LaLiga and GSIC reveal the winners of the 2019 Startup Competition
The call for companies linked to new technologies and innovation began in February, organized by LaLiga and the GSIC
The winners, selected from among the 279 candidates submitted and coming from 55 different countries, participated in this 2019 Startup Competition, organized by LaLiga and GSIC and part of the global alliance between the body chaired by Javier Tebas and Microsoft signed in 2016, whose objective is to detect disruptive solutions that help employers and their clubs to continue advancing in the field of innovation and technologies.
The projects presented should be based on the aspects of Media (OTT, transmission or digital content); Fan Engagement (amateur profiles, social networks, digital games); Smart Venue (security, ticket sales, cashless payment); Performance (sports performance analysis, injury prevention) and others such as big data, artificial intelligence or machine learning.
This competition resulted in that of almost 300 startups from 55 countries, 25 have been able to present their solutions to a jury composed of members of LaLiga, Microsoft and GSIC and that 10 of them from five reaches the immersion week in Madrid this month.
The selected companies, announced within the framework of the World Football Summit in Madrid, are Anthropometry IBV, CINFO, FanWide, JUMP, Sceenic, Snaptivity, Solos, Spalk, ThermoHuman and Watafan, thanks to projects aimed at preventing injuries, measuring the emotions of amateurs in the fields through AI or include intelligent technology in the form of tag in the merchandising of clubs, to avoid fakes or offer experiences and premium content.
Iris Córdoba, the general director of the GSIC powered by Microsoft, recalled that from their entity they are “supporting the sports industry in their digital transformation processes by promoting with various initiatives that seek to minimize the gap between startups and large sports entities such as LaLiga that are committed to innovation and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
On the other hand, Minerva Santana, director of Innovation and Global Development of LaLiga, stressed that the employers are “convinced that to remain leaders” they need to be able to anticipate “the new models of relationship and forms of consumption that enable the technology to generate and take advantage of the competitive advantage associated with innovation. Collaboration with startups will help us achieve this goal,” she added.
The board said these ten winning startups have carried out a process of immersion in LaLiga to “get to know more about the association, its clubs and the needs of both. There have also been different training sessions for startups in digital transformation that they helped them improve their proposal,” added Santana.
She also stressed that they have worked soon to develop “pilot projects that cover as far as possible the technological and innovation needs of clubs.” Winning companies have the chace to be part of the GSIC for one year and participate in two panels at the World Football Summit.
Source: dpa
