CHARLOTTE – Sports Tank Demo Day will present its fifth annual event at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, blocks away from the NBA All Star game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on February 15th.
Sports Tank Innovation Studio- a Charlotte-based take on the Shark Tank TV program focused on innovative sports centered startups – is a product of TPG Sports Group (TPG). It held its first two events in Charlotte, the last two in New York City, and is back in Charlotte for the NBA All Star game weekend.
Former European basketball player and NBA scout Pete Philo founded TPG seven years ago. Charles Wend, TPG vice president, tells WRAL TechWire it was established in Charlotte where it has four employees, because it is home to both Philo and Wend.
Philo, who also founded Reebok’s Eurocamp, “is passionate about hosting events and bringing people together,” said Wend.
More than 300 applicants
In addition to the Sports Tank Innovation Studio, TPG also holds a Pro Sports Scout school in Las Vegas each year and a Virtual Scout School online year round.
Sports Tank reviewed more than 300 applications from national and international sports oriented startups for this year’s demo day, where the five companies selected will vie for three awards in front of more than 20 venture capitalist groups from around the country, including Charlotte and the Triangle.
Wend said Esports such as video games and online sports gambling startups are hot right now.
The awards, one selected by the audience, another by professional athletes, and the third by apparel company Under Armor, do not include money, but they aid marketing and garner media attention, Wend said.
TPG also provides a year-long accelerator like program for the winners with monthly hour-long calls, advice, mentors, and a bootcamp at the end of the year.
At this year’s invite-only event, participants will gain access and exposure to the sports industry executives, athletes, brands and investors.
An advisory panel of Kevin Pritchard (president, Indiana Pacers), Lorin Hamlin (Innovation Partnerships, Under Armor) and Marques Colston (CEO, Dynasty Innovation) will be on hand to provide feedback for each company.
As Sports Tanks’ Media Partner, SportTechie CEO Taylor Bloom will also interview a leading athlete in sports tech prior to the five companies presenting. FanAI presents the demo day event.
FanAI is an audience monetization platform for sports and esports that helps businesses use data to engage with their fans.
2019 Sports Tank Innovation Studio Finalists
- Harena Data (GYO Score) – Indianapolis, Indiana
Harena Data’s GYO is the world’s first gaming and esports player development platform that combines data analytics with strong recruiting functions to help teams, universities, and organizations discover emerging esports talent faster than ever before. With machine learning and artificial intelligence, GYO creates new sabermetrics that will help guide the creation of true esports farm systems for gamers around the world – it’s like Moneyball for esports.
- Physmodo- Dallas, Texas
Using an infrared camera and proprietary joint detection software, Physmodo measures mobility, muscle activation, posture and symmetry. In less than 30 seconds, the software provides users with scores, indicators of movement inefficiencies and recommended corrective exercises.
- Prophet- London, United Kingdom
Prophet provides liquidity to an illiquid market via a secondary marketplace for sports bets where users can buy and sell percentages of bets. Sports bets rapidly fluctuate in value until completion, often every second, yet users currently have no way to optimally cashout on their bets’ changes in value.
- edisn.ai- Bangalore, India
edisn.ai is an AI powered fan engagement platform with real-time player recognition and engagement overlays that will transform the way fans consume sport. Their cutting-edge technology will deliver greater engagement for fans, and enable broadcasters and teams to deliver personalized, interactive content.
- Armchair QB- San Diego, California
Armchair Quarterback is a sports technology company that provides engaging second-screen games for fans of all skill and passion levels at the intersection of fantasy and sports gambling markets. Its eponymous product, Armchair Quarterback, is a real-time gaming platform where players predict the next play during a live sporting event.
