Tech Game Changers | DivInc Spring 2022 5G Sports Tech Accelerator Update
We’re past the midpoint of our Spring 2022 Sports Tech 5G Accelerator in partnership with Verizon!
Friends and supporters, can you believe we’re in two cities, leading four accelerators and serving over 40 founders per year?! Thank you for being a partner in this incredibly important DivInc journey.
These sports tech innovators are who we’re all here for, and we’re excited to share updates as we close out the first half of our very first 5G Sports Tech Accelerator and our first fully in-person program since fall of 2019!
“We’re feeling motivated. confident, and we feel the momentum the accelerator provides us.”
Curriculum Playbook
As we do at the start of each of our programs, we went full speed ahead through the LEVERS Framework in month one. We take the founders through the entire framework early on so they can use it, return to it, iterate with it throughout the whole program. Huge thanks to Amos Schwartsfarb, one of the creators and authors of Levers and Managing Director of Techstars Austin, who facilitated a revenue formula working session for that portion of the framework. As a reminder, we recommend our mentors become familiar with the framework to best support founders in the program and beyond. We love it!
The founders were given the space through our Whole Founder Wellness programming and culture of being real with one another to be open about their desire for wellness, wholeness, and diversity in their work as sports tech startup founders. They dug deep into one another’s Birkman assessments and insights sessions led by our own Amanda Moya, and Wellness Wednesdays led by Jennifer Jones, Certified Integrative Nutritionist & Executive Wellness Coach. Connor Glick of one of our pro sports partners, the Houston Dynamo FC, led the team through the importance and tactical strategies of using data to tell the story.
More amazing curriculum partners and workshop facilitators include Sophie Randolph (validating assumptions), Kelly Avant (finding your KPIs), Zack Ellis (unique value proposition), Nafisa Istami (prepping your pitch deck for VCs), Forecastr team (financial modeling), Jen Jones (founder wellness coach), Thomas Alomes (market research), Matthew Foran (problem-solution fit), & Gunderson team (IP + copyright).
“The first six weeks were really good. We’ve met alot of people which is amazing and we’ve learned alot.”
Game Time Highlights
We had a jam packed first week, including a welcome kickoff happy hour with the cohort, alumni, mentors, board members and partners for a whirlwind of intros and connections. We loved seeing everyone in person - Our community showed up & showed out in Houston!
Collaborations and working sessions with Verizon, Mercury, Gunderson Dettmer, Dynamos, and more continue to bring eye-opening moments and strategic connections for founders. Mercury hosted DivInc for a full afternoon of 1-1 advisory sessions and social hour. Big thanks to Jackie Pfister and Amanda Moya for coordinating! We also can’t say enough good things about the Gunderson team who have covered strategic topics in the cohort and met 1-1 with anyone who needed their time.
Lead mentors got connected to teams in week 3, and pitch practice with coaches went full force in week 5. Thank you to all the amazing subject matter experts making themselves available to collaborate with our founders 1-1.
“I’m looking forward to implementing alot of the information we’ve learned.”
Sports Tech Mercury Day | Jason Robinson, CEO & Co-Founder of Playbook Five, during his on-on-one session with Blair Garrou, Managing Director of Mercury, a DivInc Houston Premier Partner.
Coming up next:
We’re excited for the cohort to collaborate with Verizon tech mentors and other leading tech mentors on each company’s tech roadmap.
The Houston cohort team-building night at the Astros game! Upcoming facilitated working sessions include PR for Early-stage startups, Brand Strategy & Marketing and Media Relations, Startup Growth Strategies, Pitching to Different Audiences, When and Why to Raise, Building a Team and Building Trust, and more.
As we prepare founders to transition into the DivInc Portfolio Program, we partner with DivInc portfolio company wellmarkt to provide access to top executive coaches of diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Join us for Spring 2022 5G Sports Tech Demo Day on June 30th.
After an intense 12 weeks, the DivInc cohort 10 is ready to pitch their companies. Join us as we learn more about cohort 10 and connect as a community. Watch online or attend in Austin in person!
DivInc 5G Sports Tech Sp’22 Cohort
Brave Virtual Worlds
William Kodama, Evan Magnusson, Dhyey Parikh
Brave helps athletes and coaches catch and evaluate unseen movements to increase their odds of winning through wearable motion capture. We are the platform to understand human movement, and recreate physical experiences to build new worlds.
Focus: Sports Tech Industry, Health & Wellness, B2B Saas
Cardii.io
Destin George Bell
Cardii.io is a gamified cardio fitness platform turning any outdoor cardio routes you & your friends walk or run into areas in your city you can claim! Users can create or join teams, own, steal and defend.
Focus: Sports Tech Industry, Health & Wellness, Esports, Marketplaces
Local Sports Network
Dustin McMahon
Local Sports Network is strengthening ties between high schools, sports fans and athletes.
Focus: B2B Saas, Marketplaces, Sports Tech Industry, Fan Experience, Future of Media
Screen Skinz
RaShaun Brown, Clay Canning
Screen Skinz are patent-pending disappearing logo screen protectors designed to allow you to protect your mobile device screens with passion. We are officially licensed with the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, and major colleges/universities.
Focus: Consumer Product Goods (CPG), eCommerce, Sports Tech Industry, Fan Experience, Esports
Playbook Five
Jason Robinson
Playbook Five is an immersive ed-tech platform providing athletes an opportunity to take the repetitions needed to perform at a high level. Playbook Five's research-backed proprietary methodology increases player confidence and increases retention time.
Focus: Sports Tech Industry, Future of Media
Top Prospect
Eddie Davis, Eddie Davis II
Next-generation NFT Sports Community & Marketplace that empowers aspiring collegiate and professional athletes.
Focus: Sports Tech Industry, Future of Media
TRAINR
Jeremy Gaston
TRAINR is a training marketplace that’s closing the gap between youth athletes and global trainers. They help trainers build a more lucrative training practice, and help less skilled athletes gain equal access to high level training.
Focus: Marketplaces, Sports Tech Industry, Health & Wellness
XR Sports Group
Kedreon Cole
XR Sports is a launchpad for media properties and influencers to create web3 based social fan hubs.
Focus: B2B Saas, Marketplaces, Fan Experience, Future of Media, Esports