A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – SPORTS TECH
- Kinduct, a data analytics platform for professional sports raised $9M series A funding led by Intel capital. Link
- Kansas city based real time sports analytics provider, Shottracker raised $5M seed funding from Magic Johnson and David Stern. Link
- Sparta Science, an evidence-based sports training firm raised $2.7M in series A funding from undisclosed investors. Link
- Golflan, an online golf courts marketplace raised $1M in seed round led by existing investor Yournest. Link
- Online search and booking platform for golf courses, Golfreserv raised pre-series A investment from Tune Labs. Link
- Los Angeles-based sports startup Sportle strikes streaming deal with Italian soccer club AC Milan. Link
- Fantasy sports giants DraftKings and FanDuel set to merge their daily fantasy sports operations. Link
- Voke VR, an immersive sports video experience provider gets acquired by Intel. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Impaxx (2016, Lakewood ) – Developing wearable sensors for concussion and impact management.
Kickoff (2016, Lausanne) – Using artificial intelligence to predict outcomes of football matches.
LEADER BOARD – SPORTS TECH
Online Sports Platforms
E-Commerce
Fanatics (1995, Jacksonville, $620M, Acq.) – Licensed sports merchandise retailer. Backed by Silver Lake Partners, Alibaba, Temasek Holdings, Bank of America and Insight Venture Partners. Acquired by Kynetic in 2011
NetShoes (2000, Sao Paulo, $427M) – Online retailer of sporting goods, services in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Backed by Tiger Global Management and GIC.
Social Platforms
Sportlobster (2012, London, $16M) – Sports social network for news, blogs, scores and predictions. Backed by Daman Investments, MBM Capital, and Wychwood Capital Partners.
Yapp Media (2011, North Caldwell, $14M) – App-based social platform for sports fans.
Online Sports Media
LeSports (2014, Beijing, $1.35B) – Online sports video streaming website. Backed by HNA Group, Dalian Wanda Group and celebrity investors Sun Honglei, Jia Nailiang and Liu Tao.
Whistle Sports (2009, NYC, $73M) – Sports content provider. Acquired The Lacrosse Network in 2014. Backed by Tengelmann Ventures.
Stock Simulation
Fantex (2012, SF, $110M) – Online platform to buy and sell investments tied to athlete income. Backed by Kita Capital.
Fantasy Sports
DraftKings (2012, Boston, $596M) – Offers daily leagues for fantasy sports. Acquired StarStreet and DraftStreet in 2014. Backed by 21st Century Fox, Atlas Venture, The Raine Group and Redpoint Ventures.
FanDuel (2009, NYC, $416M) – Fantasy sports gaming company. Acquired AlphaDraft, Numberfire, and Kotikan in 2015. Backed by KKR, Piton Capital, and Shamrock Capital Advisors.
Sports Betting
William Hill Online (1934, London, IPO) – Provide retail, online and telephone-based sports betting and gaming services. Went IPO in 2002.
Paddy Power Betfair (1988, Dublin, IPO) – Provide online sports betting and gaming products. Went IPO in 2000.
Ladbrokes (1886, London, IPO) – Online betting and gaming company. Went IPO in 2006.
Ticketing
Gametime (2012, SF, $38M) – Last minute sports ticket sales app. Backed by Accel Partners.
Search and Booking platforms
Quyundong (2014, Guangzhou, $13M) – A mobile platform to book sports arena and venue.Backed by Banyan Capital.
Sports Management Tech
Team and Event Management
Active Network (1999, Dallas, $355M) – Cloud-based solution provider for outdoor events. Backed by ESPN, North Bridge Venture Partners, Performance Equity Management,Acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2013 for $1.1B.
XOS digital (1999, Lake Mary, $86M, Acq.) – Provides software for managing digital media assets for sports teams. Backed by Blue Chip Venture, Comcast Ventures, Dorchester Capital, Beechtree Capital, Liberty Media. Acquired by Catapult sports in 2016.
Venue Management
Fanpics (2013, San Diego, $4.8M) – Provides fans photograph inside the arena. Raised series A funding in 2014.
Sports Analytics
Hudl (2006, Lincoln, $77M) – Video analytics based training tool for athletes and coaches. Acquired Ubersense in 2014. Backed by Accel and Nelnet.
Krossover (2009, NYC, $29M) – Web-based video indexing and analytics platform. Backed by Active Angels, Jarcap and Baltimore Angels.
Sports Marketing
Sportvision (1998, Chicago, $50M) – Develops sports entertainment media product. Backed by Motorola Solutions, Austin Ventures, Bay Partners, Escalate Capital, Lake Street Capital.
Smart Sporting Goods
Sports Equipment
Mission Athletacare (2008, NYC, $35M) – Develops products specific to athletes. Backed by Breakaway, Falconhead Capital.
Golfzon Simulator (2000, Seoul, $20M) – Indoor golf equipment that enables users to play golf indoors. Backed by STIC investments.
Wearables
Whoop (2012, Boston, $24M) – Wearable activity tracker for athletes and trainers. Backed by Two Sigma Ventures.
Vicis (2014, Seattle, $27M) – Advanced protective wear helmet for footballers. Backed by Alliance of Angels, Washington Research Foundation, W Fund, Trilogy Equity Partners.
VR/AR Devices
NextVR (2009, Laguna Beach, $115.5M) – Live and on demand VR streaming for Sports and concerts. Backed by Time Warner, Toba Capital, Comcast Ventures, RSE Ventures.
Voke VR (2004, Santa Clara, $25M, Acq.) – Platform for on-demand streaming in VR. Backed by Intel Capital, A+E Networks, Nautilus Ventures.
Sports nutrition
Body Armour Nutrition (2011, Beverly Hills, $115.5M) – Manufactures and distributes premium sports nutrition drink. Backed by Dr. Pepper Snapple group.
Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
For latest updates, visit Sports Tech feed.