ATLANTA—The competitive sports market has a new resource aimed specifically at sports technology startups, as Comcast NBCUniversal has announced the launch of its SportsTech global accelerator program open to startups from around the world.
SportsTech will partner with NBCU’s NBC Sports, Golf Channel and Sky Sports brands, as well as with NASCAR and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard and USA Swimming organizations to provide resources and relationships for the startups. All partners will also serve on an advisory committee tasked with influencing the innovation priorities of SportsTech.
The startups that participate in SportsTech will have access to an international consortium of advisors, a custom sports tech curriculum shaped by industry experts and investment capital. The partners, meanwhile, will get early exposure to emerging sports tech trends and technologies and insight into how they can benefit their businesses.
There will be specific areas of focus for SportsTech as it gets underway, including sports media & entertainment; fan & player engagement; venue & event innovation; fantasy sports & betting; eSports; business of sports; and technologies designed for players and coaches.
“SportsTech will provide the curriculum and platform for founders to develop their ideas while obtaining mentorship from leaders in multiple sports, enabling them to further deploy their technologies to dramatically improve sports experiences for athletes and audiences alike,” said Jenna Kurath, vice president of Startup Partner Development, Comcast Cable.
Interested startups can apply for SportsTech between now and May 15, with the initial three-month program beginning in August in Atlanta. Ten companies will be selected and the program will be directed by Boomtown Accelerators.
For more information on the SportsTech program, visit www.comcastsportstech.com.
