leAD Sports Accelerator targets a hat trick of successful SportsTech cohorts
by Startacus Admin
leAD Sports is on the hunt for early-stage SportsTech startups to join their 12-week Accelerator program in the heart of Europe’s thriving and vibrant startup ecosystem in Berlin. With applications to join their 3rd cohort closing on May 15th, we thought we’d be good sports and share all the key details.
After two successful cohorts, the SportsTech powerhouse is now on its third accelerator edition. The prestigious and highly selective accelerator program is looking for remarkable
early-stage sports-focused startups from around the globe to join their program. Kicking off in September 2019 and running for three months, during the program, startup founders are mentored and trained in topics such as business, investment, finance, leadership and pitching, to name a few. Jacqueline Garrett, founder & CEO of GGWP (Good Game Well Played), an online and fully automated training program that is focused on creating the "influencers" of the future in esports, live streaming and recorded content creation said of her leAD Sports Accelerator experience:
“In 12 weeks, I leveraged the program to not only fill my gaps in knowledge but to open doors to brands and businesses that otherwise would have been difficult to network with. I now have a huge network of mentors, advisors and industry-specific contacts that I can rely on.”
Startup founders are invited to tap into leAD’s network, consisting of a unique and high-level combination of sports business veterans, successful founders, CEOs, VCs, and tech experts. The selected startups each get €25,000, and eight percent equity from the selected startup go to leAD.
Octavian Cosma, Co-Founder & CEO of FanAxn, a startup that creates predictions and fantasy sports games where fans can pick for free the outcome of various sports events and have the chance to win cash and real prizes, also focused on the connections that the program helped develop:
“We met through the course of the program around 40, 50 people —I would say—which otherwise it’d have taken us months, years to meet. Most of them are in high-level positions in different companies centered around sports so it’s not always easy to have access to those people. This sped up our development in terms of strategy, target markets, competition outlook. It helped us shape our business, making the program really worthwhile.”
Startups leAD looks for:
The focus of the accelerator program is on pre-seed sports startups, here meaning, pre-seed up to $2M valuation. Since 2018, leAD narrowed down its scouting focus to three sports tech areas that they have identified as the most promising and and innovative in this industry:
Connected Athletes: performance-based technologies supporting athletes and people with an active lifestyle to be at their best with ideas around smart devices & wearables, tracking, image recognition, activity data & analytics, apps for training & coaching.
Fan engagement: engaging fans better and delivering the most immersive experience with ideas around but not limited to smart venues, engagement & matchmaking, media & content delivery, fan data & analytics.
Esports & Derivative Market: esports and new business models such as marketplaces & matchmaking, influencers & sponsorship, new sports, betting, games & fantasy 
sports.
It’s time to apply – understand the leAD Selection Process
If you’re a startup founder in the realm of sports and looking to join an accelerator with your business sector specifically in mind, this could be the exact opportunity you’ve been looking for.
The application phase is open until May 15th, 2019. To know more, startups can visit the leAD website www.leadsportsaccelerator.com or go directly here to apply.
Out of all the applicants, top startups are selected after a multi-tier interview process and invited to join Selection Days, which includes one-on-one sessions with the leAD team of mentors and experts to be held in Berlin in July. The expert jury then picks the most high-potential startups that will move into the third edition of the accelerator program to commence in September.
Part of this year’s selection process are Fast Track events in various locations, one being in London on 6th June. Successful Fast Track interviewees will have the chance to skip leAD’s multi-tier interview process and get a direct invitation to join the leAD Selection Days 2019 in Berlin on July 2nd and 3rd.
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