Sportstechx - Startups & The Sports Tech Ecosystem

In this week's episode, we have an exciting guest, Mr.Alexandre Rispal, Co-founder and Operating Partner of Sorius, the AI-powered tailor-made training program for Cycling Coaching. In this conversation, Alexandre talks about his background in the insurance space and how he eventually transitioned into entrepreneurship, co-founding several startups that ranked in the top 100 in the world. He then discusses the early inception of Sorius and how they created a unique application using AI for the Endurance Sports Industry. He sheds light on how Sorius helps talented young riders from disadvantaged backgrounds and how they're making biking more inclusive and accessible to all. Thanks to its revolutionary artificial intelligence, Sorius analyzes users' physical data in relation to their biorhythmic data to provide their audience with the ideal training programs. They deliver a unique training program completely adapted to their user's schedule, level, objective, and intrinsic physical qualities

In this week's episode we are joined by Ali Jawad, Britain’s world champion Para-Powerlifter, (4 time Paralympian) and the Co-Founder and Director of Accessercise, the world's first fitness app exclusively designed for the disability community.  Ali talks about his journey as an athlete from winning a silver medal at the Paralympic Games in Rio to co-founding Accessercise. He talks about the need to create a diverse, supportive and passionate community around fitness and discusses his own personal challenges with establishing brand presence in an oversaturated industry, where 70,000+ fitness apps exist but none cater to the disability community. Accessercise is the world's first fitness app exclusively designed for people with impairments. They aim to empower, guide, and educate disabled peoples journey into living a healthier and fitter life by making informed decisions based on their impairment, and giving them more access to exercise. It has a unique exercise library that can be tailored to

In this week’s episode we have an exciting guest Mr. Amir Zonozi, Co-founder and CEO of Zoomph, the developers behind one of the most powerful analytics platforms for tracking sponsorship ROI, media-value exposure, and audience behavioural shifts. Zoomph tracks brand partnerships across social media, streaming, and broadcast, providing quality data to guide sponsorship decisions, and offering partnership insights across sports and entertainment for organizations like WWE, Golden State Warriors, Angel City FC, & Invisalign.   As a Board Member for Women in SportsTech and a member of Ally’s Women’s Sports Club with Sports Innovation Lab, Amir talks about brand visibility and how it is helping grow the market for Women's Sports to reach newer audiences. From their early inception as a project for the U.S State Department working with President Obama and their gateway into sports through Ted Leonsis & Monumental Sports as a marketing tool, to their eventual transition into providing analytics for the

In our second week of SportsTech for Women's Sports, we chat with Helene Guillaume founder and CEO of Wild.AI. Wild.AI is a Smart Coach for Women helping them train, fuel and recover based on the female physiology. In this conversation, Helene talks about how the idea for Wild.Ai was conceptualised. We discuss her journey from a former hedge fund and management consultant in AI (while being an ultra marathon runner, semi-pro rugby player and a triathlete on the side) to breaking the status quo in the wearable tech industry by founding a company by women, for women. Wild.ai uses A.I.-sourced data sets from active women to analyze their vitals and performance in order to make training, recovery, and nutritional recommendations specifically adapted to their physiology. It helps women reach their peak performance by helping them understand how to work with their physiology, not against it. To learn more, visit ⁠https://wild.ai/⁠ Hosted by Rohn Malhotra from SportsTechX - Data & Insights about Sports

In this week’s episode we chat with Jasmine Robinson, Co-Founder of Monarch Collective  an investment fund exclusively focused on investing in women’s sports. The $100 million fund will invest in women’s sports, from teams and leagues to adjacent revenue streams like media and gaming. In this interview, Jasmine talks about growing up around sports and her journey from the San Francisco 49ers to working with a consulting firm in the nexus of sports innovation. Her experience across different sports verticals led her to create Monarch Collective. Monarch Collective is focused on using sports teams and ownership to foster communities and future changemakers, in addition to funding sports such as soccer, basketball, golf, tennis and potentially even cricket, which have a large global or domestic audience.  To learn more, visit https://www.monarchcoll.com Hosted by Rohn Malhotra and Kimberley Fernandez from SportsTechX - Data & Insights about SportsTech startups and the surrounding ecosystem.

In this week’s episode we chat with Xavier Green, Co-founder and CTO of ScorePlay, the all in one media platform built for professional sports. ScorePlay is a media asset manager tailored for sports specific workflows. It connects the entire sports media ecosystem within an organisation- from the athletes and sponsors to every other relevant stakeholder through AI. Xavier talks about his early introduction to robotics, his passion for sports, business and entrepreneurship, and how that journey eventually led him to co-founding ScorePlay. ScorePlay works with 100+ sports organisations around the globe ranging from the MLS to the Premier League. ScorePlay's investors include 35V (the media and investment company founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman), Nicolas Julia (the CEO of Sorare) and Mario Götze. To learn more, visit https://www.scoreplay.io/ Hosted by Rohn Malhotra from SportsTechX - Data & Insights about SportsTech startups and the surrounding ecosystem.

In this week’s episode we chat with Swupnil Sahai, Co-Founder and CEO of the tennis performance tracking app SwingVision and recipient of the 2023 Apple Design Award. We talk about his journey from working at Tesla to co-founding his company in a sport that’s been dear to him from the very beginning- Tennis. We discuss how SwingVision harnesses the potential of the Neural Engine to bring real time pro-quality shot tracking, video analysis and line calling on any court with the help of just the iPhone and the Apple Watch, thus reducing barriers of entry to sports intelligence which were limited to a select few professionals. To learn more, visit https://swing.tennis Hosted by Rohn Malhotra from SportsTechX - Data & Insights about SportsTech startups and the surrounding ecosystem.

Interviewing Tal Brown, Co-Founder & CEO of Zone7 In this conversation, Tal talks about working in the homeland cyber security space, briefly. He worked on big data systems, as an engineer by training and worked in tech for about a decade and was probably one of the first engineers to work on building an AI platform. Tal talks about how he was particularly interested in machine learning connected with Human Workflow with an emphasis on human workflow. He took all of that knowledge and experience and co-founded Zone7, but had a fresh start in the sports ecosystem. The Co-Founder , Eyal Eliakim is a sports scientist and as they joined forces they were also keen on figuring out how to reduce human downtime. He talks about the three vectors that are driving the growth of Zone7.  He talks about how they conduct a risk forecast as they gather and analyse data from sports teams. He also sheds light on all of the teams that they have been working with.  Zone7 provides a comprehensive suite of products and service

Interviewing Tamir Plachinsky, CEO of Griiip In this conversation, Tamir talks about how he grew up with a passion for motorsport and wanted to be a driver. At 22 he switched his focus to being a motorsport world champion from the engineering side. While studying in one of the top Engineering Universities in Israel he combined his passion for adrenaline and speed with his engineering knowledge and started a Formula student team in Israel. He started Griiip out of passion and frustration towards the difficulties associated with motor sport. Griiip is currently working with some of the biggest names in the industry - FormulaE, the world endurance championship, DTM and SRO. Having been established in 2016, running rounds in Italy in 2018 and finally pivoting in 2020 when Covid struck. Griiip is an Israeli-based tech company that develops market-leading storytelling tools for the Motorsport industry. They have a racing Insights platform that changes the way users engage with Motorsport. Griiip is taking the motor

Interviewing Aditya Dhruva, CEO & Co-Founder of Factoreal In this conversation, Aditya talks about starting off as a software engineer and moving through the ranks. He had a short stint as an entrepreneur trying to develop what is now Siri. While working for Tech Mahindra as the CTO, the long term expansion started off as an idea and tested for US and Europe markets. They found a  strong footing in sports, with their first customer being the Jacksonville Jaguars. One led to the other and now sports teams now use factoreal for their own channel communications. Factoreal essentially solves three problems, integrating a tool for each communication channel, integrating the data for all the various platforms being used and producing a 360 degree understanding of customers in order to optimally engage them.  Factoreal is an innovative and comprehensive fan engagement automation platform that caters to sports teams worldwide, assisting them in effectively engaging and monetizing their fan base. This all-in-one s

Interviewing Andreas Westerlind, CCO of Solidsport In this conversation, Andreas talks about how Solidsport was born in 2016 with a vision of creating a sports streaming platform for sports at all levels. Journeying through his career as a journalist, then in marketing and currently as the Chief Commercial Officer at Solidsport in Sweden, Andreas mentions how they allow every sport to find their audience, find their voice, whether big or small. Andreas says, one thing that makes them a bit unique is that Solidsport basically offers a platform that's customised for the needs of the customer.  Solidsport is a leading sport streaming platform that is trusted by sport federations, leagues, clubs and events. On all levels and everywhere. Solidsport offers a complete OTT sports media platform with custom white label design, sport data integrations and unlimited live streaming and on demand possibilities. You can create new revenue streams with our in-built payment system, enabling custom subscriptions and pay-p

Interviewing Jake Schuster, CEO of Gemini Sports Analytics In this conversation, Jake talks about his background as a Strength and Conditioning coach and his work in biomechanics. As a proud, non-technical, solo founder, Jake discusses how Gemini Sports Analytics aims to simplify data-driven decision-making for sports executives by offering an easy-to-use application. This tool can help sports organizations optimize their decision-making processes and improve their overall performance. Jake mentions that the company has been funded for about a year and that they launched their application towards the end of last year. Currently, they have eight partners, half of whom are in football, which is attributed to the timing, networks, and common problems faced by teams in this sport. However, the company believes that any sport aiming to use predictive analytics in their talent identification, scouting, and roster management process can benefit from their product. Gemini Sports Analytics is empowering excellence th

Interviewing Abhinav Tandon, Founding Member and Global Spokesperson of Da One Global Ventures In this conversation, Abhinav talks about how they decided to headquarter in the middle east due to all of the interest around sport, the connectivity due to the location, the availability of funds and hunger for innovation. One of the 10 pillars of GCC was also sports. They also identified the importance of sports, tech and funds that Abu Dhabi very warmly welcomed them with. This is also what led them to operate out of the middle east. Da One leverages its robust network of VCs and sports industry leaders to empower startups to soar and scale, driving their operations to new heights. Da One also has an  E-Sports Studio that nurtures early-stage ventures, fostering innovative virtual sports experiences and fostering collaborative opportunities. And the Web 3.0 Studio champions startups that aim to launch and evolve blockchain projects, NFTs, and more, providing essential support for growth. To learn more, visit htt

Interviewing Amr El Behairy, Co Founder and CCO of Fanzworld  In this conversation, Amr talks about how fans are the heart and blood of the sports industry and the spend huge amounts of time, efforts and savings each year cheering for their favourite teams. There is no platform that helps your monetize cheering for your team. This is when Amr decided that there needs to be someone who rewards the fans. Jumping into the startup world in 2019, best friends of 30 years, Amr and Ibrahim. Identifying a gap in the way sports were consumed globally they set out on their venture in the world of sports tech. Amr says commercial sales and business is their passion but football is their addiction. Fanzword is a social network for football fans that allows them to discuss matches with their friends and other football fans, earn points, and win prizes. Users can rate a player, rate any scored goals, recommend any substitution, participate in match discussions, and predict the match score by using the app. To learn more, v

Interviewing Malik Shishtawi, Founder of Arab SportsTech & Gaming Expo Arab SportsTech & Gaming Expo is based in Qatar and is an opportunity to meet key players & leaders from the Sports Tech, eSports & Sports world in Qatar and the world, & to discuss latest trends and solutions in the industry. It focuses on providing real-world case studies, and learnings, enabling companies, teams, and individuals to excel in the sports industry.  In this conversation, Malik talks about how everyone now has their eyes on the middle east. The main objective is to bring the right audience and stakeholders together. Mangusteen is the event company that hosts the expo. It was previously known as the Arab SportsTech Forum and is now the Arab SportsTech & Gaming Expo. What started out of passion for exploring the internet and following its evolution. Malik first launched the Arab Social Media forum once he identified a gap in the region. What spanned across 6 countries and 8 editions had attendees who no

Interviewing Mohammad Ali Abbaspour, Founder and CEO at Sponixtech   Sponixtech is a technology company that provides services and solutions which helps broadcasters, TV channels and advertisers increase viewers and enhance fan experiences. Through the ‘Immersive Replay technology’, Sponix Tech assists its clients to acquire more viewers, enhance their fan engagement and experience by producing immersive content. And the Virtual ‘Advertisement technology’, helps sponsors increase their engagement with fans. It creates a new era of sponsorship in the sports industry. In this conversation, Mohammad discusses customizing the main solutions that we offer for various sports is their main  priority at the moment. Football, basketball, tennis, paddle, ice hockey and futsal are sports that Sponixtech have adapted technology for, cricket is of big interest and they now have their eyes on the huge market that the sport garners. Mohammad breaks down their clients into 4 categories: Rights holders like UEFA. Federations

Interviewing Petr Zhukov, Founder & CEO at Indigo SportsTech Founded in 2019 Indigo Sports Tech focuses exclusively on sports tech ventures and participated in Seed pre-A and A rounds. With a segment focus spanning from smart wearables and gadgets to sports media and marketing, fan engagement and e-sports. The fund's geographic focus is the EU, but it also has exposure to the US and Israel. With 9 investments and 3 exits Indigo is one of the most experienced investors in this space worldwide. In this conversation, Petr talks about the origins of Indigo SportsTech that stems from Indigo Capital. It was established in 2019 as an early stage investment fund. Pioneers in sports tech investments in Europe, Indigo SportsTech has started to make investments overseas and across sectors. He also discusses the new Association with SportsTechX as Rohn joins in as a Venture Partner. Petr also gives us an insight into the deployment of a new fund that has a rich pipeline of good companies. He also notes that AI wi

Interviewing Vasu Kulkarni, Partner at Courtside Ventures  Courtside Ventures is built on the backs of highly specialized sports and media entrepreneurs and investors. They look to utilize  industry networks and deep domain knowledge to bring unparalleled value to the companies that they invest in and support.  In this conversation, Vasu discusses his love for playing basketball that led him to starting his first software company in 2008. He highlights his struggles to raise funding from VC’s and getting them to believe in the sports area. He talks about Dan and his willingness to back them up as they went on to set up a one of a kind (at the time) sports focused fund. And that set them off onto their journey of letting people know that sports is actually an investable industry. 7 years later, they are now on their third fund and over $200 million under management which is a great stamp of approval.  To learn more, visit http://www.courtsidevc.com Hosted by Rohn Malhotra from SportsTechX - Data & Insights