined to work towards a common goal, inspiring people's life through the love for Sports and Innovation.

HYPE Sports Innovation:

"We and our partners are focusing on 2025 in order to make sure that sport and innovation will continue to impact people's lives in a way that is yet to be experienced," said Amir Raveh, Founder, and President of HYPE Sports Innovation.

For additional information please contact:

Mariana Solorzano, Partnerships Manager, HYPE Sports Innovation
[email protected]

SOURCE HYPE Sports Innovation