The 4th Quarter: AI Meets Fitness & The Latest In Sports Tech This Week, February 26th
Booming Fitness-Tech Startups, Apple's Touchdown in Sports, New Job Board
Skip To What You Want To Read ⬇️
I. Apple’s Sports Play, Comcast-Backed Startups, Sports-Lawsuits
II. Weekly Startup Spotlight: Svexa & Nextiles
III. Sports-Technology Market Activity: VC, M&A, Deals, & Strategic Ventures
IV: Weekly Job Board: Sports, Media, Entertainment, Technology
Landslide Sports-Tech Market Movement:
An official update from us at The 4th Quarter: we are moving our weekly sports-tech rundown from Fridays to Mondays to give you a better highlight on market movements.
There have been tidal waves in the sports-tech realm; this’ll catch you up to speed:
Apple’s mega-push into sports:
Beats by Dre signed new marketing deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) adding to Apple’s current 10-year, $2.5B media partnership
Unveiled ‘Apple Sports’ super-app with live scores & news
Secured hydration-tracking patent for Apple Watch’s ‘sweat measurement’
Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator unveils 2024 Startup Class:
Focusing on fan engagement, AI-driven media, & broadcast tech
The 10 startups are: AQUIMO Inc, Dizplai, Fobi AI, KYMIRA, Mantis-AI, Mobii Systems, StellarAlgo, Plantiga, ZATAP, Zoomph
Major lawsuits reshaping Sports Betting & Media:
Florida bars ‘Daily Fantasy Sports’ (DFS) operators PrizePicks, Betr, & Underdog Fantasy from operating in the state
FuboTV sues Disney, Fox, and WBD for violating antitrust laws regarding their incoming joint sports-streaming platform
Weekly Startup Spotlight:
With this week’s startup spotlight theme being Artificial Intelligence converging with Exercise, check out two startups that are trailblazing in this space:
Svexa - Want to break an Olympic World Record using AI? Well, Swedish National Runner, Andreas Almgren, just became the 2nd fastest European ever in the half marathon using it - with 99% accuracy! Founded in 2018, Svexa (Silicon Valley Exercise Analytics) is a human performance optimization & exercise intelligence company, developing proprietary algorithms that are licensed to Professional Sports Leagues & Teams, pro athletes, and fitness-tech companies. This seasoned team of professional athletes and data science experts is building digital twins & hyper-personalized AI insights for individuals.
Founders: Mikael Mattsson, Daryl Waggott, Filip Larsen, Euan Ashley
Funding: Raised $2.9M in 2022 led by Yamaha Motor Ventures with participation from Laboratory Silicon Valley, Navigio Capital, & Black Lab Sports
Nextiles - In-game swagger finally meets bleeding-edge materials science. Imagine your favorite quarterback equipped with an AI-powered arm sleeve to become a touchdown machine; Nextiles is merging flexible electronics with soft goods to create an unparalleled data analytics platform for human performance. Based out of Brooklyn, it is the only company in athletics capable of capturing raw forces, range of motion, and micromovements to produce a 3D motion-model - all from compression clothing.
Founders: George Sun, Matt Evans, John Peters
Funding: Raised $6M in total funding in 2022, led by Drive by DraftKings, with participation from Phoenix Capital Ventures, NBA, MSG Sports, Department of Defense, National Science Foundation
Sports-Tech Market Activity: Investors & Deals
Venture Capital
EngineEars, a music-tech software management platform, raised $7.5M in seed funding (Feb. 20th)
Streamlines music collaboration among multiple parties (artists, sound engineers, record labels) to ease the process of song development
Investment was led by Drive Capital; other investors include Slauson & Co., 645 Ventures, and FLUS Investment Group [FinSMEs]
Blackbird Health, a developer of tech-enabled mental health resources for kids & young adults, raises $17M in Series A funding (Feb. 21st)
Expanding access to an integrated youth mental health model
Investment was led by Define Ventures; Frist Cressey Ventures and GreyMatter [FinSMEs]
Blue Wire, a sports podcasting platform, raises a new funding round (Feb. 22nd)
Expanding its platform for new listeners and building a user-friendly dashboard for podcasters
Investment was led by Decathlon Capital [FinSMEs]
CrewLAB, a sports-team enterprise software platform, raises $1.6M in funding (Feb. 23rd)
Currently operates management platforms for rowing, swimming, running, and cycling teams
Investment was led by Scott Sandell; other investors include Manning Ventures [FinSMEs]
Helika, a web3 infrastructure provider for gaming, raised $8M in Series A funding (Feb. 16th)
Accelerating launch of AI-powered game management products
Investment was led by Pantera Capital; other investors include Sparkle Ventures and Diagram Ventures [FinSMEs]
Elektra Health, a digital health & wellness company that helps users navigate through menopause, raises $3.3M in funding (Feb. 21st)
Expanding its evidence-based delivery platform to new payers and markets
Investment was led by UPMC Enterprises; other investors include Wavemaker 360, Flare Capital Partners, and Seven Seven Six Ventures [FinSMEs]
M&A and Investments
NTWRK, a livestream shopping platform and marketplace, acquired Complex, a culture-focused media company (Feb 21st)
Develops a digital hub for culture-obsessed superfans through exclusive products and experiences with artists [UM]
FanDuel acquires BeyondPlay, a B2B iGaming software company for gambling operators (Feb. 21st)
Improves its iGaming proposition for its US customers [igamingbusiness]
Yuga Labs, a web3 lifestyle & media company, acquired Proof, a digital art platform for creators & collectors (Feb. 20th)
Establishes an exciting blockchain platform that promotes art culture, and community [FinSMEs]
On Location, a hospitality management company for sporting events, made a strategic investment in Wiz-Team, a Swiss-based event management software company (Feb. 21st)
Bolsters company’s market position in the hospitality industry for sports and entertainment [SBJ]
Photo: Wilson’s new, $2,500, airless basketball featured by K.J. Martin.
Strategic Ventures
Wilson releases a high-tech “airless” basketball at a price of $2,500 (Feb. 19th)
Ball is manufactured using 3D printing and performs regularly without any air pressure [FOS]
Gemini Sports Analytics partners with Infinite Athlete, B2B sports data analytics platforms, to use FusionFeed API for operational efficiency (Feb. 20th)
Sports teams partnered with both companies will now have access to higher caliber data ingestion & analysis [SBJ]
Meta becomes the 4th member to join ESPN Edge Innovation Center (Feb. 20th)
ESPN plans to bring a branded VR sports experience to Meta Quest [ESPN]
LVMH launches 22 Montaigne Entertainment in partnership with Superconnector Studios (Feb. 22nd)
Collaborates with entertainment creators, producers, and distributors to develop premium film, TV, and audio projects [USN]
EA Sports will offer exciting deals to college players who opt into EA Sports College Football 25 video game (Feb. 22nd)
Offers college players $600 per year, a free version of the game, and a chance to make more money from EA Sports NIL deals [FOS]
Pro League Network, a live streaming platform for niche sports leagues, partners with Panda Interactive to offer fans in-stream wagering (Feb. 23rd)
Partnership provides fans unique access to wagering opportunities while watching games live [SBJ]
Job Board & Opportunities: Week February 26th
Every week, the job board is personally curated for openings that are not widely posted. Spanning business development to software engineering and everything in between - entry level jobs to senior leadership - here’s to those looking for new opportunities in 2024:
1. Miami Marlins - Business Strategy & Analytics Intern: $20/hr
2. Dallas Cowboys - Strategic Football Fellow: Entry-Level/$85K
3. LeagueApps - Business Development Representative: ~1 Year of Experience/$55K+
4. PrizePicks - Business Analyst, Retention Marketing: ~2 Years of Experience
5. Learfield - Associate, Corporate Strategy: ~2 Years of Experience/ ~$90K
6. Overtime - Product Manager: ~2+ Years of Experience/$140K
7. PGC Basketball - Manager of Finance
8. Learfield - Product Manager, Syracuse: 1-3 Years of Experience/$74K
9. Lucra Sports - Senior iOS Engineer: ~5+ Years of Experience
10. Seven Seven Six (Alexis Ohanian) - Head of Product: 5-10 Years of Experience
11. Major League Soccer - VP, Consumer Products - Gaming, Emerging Technology: $200K-$250K