The 10 companies chosen for the third class of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator have gotten 25 opportunities, including pilot programs, partnerships and business deals while taking part in the program.
As part of the six-month program, the 10 startup companies work with experts from Comcast NBCU, Sky and Boomtown; Comcast units including NBC Sports, Comcast Spectacor and Golf Channel and sports leagues such as English Premier League, NASCAR, WWE, the PGA Tour and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard, USA Swimming and USA Cycling organizations.
“Each startup team selected was enterprise-ready and given unique access to decision-makers from some of the top sports brands in the world,” Jenna Kurath, VP, startup partnerships and head of Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech, said.
“The relationships formed working one-on-one with sports leaders are invaluable and our founders took every opportunity to test and refine their technologies to deliver business value,“ Kurath said. “Seeing our founders use their learnings from the program to gain deep customer insights to scale their businesses and find sustainable product fit in the market has been exciting. We are proud of what these entrepreneurs will continue to accomplish as we bring fans closer to the sports moments that matter.”
The 2023 SportsTech companies are:
Aircast of Melbourne, Australia, provides sports fans direct access to near zero-latency multi-view video, audio and data, enabling them to be the director of their own viewing experience. Aircast is working on a pilot program with NBC Sports Regional Networks and Comcast Business.
EINBLIQ.IO of Munich, Germany, an insights and automation platform that enables media companies to operate energy-efficient and economical streaming services. The company is working with Comcast engineering and product teams from Xumo, Xfinity Stream and Peacock to integrate their technology.
FanFest of New York, offers a way for the biggest names in entertainment to empower superfans to grow their audience with interactive shows with digital memberships and tokens. FanFest moved from proof of concept to live customers pilot with Sky Sports for the Champions League preview show Football Daily. FanFest reaches 275,000 Premier League fans.
FanSaves of Ottawa, Canada, is a digital couponing platform that gives fans discounts and deals from the sponsors of their favorite teams. FanSaves completed a live pilot with NASCAR during the Chicago Street Race during the July 4 weekend. More than 90% of the race fans who accessed FanSaves’s Chicago Resource Guide redeemed at least one local offer.
GeoShapShot, of New South Wales, Australia, and Denver, is an artificial intelligence media distribution platform that allows users to share photos and organize them. The company completed a technical proof of concept with Sports Engine that enabled parents and athletes to find and download videos and photos from sports events.
Quicc of Wichita, Kansas, is a video content management system that automates transcription, captioning, searching and clipping. Quicc completed proof-of-concept opportunities working with three NBC News and RSN outlets.
Recut of New York helps users create unlimited personalized video content at scale for fans and audiences. Recut worked with Comcast Spectacor and the Philadelphia Flyers to use video to generate more engaged leads for the club level sales campaign.
Rivalry Tech of Houston is a food, beverage and merchandise mobile ordering platform for stadiums, resorts, hospitals and other entertainment venues. Rivalry tech is working through negotiations and revenues with Comcast business sports venues, enterprise businesses and the PGA Tour.
RIZZARR of Detroit, Michigan, is a content marketplace that connects brands with content creators. The company completed proofs of concept with NBC Sports and NBC Sports Next and is working on a long-term paid pilot with GolfNow.
Tickets for Good of Sheffield, U.K., helps partners fill venues and increase revenues by giving free and discounted tickets to targeted consumer groups that support the local community. Tickets for Good’s platform is now live supplying discounted tee times to healthcare workers in central Florida with NBCU Sports Next and GolfNow. They also partnered with Major League Baseball and the Chicago Cubs during the London Series against the St. Louis Cardinals this summer.
