Michigan Sport Venture Group x The Collectiv — Fall 2024
By: Gianni Baglivo, Zachary Joelson, Ava Pascuzzi, and Ty Jordan
This past fall, four students at the University of Michigan collaborated with a venture capital fund to gain hands-on experience in the investment space. Members of the Michigan Sport Venture Group — Gianni Baglivo, Zachary Joelson, Ty Jordan, and Ava Pascuzzi — worked together with The Collectiv, applying their knowledge and skills to real-world opportunities in sports business and entrepreneurship. The Collectiv is a Houston-based, community-powered venture capital fund that invests in sportstech startups, professional teams, and leagues. Ashley DeWalt founded The Collectiv to create opportunities specifically for sports executives who previously had “no skin in the game.” Over the course of the fall semester, MSVG students were tasked with creating a market map, performing a deep-dive analysis of start-ups, and designing a survey to gather insight on start-up “pain points.” This write-up details their work with The Collectiv and summarizes their new understanding of the VC space.
Market Map
The project kicked off with the creation of a market map. The MSVG team chose four verticals: artificial intelligence, immersive technology, sports analytics, and cybersecurity, then created a visual representation of the landscape within each vertical, mapping key players and emerging opportunities. Altogether, the map included 30 startups with unique value propositions, which were later presented to The Collectiv. The team also included a concise overview of each start-up, highlighting key details such as their founding year, headquarters location, unique differentiators, and current funding stage — an aspect that held significant importance for The Collectiv.
Deep-dive Analysis
Once the market map was complete, the MSVG team was tasked with performing a deeper dive into each start-up. This process involved researching start-ups to analyze their financial metrics and investment profiles. In the financial metrics category, the team examined key indicators such as growth rate, retention rate, lifetime value to customer acquisition cost ratio (LTV:CAC), average contract value (ACV), and others. For the investment analysis, the MSVG team considered both quantitative and qualitative factors, including the team’s expertise and track record, market definition and size, competitive landscape, ideal customer profile (ICP), and more. This process is still ongoing, with the team continuing to gather and analyze data to gain deeper insights and refine their understanding of the start-ups’ potential and market dynamics.
Pain Point Survey
To gain further insight into the team dynamic of the chosen start-ups (and others), the MSVG team formulated a comprehensive survey. The survey focused on four main categories including: general information, challenges by vertical, challenges by growth stage, and opportunities and support needs. By collecting responses across these areas, the team aimed to identify patterns, uncover pain points, and explore potential avenues for providing targeted solutions and support. The survey is complete; however, the MSVG team will continue to analyze the responses to extract meaningful insights. This ongoing analysis will help refine their understanding of the start-ups’ team dynamics and needs.
MSVG’s Next Steps
At the completion of the Fall semester, the MSVG team gained a comprehensive understanding of the start-up landscape, including key financial metrics, investment factors, team dynamics, and growth challenges. The opportunity to work with a venture capital fund provided the group with valuable hands-on experience in analyzing start-ups, evaluating investment opportunities, and understanding the intricacies of the venture capital landscape. Additionally, the group developed their skills in market research, data analysis, and strategic decision-making as they prepared for the new semester. This next phase will involve further analysis of the start-ups and expanded learning about the venture capital space through the survey and informational interviews.
For information on Michigan Sport Venture Group:
More information on The Collectiv:
