Menu
Morning Buzz

Comcast Launching Sports Tech Accelerator This Year

Comcast NBCUniversal will select 10 sports-tech startups to join a new accelerator that will launch outside Atlanta this summer, hoping to supercharge innovation in eight different areas of sports business. Each company will receive a $50,000 equity investment and get first-hand strategic and technical advice, along with free office space for three months. NASCAR, U.S. Ski & Snowboarding and USA Swimming have signed on as partners. Colorado-based Boomtown Accelerators will actually operate the program, which will be based at Comcast’s existing accelerator programs at The Battery Atlanta. The broad areas of focus include: sports media and entertainment; fan/player engagement; athlete performance; team/coach success; venue and event innovation; fantasy sports and betting, esports and sports business.

Applications are available at comcastsportstech.com and are due May 15. The inaugural class begins in August. A commercial product is not necessary to be considered, and the terms contemplate a very early-stage company -- the $50,000 investment will buy a minimum of 6% equity in the startups, working out to valuation of less than $850,000. Comcast and Boomtown will be the actual equity holders. Along with the equity funding, $1.7M in other support will be available to the participating companies. The sports properties won’t hold equity in the accelerator participants, but their leaders think proximity to the program and face-to-face collaboration with the startups will bring tech solutions to their sports more quickly. 

Both NASCAR and the Olympic sports NGBs have sophisticated technical challenges but have limited funds for high-end research & development. “We’re really salivating and really interested in having some two-way conversations with some of these really bright folks about some of the innovation needs we need but haven’t been able to pursue,” said USA Swimming CCO Shana Ferguson.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2020/01/14/Comcast.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2020/01/14/Comcast.aspx

CLOSE