- February 7, 2021
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Home News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
The Atlanta Hawks join an elite group of 32 sports organisations covering 14 countries and 10 sports who are part of the HYPE Sports Innovations’ Global Virtual Accelerator 2.0 (GVA2.0).
This second cycle of the international program, over a three-month period, focuses on enabling the top sports tech startups the chance to secure pilot programs with participating organisations across seven sports tech verticals: Clubs & Federations, Media & Broadcasting, Esports & Gaming, Sports Betting, Winter Sports, Motor Sports, and Performance and Fitness.
The Hawks are participating in the Clubs and Federations Vertical, which includes the Philadelphia Phillies, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Inter Miami, Fédération Française de Football (FFF), German Bundesliga and FIBA, along with others.
More than 1,300-plus applications will be narrowed down through a structured process in which applicants address actual issues presented by the sport verticals.
Front row access
As part of the competition, participating organisations, including the Hawks, will have front row access to the latest technologies and innovation in the sports media industry.
There are three major milestones all open to the public:
- Pitch day scheduled for March 1, where 30 startups will be presenting to 32 clubs, federations, and leagues.
- This is followed by the Selection Show on March 11, where the Atlanta Hawks will individually select five startups to move to the next round.
- The selected startups for the shortlist will spend the next eight weeks in one-on-one sessions directly presenting their relevant technology and ability to scale with the goal of winning a product/service pilot to be announced in May.
Senior Vice President of Experience and Innovation for the Hawks and State Farm Arena, David Garcia, said:
The Atlanta Hawks are eager to explore non-traditional avenues to help us address the challenges of one the most unique periods in the sports industry. We are looking forward to hearing from some of the brightest minds in tech to help bring a fresh perspective to our problem solving.
In this new reality, the sports industry needs innovation more than ever.
In early 2020, HYPE Sports Innovation teamed up with FIBA, Miami Dolphins, The Royal Belgian Football Association, and others, to create the first Sports Tech Global Virtual Accelerator (GVA) with the primary mission of solving the sports industry’s real challenges brought about by the global pandemic.
The first GVA cycle resulted in 17 confirmed pilot programs and commercial agreements (and 24 are still in the pipeline) between sports tech startups and some of the biggest sports clubs and federations, focusing primarily on technologies such as 5G, blockchain, AI and BIG Data.
Amir Raveh, Founder and President of HYPE Sports Innovation, said:
Through the GVA 2.0 we 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.
Startups who are keen and ready to solve real challenges are invited to apply for this unique opportunity to fast-track their product and join industry leaders.
Stay tuned for a follow-up interview with Ryan McCumber, Global Virtual Accelerator Program Director & Advisory Board Member on GVA 2.0.
About HYPE Sports Innovation:
HYPE is the leading global platform for sports innovation, with 40k+ members including Startups, Sports Leaders, Clubs, Brands, Investors and Mentors. HYPE is a proven gateway for converting SportsTech into Business Success and has created an unmatched success portfolio including 200+ startups that graduated from their programs, raising more than $200m, and 50% of them have also raised the 2nd round of funding.
