???? Sports Tech Making A Splash
Every four years, our nation’s top swimmers compete to punch a ticket to the globe’s biggest sporting event.?
This year, they stepped up on the blocks from one of the most unique venue setups in recent memory, Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.?
When you place a pool into a 70,000-seat stadium, you can learn a lot about innovation and tech. In this month's issue, we’ll explore that story, update you on our companies' traction, discuss the latest investments in sports, and share some insights from our visit to Collision in Toronto.??
Let’s DIVE in…
?? Our Partners Making A Splash ??
USA Swimming Makes Waves With Swimming Trials
Indianapolis is no stranger to hosting huge sporting events, including the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and the annual NFL Combine.
Add USA Swimming Trials to the list.?
Before Lucas Oil Stadium, the meet was hosted at the Indy Natatorium, a California parking lot, and, most recently, a 14,000-seat venue in Omaha. Constant sellouts led USA Swimming to determine they needed a bigger building.
The venue was strategically picked to help draw future swimmers during the nine nights of prime-time TV coverage. According to USA Swimming chief commercial officer Shana Gritsavage Ferguson, “This is one time every four years that people are really paying attention to the sport. So, it needs to be a bigger show. We owe it to our athletes. Not only to the athletes who are making the Olympic team, but the 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-year-old kid who might watch the Olympic trials on TV and say, ‘That's the sport for me.’”
Here are a few interesting facts about how the pool was constructed and what makes it a unique facility for athletes and fans:
?? Millimetrically perfect steel panels were bolted together and sealed to create a waterproof vessel.
?? The Indianapolis Fire Department helped fill the pool at the rate of 1,200 gallons a minute through 6,000 feet of pipes snaking through the stadium.
???A 35,000-pound LED scoreboard, hung from the ceiling, was installed specifically for this occasion.
?? Swimmers stepped onto the pool deck through a 50-foot video-board arch displaying their likeness to a deluge of fanfare.
??? Athletes accessed amenities like larger locker rooms, meditative spaces, and massage therapy rooms, a smoothie and coffee bar, lounges, and a therapy dog park.
After trials, the entire thing will be disassembled and shipped off to build permanent pools in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Cayman Islands.?
The timelapse of the pool assembly from the IndyStar is well worth a watch.?
NASCAR CUP Returns to Iowa?
Fans soaked up NASCAR ’s first Cup Series race at the Iowa Corn 350. Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 car took the crown in a bit of a homecoming – his mother and grandparents grew up in Iowa, and a contingent of family and friends joined the celebration. Many in Iowa had been waiting patiently for this event. The last Cup race was held in 1953 at Davenport Speedway.?
DeChambeau Wins Open??
The PGA TOUR stop at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst produced one of the more thrilling final rounds as Bryson DeChambeau’s thrilling bunker shot gave him a four-foot putt on the 18th.?
Now, the two-time Open winner ramps up a breakneck week of media appearances on The Today Show, Pat McAfee, and Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. His social accounts are also on fire – he gained 150,000 Instagram followers and added 30,000 subscribers to YouTube since Sunday’s victory.?
Oh, and DeChambeau competed with a set of custom-made, 3-D printed clubs. Studying physics in college, the “Mad Scientist of Golf” sunk the winning shot using his Avoda custom-printed putter.?
Moving Goalposts: Opportunities in Emerging Sports & Platforms?
Recently, Boomtown Innovation Executive Director Chris Traeger discussed Moving the Goalposts - Investing in a Changing World of Sports on the Global Corporate Venturing webinar. Discover how the shift towards athlete-centric sports and the rise of flag football, volleyball, and pickleball create new opportunities for startups and investors. Chris shared insights on these evolving trends and their impact on the future of sports.
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?? Our Portfolio Making Waves ??
Rising Stars in Sports Betting
Business Insider featured execs who were solving the biggest challenges in sports betting and featured nVenue ’s CMO, Christiana Yebra . She discussed how nVenue’s tech-first approach allows them to actively add new sports and markets with support from our unique league partnerships, supporting data deals, and, most importantly - our brilliant product and tech teams.
Interview Series: Meet Fobi & Aquimo?
Our interview series continued this month. You can meet the founders of two more of our SportsTech companies in Fobi AI & Aquimo :?
?? Sports Stories Making Headlines ??
Collision 2024 Highlights
AI's Role in Tennis
During Collision, entrepreneur and tennis legend Maria Sharapova shared insights on the transformative impact of AI on tennis.?The former Grand Slam winner expressed enthusiasm for AI’s role in modern tennis, reflecting on the transition from human line judges to automated systems.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Comcast SportsTech Masterclass
Startups waited in line to get access to our Collision masterclass, which featured Comcast SportsTech?Investment Manager Geoffrey Cheng and?FanSaves’s?Shannon Ferguson our alumni from our portfolio class of 2023.
Our team had an incredible week meeting so many great minds in tech showcasing their innovations set to change the sports landscape.
The Next Frontier of Sports?
Here at SportsTech, we’re all about getting ahead of the trends. An interesting one is the emergence of 3D motion capture technology (MOCAP). According to Andrew Petcash of Profluence Sports, the industry is expected to hit $468 million by 2029 and will have an impact on various elements of sports including gaming, health, and fitness. MLB pitcher Justin Verlander and alpine racer Lindsey Vonn both used MOCAP to improve their game.?
?? Investments in Sports Technology ??
Here are some sports investments we were following this month:?
?? Photo of the Month ??
When Jesse Cole started the Savannah Bananas , one of his dreams was to bring his magical take on the game of baseball to big league stadiums. On June 9, that dream was realized when the Bananas hosted their rival Party Animals to a sold-out crowd of 37,000 at Fenway Park. The Bananas unleashed their innovative take on baseball in Boston as part of a six-stadium MLB tour, and fans who attended had to enter a lottery to get tickets.?
SportsTech 2025 Application Deadline: Two-Week Warning?
We’ve entered the final stretch of the application window for our upcoming SportsTech Program. The deadline is July 15 – so if you or someone you know is working on groundbreaking sports technology, now is the time to apply! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of the next wave of innovation in sports tech. We look forward to hearing from you!
We hope you enjoy the wave of exciting summer sports, and we’ll see you back here in July!?
– SportsTech Team
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4 个月Thanks for including me! ????