leAD SPORT1 Accelerator Demo Day Recap
We didn’t have to travel far to hear great insights
The leAD SPORT1 Accelerator capped its third edition of the program with a class of seven exciting companies featured at “Demo Day” on Nov. 12 in Berlin.
Inspired by Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas, leAD works with SportsTech startups from all over the world to help propel them into the industry. As a joint initiative between leAD Sports and SPORT1, the #1 platform for live sports in Germany, the leAD SPORT1 Accelerator has set out to boost SportsTech startups from seed to fully functioning profitable ventures. The three month, Berlin-based program includes training, networking, feedback and exposure in order to provide companies with ample knowledge and insights in order to succeed within the industry.
“Demo Day” kicked-off with a panel discussion called “Hitting a Homerun: The SportsTech Momentum,” which featured insights from Jannis Bandorski, founder and MD at Xletix, Maik Burlage, founder and CEO at Wingfield and Roderick Alemania, Co-founder/CEO at ReadyUp Inc and moderated by Nikolaus Roettger, founder and partner at FutureStory.
Next up was a fireside chat with former NBA all-star, Olympic gold medalist, and world-class investor Michael Redd and Jeremy Pressman, partner at ADvantage Sports Tech Fund. Redd detailed how his work ethic, drive and resilience on the court all helped him in becoming a startup investor and a mentor off the court.
Startup time
Finally, it was time for the main event, the startup pitches from the 2019 cohort. Each company did a fabulous job of showcasing their work and we heard about some exciting projects. Here is a bit about each startup from the leAD SPORT1 Accelerator’s third cohort:
Buzzbike is a flexible bike subscription service offering full-time access to a high-quality bike, based in London, England.
Champions Round is the first non-daily fantasy sports platform with wagering built directly into the game and allows players to join leagues without having to assemble a group, based in Los Angeles, California.
Diggin’ is a Hong Kong based, mobile integrated information platform that allows dancers or fans to browse local dance rooms, participate in dance activities and network with other dancers.
LeagiON is a U.S. based startup that is building the first-ever platform to offer a Decentralized Autonomous League (“DAL”) that will enable sports enthusiasts of various skill levels to earn money while playing the sports they love.
Live Penalty is an elimination sports game combining elements from the real and digital world, based in the Czech Republic.
Pitz is a Mexico and AI based sponsorships mobile app that allows users to manage their teams, track their activity, connect with other players, get sponsored and more.
Prophet is a secondary marketplace for sports bets where users can buy and sell percentages of bets based in London, England.
Berlin and beyond
The leAD SPORT1 Accelerator “Demo Day” succeeded in showcasing seven promising startups from around the world. We’ll be on the lookout for developments from each company and look forward to seeing what the next cohort will bring to the table. It will be interesting to see how the program and the day’s exposure will help each startup to secure investments.
Be sure to learn all about the global SportsTech VC landscape in our new, Global SportsTech VC Report. The report provides a deep dive on Venture Capital activities in the global SportsTech scene along with investor trends and industry insights.
Benjamin Penkert is the Founder of Berlin based SportsTechX — Data & insights about SportsTech startups and the surrounding ecosystem. You can get in touch via Linkedin, Twitter or email.
