Comcast NBCUniversal said that 10 startups are participating in its SportsTech Accelerator program.
The program, in its third year, is designed to help speed the growth of promising tech companies in the sports business by having them work with executives from NBCU and companies NBCU works with.
This year’s participants were selected from more than 920 applicants. Most of the companies offer video distribution technologies, others are designed to increase fan engagement with data and discounts.
The selected companies will work with top execs from companies including NBC Sports, NASCAR, the PGA Tour, Sky Sports and WWE.
"Our alumni from the first two classes of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech accelerator continue to display a prowess for delivering impactful technology while unlocking new revenue opportunities, and I look forward to seeing what powerful innovations and unique partnerships emerge from this year’s program,” said Jenna Kurath, VP, startup partnerships and head of Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech.
“As we evaluated how to bring even more value to our startups and SportsTech partners, a clear need emerged — more time collaborating to tackle complex business challenges,“ Kurath said. “The new six-month format creates additional space for focused testing and experimentation with a curriculum designed for business refinement while allowing the enterprise-ready startups we've selected to continue serving their existing customers.”
The participating companies are:
- Aircast of Melbourne, Australia, a company that provides fans with near-zero-latency multiview video audio and data that they can edit themselves.
- Einbliq.IO of Munich, Germany, an insights and automation platform that enables media companies to operate energy-efficient and economic streaming services.
- FanFest, New York, which empowers superfans to growth the audiences of their interactive shows and offer digital memberships.
- FanSaves, Ottawa, Canada, a digital couponing platform that gives fans discounts and deals from sponsors while tracking analytics for teams and their partners.
- GeoSnapShot, Sydney, Australia, and Denver, an AI distribution platform that allows users to share and organize photos.
- Quicc, Wichita, Kansas, a video content management system that automates video transcription, captioning, searching and clipping.
- Recut, New York, helps users create unlimited personalized video content at scale for fans and audiences
- Rivalry Tech, Houston, a food, beverage and merchandise mobile ordering platform for stadiums and other large settings.
- Rizzarr, Detroit, is a content marketplace conning brand seeing purpose-driven digital media with vetted creators worldwide.
- Tickets for Good, Sheffield, U.K., which helps event partners fill venues and increase revenue by giving free and discount tickets to targeted consumer groups that support the local community.
The program starts this week in Florida with meetings at NBC Sports Golf division, Universal Studios Florida and the WWE Athlete Performance Center. Sessions will also be held at the PGA Tour’s headquarters and Daytona International Speedway. ■
