From 0 to 1: Key Insights for Building a Sports Tech Startup and Capturing Consumer Imagination

From #SFTechWeek: 3 insights from VCs on how to build a sports tech startup from 0 to 1, get venture funding, and capture the imagination of consumers 👇

🧭 Align your team around a compelling vision

Dave Bright (GreatPoint Ventures, former NFL Football Player): Pre-Seed and Seed stage startups are like sports teams — you form a strategy, then go execute against a common goal. It’s also not only “what” you are going to do, it’s “how” you are going to do it, and having some proof points of “starting” to do it as well.

👥 Define a large and expansive market

Christie Jenkins (Athletic Ventures, former Pro Athlete in Beach Volleyball, CrossFit, Trampoline): To show that you can drive “venture-scale” returns in a sports startup, you often need to show how you can reach overlapping markets — wellness, betting, media, consumer (e.g., Air Jordans are wildly popular beyond the basketball court).

🏀 Earn authentic athlete ambassadors

Sean Strong (Pear VC, former NCAA All-American in Fencing at Stanford): “Earning” genuine buy-in from athletes is far more valuable than “buying” their support as sponsors. WHOOP famously did not pay pro athletes to use their product, making their endorsements resonate with consumers that much more.

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The common thread: in the early stages of a startup, *storytelling is a superpower.*

Working in a startup provides you a unique opportunity to shape the story of a business. From my own experience of years working in and leading startups, you can also re-wire your thinking to *act like an entrepreneur* in all roles, whether you start a startup, join a startup, or work at an established organization.

💡 Even if you do not (yet) have your own business idea, I encourage you to engage in the sports tech startup community: attend tech meetups, seek out “demo days,” and reach out to Founders — you may find a story that captures your imagination!

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Thank you, Peter Evans and Elizabeth Swaney OLY (Olympian) for organizing this terrific meetup last Friday, with 50+ individuals who are passionate about sports tech: Founders, Investors, Advisors, Athletes, Executives, and more.

In addition, thanks Manny Yekutiel (an alum of my alma matter, Williams College), for hosting the event at Manny’s — I’m inspired by the community that you are building here in SF! Cheers to Abdullah Mohsin for sharing the event details. 📸 Credit to Stephanie G..

What sports technology business has captured your imagination with effective storytelling? Give them a shoutout in the comments. Or, if you are building a transformative sports tech business, share your story as well! ⬇️

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🚀 Onward!