WFS StartCup

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

Day 4 highlights: Simon Oliveira, Al Guido, Joe de Sena, the WFS StartCup and more
Day 4 highlights: Simon Oliveira, Al Guido, Joe de Sena, the WFS StartCup and more 1097 521 WFS Live

Day 4 of WFS Live powered by R9 saw leading social media experts discuss why athletes are becoming powerful influencers and why this trend is only just starting. Successful entrepreneurs like Alejandro Agag (Extreme E) or Joe de Sena (Spartan Race) exchanged views on what football can learn from other sports, whilst Barça’s Marta Plana and Pixellot CEO Alon Werber addressed the crucial role of technology in the “New Normal”. Plus, we had the semi-finals of the WFS StartCup by GSIC.

Simon Oliveira (KIN Partners) on who can become the LeBron James of football:
“If you look at the audiences of Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar I think they have the power of a Ferrari in their hands but they’re still learning to drive. They have enormous potential, some individually have more than the combined audience of The New York Times, The Washington Post and the LA Times put together. However, I think where LeBron was very clever was he very much identified what the content slate would be from his perspective. It was built around American black culture and things that he was passionate about. I think any footballer going to this are needs to be very clear as to what their identity is and what the content stream and platform should be for.”

Al Guido (49ers) on the need to embrace user-generated content
“We have 20 people on our content team capturing 49ers and other sports every single day. However, we have 10 million fans all over the world capturing 49ers content, so you have to embrace it. User-generated content is just another form of our 49ers Studio team. Last year, Live Nation and Ticketmaster had more reaction for tickets going on sale for the NFL season based on user-generated 30-second advertisements versus studio-recorded production quality, because people want to be in the action, they want to see what happens there.”
Alon Werber (Pixellot) on how automation and AI can save clubs post-Covid
“A lot of clubs in the world live on venue tickets and are going to lack revenue streams in the coming season, in which there are going to be severe restrictions on stadium attendance. Bringing quick and low cost production to allow them to continue connecting with their fans via a subscription model or through sponsorship deals can be almost a matter of life or death for these clubs in the coming season. At Pixellot we’ve been engaging AI and computer vision to film, produce and stream completely automatic games for 4 years and today we are installed in around 8,000 fields of 16 different sports. Last January we were producing live 100,000 hours of life events.”
Ricardo Dias (Ambev) on bringing content to people’s homes
“It’s time to stay at home. We are taking the opportunity to create new occasions for consumption. We are investing in e-commerce, lives and bringing them to people’s homes. It was not part of the plan, but it will certainly add a lot of value in the future.”
Diogo Kotscho (Orlando City SC) on creating and engaging digital communities

“At Orlando City, what worked was creating and engaging an entire community. As a result, today it is easier to see Orlando City flags, shirts and stickers around than Orlando Magic, the traditional NBA team and more related to tourism. We brought Kaká in the first year, which was important to start our journey with the fans.”

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

10 reasons why you can’t miss football’s biggest global gathering
10 reasons why you can’t miss football’s biggest global gathering 2048 1365 WFS Live

WFS Live is only a week away. The global online event that will gather top industry leaders across the globe to discuss the key issues affecting the sport and the business of football will kick off on Monday, July 6th with around 3,000 industry professionals tuning-in from their homes and offices all over the world.

If you’re still doubting whether or not to attend, here are 10 reasons that should help you make up your mind:

1. Hear from a unique speaker lineup featuring 100+ top industry leaders such as:

– Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA
– Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital
– Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga
– Ronaldo Nazario, President of Real Valladolid
– Iker Casillas, World Champions (2010)
– Didier Drogba, Football Legend

 

2. Enjoy unmatchable interaction opportunities

Don’t just listen to the speakers, engage with them through:

  • Live questions
  • Polls
  • Group chats 

3. Participate in 30+ live panels covering the most relevant topics such as:

  • The aftermath of Covid-19
  • The future of sponsorships in sports
  • The growth of the women’s game
  • Stadium management in a post-pandemic world
  • Athletes becoming conscious activists
    And much more!

4. Globalise your network by accessing our list of attendees

Around 3,000 industry professionals from around the world will be participating at this truly global gathering.

5. Connect with 100+ global leading brands and properties such as:

6. Maximise your time using our AI-driven matchmaking software

Make sure you connect with your targeted stakeholders and arrange one-on-one meetings in advance.

7. Accelerate your business opportunities

Generate a full database of potential leads.

8. Boost your ROI

By cutting travel and accommodation costs.

9. Meet new brands and exciting startups at the WFS Live Virtual Expo Area

Academic institutions, federations, media, streaming platforms, techies and much more!

10. Help tackle the effects of Covid-19 on vulnerable communities

All net proceeds generated by WFS Live will be donated to Common Goal and Fundação Fenômenos.

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

WFS StartCup: These are the 16 startups pitching at WFS Live
WFS StartCup: These are the 16 startups pitching at WFS Live 2047 1039 WFS Live

World Football Summit and the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) have announced the 16 startups selected by the WFS StartCup jury to participate at WFS Live powered by R9. These startups will have the opportunity to pitch their solutions to the global football industry in the online event that will gather 100+ top speakers and nearly 3,000 industry professionals from all over the world from July 6th to 10th.

The StartCup session will take place on Thursday July 9th at 5.00 PM (CEST). The jury will then decide the Top 8 startups that make it to the final stage, which will take place at the next WFS online summit.

The 16 selected startups come from 10 different countries (Brazil, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, United Stated and United Kingdom) and offer a wide range of solutions in different fields, although mostly focused on Player & Team Performance and Fan Engagement. Half of them use AI-driven technology.

16 shortlisted startups:

– 4D Sight: AI and cloud-based virtual ad insertion in sports and esports. It creates intrinsic, audience-friendly, targeted ads for great brand sentiment.

– ACE Applied Cognitive Engineering Ltd. / The Football IntelliGym: Improves footballers’ performance by boosting players’ decision-making skills. It provides easy-to-use training software that is scientifically proven to improve actual on-field players’ performance by 20-40% by training an hour a week.

– AiScout: Has developed an Amateur Talent Identification platform, which is using AI, Machine Learning, Data Analytics & in-app Biomechanics, Psychometric & Cognitive Analysis, to automate the Amateur Talent Identification, scouting & trial process.

– Armony Ltd: Claims to be the world’s first, patent-pending, wireless communication system made specifically for the use of soccer teams. This system creates a direct connection between coaches and their players, simultaneously transmitting coaches’ instructions and eliminating the need for coaches to yell to their players.

– BBox Sports: A startup focused on fan engagement. BBox Sports have created an engagement tool that offers real data about real fans. BBox allows sports teams to really know their fans and engage with them in a whole new level through Augmented Reality.

– Beyond Sports BV: Transforms positional tracking data into fully immersive and animated 3D simulations in 16 milliseconds, serving player development, match analysis, broadcasting and multi platform end consumer access across multiple sports.

– Fanisko: It offers a B2B platform & solution that helps sports organizations to: 1) Identify high value fans through data driven campaigns, 2) Engage wherever they are and whatever they use, 3) Retain through Gamification, AR, & VR and 4) Monetize through sponsor activations.

– IDOVEN: Remote digital sports cardiology based on Artificial Intelligence. With the aim of early detection of diseases such as myocardial infarction, sudden death and other heart problems in people and athletes of any level.

– Imagine AR Inc: An industry leader for an augmented reality platform for sports and live events. Its platform can synergistically engage fans in immersive memorable experiences to drive a deeper engagement and create new revenue sources.

– Immersiv.io: A startup working in the field of augmented reality to enhance the fan experience for sports and esports. They rely on the latest innovations (like machine learning, computer vision, real-time data) to design new ways for teams and leagues to engage their audience by sharing immersive and interactive experiences with their fans.

– iSPORTiSTiCS: This company processes, formats and analyze sports content, using technologies based on AI and ML to simplify, enhance and amplify deliveries on the way from the crude content and distributors / audience, increasing all people interactivity and engagement.

– Olocip: Pioneering international company specialised in the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the business world and professional sports.

– Pico – Get Personal: A SportsTech startup with a personalized fan communication platform, powered by AI. Pico transforms engagement across digital & social channels into high-converting fan experiences that support true business objectives. Pico drives engaged, anonymous online fans into 1st party systems with actionable data via personalization at scale.

– Seyu – Together for victory!: An easy to implement, 150+ events proven, AI assisted solution which is using sport industry partners’ already existing IT infrastructure to allow fans around the world, through a moderated channel, to post their photos on to the LED boards and other screens in the stadiums on matchdays, and share them instantly on social media in branded frames.

– Sponix Tech: A technology company that provides solutions and services which helps broadcasters, TV channels and advertisers increase viewers and enhance fan experience. Their end-to-end creative service covers the entire video production process, from developing an initial concept, through to offering a full service of pre-production, filming and post-production.

– Sport Buff: An innovative fan-driven company that truly combines sports broadcast, digital/ social fan engagement and live sports datacasts to create a truly unique business and product, delivering the best-in-class next generation of sports fan viewing, engagement and gamification, powered by AI and Machine Learning. 

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

90 startups from 32 countries have registered for the WFS StartCup
90 startups from 32 countries have registered for the WFS StartCup 2048 1365 WFS Live

90 startups from up to 32 different countries across the globe have submitted their candidacy for the WFS StartCup by GSIC, the international startup competition that aims to locate the best sportech projects and/or startups with innovative solutions that can impact the sports industry in general, and football in particular. 

Spain, the UK and the USA are the countries that have submitted most candidacies this year, while Fan Engagement & Experience has been the most popular category. 23 percent of the startups are offering solutions focused on this area.

In the coming days, the jury will deliberate and decide the 16 projects that will be awarded the right to pitch their projects during WFS Live on July 9th. The eight finalists will be announced on July 27th and will have the chance to pitch in the next WFS online summit, in which the winner will be announced.

The jury members of the 2020 WFS StartCup by GSIC

This will be the fifth edition of the WFS StartCup. In its four previous editions this competition received over 800 applications from startups around all the world. 30 of them had the opportunity to present their solutions to the world’s industry leaders at World Football Summit events. 

Thermohuman, 3D Digital Venue,  YBVR and GameReady, winners of the four previous editions respectively, have since gained great notoriety in the sportech ecosystem.  All four of them are currently working with top international sports entities such as LaLiga, NBA, Ligue 1, Australia Open, MLB, MLS, Mutua Madrid Open, Davis Cup, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, Wembley Stadium or Atlético de Madrid, among others. 

“Having had the fortune to participate and win the StartCup has been an immense help for us. It is difficult to measure the impact, but it has certainly helped us improve our positioning and brand image, and that is something very valuable in a project like ours,” said ThermoHuman founder Ismael Fernández in a recent interview.

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

Héctor Prieto (YBVR): “80% of the WFS StartCup jury were potential clients of ours”
Héctor Prieto (YBVR): “80% of the WFS StartCup jury were potential clients of ours” 2048 1365 WFS Live

Héctor Prieto is the co-founder of YBVR a technology start-up, building the next generation VR video distribution platform. We met Prieto two years ago, when YBVR became the winner of the WFS StartCup by GSIC. We recently caught up with him to talk about the challenges that the sports industry will have to face in the “new normal” as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and how technology can help overcome these challenges.

Q. First of all, tell us briefly about your company, what solutions does it provide and what partners are you currently working with with in the sports industry?
A. We provide a solution for 360º video streaming platform. We currently can provide from 360 production to the device application and including the streaming platform. We work with any right owner that aims to distribute its content to its customers, for example companies such as (for example) Australian Open, Movistar, Rakuten or whoever owns the sports content.

Héctor Prieto, during his pitch at WFS18.

Q. What impact did winning the WFS StartCup competition have on your project?
A. We had a very good visibility among stakeholders in the industry. YBVR, as a company, does not serve the audience directly; we provide a solution to other companies like (as industry examples) LaLiga, Movistar or Australian Open. That’s why the WFS StartCup worked so well for us, a lot of interesting things came out of it. For example, the jury of the startup competition, which was composed of around 18 people, was formed by around 80% of potential clients to us.

Q. Technology has been playing a crucial role in sports for quite some time now, but its importance will still be increasing in the upcoming years. In which areas would you say we can expect more impact in the coming years?
A. Data & analytics, media distribution (due to Covid-19 limitations) and gaming.

Q. Covid-19 is going to present new and unprecedented challenges for the sports industry once competitions resume. How do you think technology can help overcome these challenges? What new developments do you eye?
A. The limitations in accessing stadiums is increasing the use of Internet for work and leisure. People will thus be more used to technology. For media distribution, technology will need to bring the standards quality to TV concepts much faster. Also this will enhance the interactivity, either with other virtual users and also with the sport being played, which will be a big change in the industry. We are actively working in a Virtual Feedback functionality to be soon included in our product line.

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

Ismael Fernández (ThermoHuman): “Technology is going to be crucial to make things feel normal”
Ismael Fernández (ThermoHuman): “Technology is going to be crucial to make things feel normal” 1840 1209 WFS Live

Ismael Fernández is the co-founder of ThermoHuman, a pioneer company specialized in the use of Infrared Thermography to prevent injuries. We met Casado two years ago, when ThermoHuman became the second winner of the WFS StartCup by GSIC. We recently caught up with him to talk about the challenges that the sports industry will have to face in the “new normal” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and how technology can help overcome these challenges.

Q. First of all, tell us briefly about your company, what solutions does it provide and what partners are you currently working with with in the sports industry?

A. ThermoHuman is a pioneer company specialized in the use of Infrared Thermography to prevent injuries, to monitor them and to improve performance in humans. During the last 10 years we have been researching (8 PhD and more that 40 scientific articles published) and working with health, research and sport institutions (LaLiga, PSG, Everton FC, Houston Rockets, etc.). The results showed up to a 70% reduction of muscle injuries. The system is based on a camera that takes thermal images from subjects and a software that uses computer vision algorithms to let us know in a matter of seconds which body regions might have any potential risk of injury: fast, non-invasive and objective. Our main added value is focused in creating artificial intelligence based on machine learning and computer vision algorithms to identify automatically body regions in thermal images from humans, and also neural networks to create prediction features associated with thermal patterns and pathologies/injuries. In addition to that, we have now developed a specific application for COVID-19 based on elevated temperature face detection in real time.

Q. Why did you decide to participate in the WFS StartCup competition? What goals were you aiming to achieve?

A. We know very well the reputation of such an event and we considered that our technology fits perfectly in the approach of WFS StartCup by GSIC Our goals were to test if experts on the field and the audience might think the same, to show and explain our technology and benefits (which are unknown for almost everyone) and obviously to gain visibility and strength our brand in the sector.

 

Ismael Fernández receives the WFS StartCup award from Iris Cordoba in 2017.

Q. What impact did winning the WFS StartCup competition have on your project?

A. World Football Summit has become a reference event at a national and international level in a very short time. Having had the fortune to participate and win the StartCup has been an immense help in our great objective of publicizing the application of thermography for the prevention and monitoring of injuries in sports and health sector. It is difficult to measure the impact, but it has certainly helped us improve our positioning and brand image, and that is something very valuable in a project like ours.

Q. Technology has been playing a crucial role in sports for quite some time now, but its importance will still be increasing in the upcoming years. In which areas would you say we can expect more impact in the coming years?

A. No doubt we are going to undergo a long process to what we knew as “normality”. In our opinion, technology is going to play a crucial role in making everything seem as “normal” as possible: fan engagement, stadiums, television, sharing experiences, health control, etc.

 

Q. COVID-19 is going to present new and unprecedented challenges for the sports industry once competitions resume. How do you think technology can help overcome these challenges? What new developments do you eye?

A. As I mentioned before, technology is going the help us feel we are closer to what we know as “normality”. Reducing the COVID-19 risk and making the football experience as much real as possible are the main challenges. From our side, we can help mitigating the risk of infection using our technology in sport venues and stadiums by screening fans and players to detect body elevated temperature.

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

Francis Casado (MMC) on how to guarantee revenue with venues at 30% capacity
Francis Casado (MMC) on how to guarantee revenue with venues at 30% capacity 1794 907 WFS Live

Francis Casado is the Head of Business Development of Mobile Media Content, a company providing virtual visualisation technology for major sport venues across the world. We met Casado four years ago, when MMC became the first winner of the WFS StartCup by GSIC. We recently caught up with him to talk about the challenges that the sports industry will have to face in the “new normal” as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and how technology can help overcome these challenges.

Q. First of all, Mr. Casado, tell us briefly about your company, what solutions does it provide and what partners are you currently working with with in the sports industry?

A. MMC has developed a platform called 3D Digital Venue. 3DDV is a B2B SaaS company delivering the world’s most accurate 3D-VR venue digitalization technology for the Sports and Performing Arts industries. The company has developed 3D Digital Venue, a unique scalable API-based technology platform, providing 360-degree seat views of every single seat to any ticketing system worldwide.

Q. Why did you decide to participate in the WFS StartCup competition? What goals were you aiming to achieve?

A. MMC with its 3DDV has been growing at a global scale thanks to its technology and the partners that have decided to work with us. 3D Digital Venue platform has become a de facto standard for vast majority of ticketing platforms. Although the platform has been quite successful in the foreign countries, we have been struggling to land national clients. We believe the Spanish league has a lot of potential and interesting clients.

Q. What impact did winning the WFS StartCup competition have on your startup?

A. We were promoted in several newspapers and especially in social media. We received some calls from local companies and a couple of clubs interested in exploring synergies.

Q. Technology has been playing a crucial role in sports for quite some time now, but its importance will still be increasing in the upcoming years. In which areas would you say we can expect more impact in the coming years?

A. We believe that premium sales are going to increase in the following years, especially due to the influence of Covid-19. Social Distancing tools are also technologies that have risen the interest of clubs and venue managers. Last but not least, being able to attend events remotely or interact with fans that are not part of the live event physically is also a trend. In a nutshell, security, safety, staying connected and interacting with people are key areas.

Q. Covid-19 is going to present new and unprecedented challenges for the sports industry once competitions resume. How do you think technology can help overcome these challenges? What new developments do you eye?

A. Social Distancing algorithms for creating new venue layouts. Planning tools for managing fans, adapting existing services such as Food and Beverage, merchandising or premium experiences to the “new normal” will be a challenge. In addition, guarantee revenue for clubs and venue owners is also a challenge understanding they can manage 30% of their venue capacity, best case escenario.

  • WFS Live
  • No Comments

The 2020 WFS StartCup by GSIC kicks off!
The 2020 WFS StartCup by GSIC kicks off! 1707 1217 WFS Live

World Football Summit (WFS), in partnership with Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC), are launching the StartCup 2020, an international competition that aims to locate the best sportech projects and/or startups with innovative solutions that can impact the sports industry in general, and football in particular. 

In its four previous editions – three in Madrid and one WFS Asia edition in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) – this competition received more than 800 applications from startups around the world. 30 of them had the opportunity to present their solutions to the world’s industry leaders at World Football Summit, the international reference event of the industry. 

The winners of the first four editions, 3D Digital Venue, Thermohuman, GameReady and YBVR, respectively, have since gained great notoriety in the sportech ecosystem.  They are currently working with top international sports entities such as LaLiga, NBA, Ligue 1, Australia Open, MLB, MLS, Mutua Madrid Open, Davis Cup, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, Wembley Stadium or Atlético de Madrid, among others. 

The jury members of the 2020 WFS StartCup by GSIC.

The call is for projects and/or startups that offer solutions that impact the football particularly and/or sports industry in general in any of the following areas:   

  • Team & player performance
  • Business insights & analytics
  • Smart & immersive facilities 
  • Fan engagement & experience 
  • Media platforms
  • Generation of sponsorship 
  • eSports, emerging sports, virtual currencies & betting
  • Mitigation of pandemics & public health

The call aims to showcase, support, nurture, and train entrepreneurs to transform their projects into successful companies, while improving their projection, growth, and scalability. In addition, this year there is a new feature, as startups are invited to present innovative initiatives aimed at responding to the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which will have multiple and important consequences for the sports industry in the upcoming months. . 

Héctor Prieto, CEO of YBVR, receives the award during WFS18.

“From the GSIC we have created a catalogue of solutions, which is constant update, to help sports entities to mitigate the COVID-19 crisis, but we are convinced that the current situation is a learning experience for everyone and we must have identified the solutions that will help us to be better prepared for this kind of emergencies in the future“, says Iris Córdoba, General Manager at GSIC.  

“Technology plays an essential role in football. In recent years, solutions have been implemented to allow improvements in all areas of sport and industry, some of which have come out of this StartCup. But football must still benefit from technology, especially in the light of the coronavirus crisis. In the upcoming months, sport will have to face some challenges that can only be overcome through technological innovation. At WFS we are proud to be able to contribute by acting as a link between entrepreneurs and industry,” agrees Jan Alessie, Director of WFS. 

The call will be open from May 14 to June 21. The 16 top-ranked proposals will have the opportunity to present their solution to the jury during WFS Live powered by Octagon, a new virtual congress with a global reach that will gather the most important international industry leaders from July 6-9. It will be then when the eight finalists will be selected to make the live pitch at WFS20 (September 23 and 24 in Madrid), where the final winner will be chosen.

CALENDAR 

  • Application opens: May 14, 2020 
  • Application closes: June 21, 2020
  • Selection announcement: June 29, 2020
  • Online pitch at WFS Live: July 9, 2020
  • Finalists announcement: July 27, 2020
  • Live pitch at WFS20: September 23 & 24, 2020 

Click HERE to apply

Enter your
text here