Berlin-based sports accelerator leAD Sports is launching its first accelerator program in the U.S. The leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator will begin this summer at Lake Nona, a planned community in Orlando that contains Verizon 5G broadband connectivity for startups to leverage when testing their products.
The six-month program will accept startup companies working across three verticals: sports and health tech, smart cities, and the future of nutrition. Startups accepted into the accelerator will receive a $75,000 pre-seed investment with 8% equity. There will also be several on-site investor pitch days as well as access to LeAD’s network of mentors, strategic partners and venture capitalists. Experts will be available to advise entrepreneurs in areas such as legal, intellectual property and accounting.
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The accelerator will take place inside a new 16,000-square-foot innovation center currently being constructed inside the Pixon Apartment complex at Lake Nona. The planned community is also home to structures such as the United States Tennis Association’s National Campus, the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, and Medical City, which is a hub for leading medical research facilities in Central Florida.
“This new facility for tech start-ups featuring 5G technology within our existing wellbeing community creates a perfect ecosystem for the next great breakthrough that will transform how we live,” says Juan Santos, SVP of innovation at private investment firm Tavistock, which developed Lake Nona.
LeAD Sports was founded by the grandchildren of Adi Dassler, who founded Adidas. LeAD recently invested in soccer analytics startup Track160 while former NBA All-Star Michael Redd joined leAD’s ADvantage Sports Tech Fund as a venture partner in January.
