INDIANAPOLIS – September 3rd, 2019 – Ten startups from around the world will present on Thursday, September 5th at the Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy Demo Day at NCAA’s headquarters in downtown Indianapolis. 

“I’m thrilled by the progress our 2019 class has made over the course of the past 14 weeks,” said Jordan Fliegel, Managing Director of the Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy. “This year’s class represents 10 startups, in 10 different verticals across the sports industry, from 8 different cities, including as far away as Moscow. These talented founders, many of them working on their 2nd or 3rd companies, moved to Indy to participate in our intensive program, and have all dramatically accelerated the trajectory of their companies. I’m really proud of our founders and look forward to introducing them formally at Demo Day on September 5th as graduates of the top sports accelerator in the world.” 

Demo Day is a showcase event for the 10 startups to present to an audience of venture capitalists, corporate leaders, industry experts and the Indy ecosystem. This year’s class includes diverse startups such as Pistol Lake, led by 3-time entrepreneur Ryan Light, which ethically produces men’s athleisure wear out of sustainable materials including recycled plastic bottles and eucalyptus pulp, with each shirt produced removing up to 11 plastic bottles out of landfills and/or the ocean. The event will also include George Foreman Jr., Founder/CEO of Fanpowered, and a successful serial entrepreneur. Fanpowered’s mission is to fundamentally disrupt the world of professional boxing, through a new platform and streaming service. 

As an emerging tech hub, Indianapolis is the location where, for the past 3 months, startups in the Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy worked closely with leaders of the Indianapolis Sports and Tech ecosystems and mentors from around the world — comprised of venture capitalists, experienced founders, C-level execs from leading sports companies, and celebrity athletes — to further their businesses. This includes direct access and mentorship from founding partners Next Level Fund, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, NCAA, and Indiana Sports Corp, and supporting partners the Indianapolis Colts, NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

“We are excited about our partnership with Techstars to further accelerate entrepreneurship, technology and innovation in our local economy,” said Stephen Simon, Pacers Sports & Entertainment Vice Chairman. “Indianapolis is emerging as the premier sports-tech hub in the world with our professional and amateur sports pedigree, great employee talent pool, business-friendly environment and amazing Hoosier hospitality. At Pacers Sports & Entertainment, we are always looking for products, services and creative thinking in our continual quest to create memorable, engaging and treasured moments for our fans and guests. Our business craves innovation and forward thinking that Techstars and all our great partners help us achieve.” 

“Indiana Sports Corp and its partners are proud of the quality and innovation of the first class of Techstars Sports Tech Accelerator companies in Indianapolis,” said Indiana Sports Corp president Ryan Vaughn. “This program brought some of the most talented entrepreneurs in the world to our city and we look forward to them leveraging their technology to improve the sports and tech industries in Indy and beyond.” 

The accelerator’s partners were vital in providing hands-on mentorship throughout the program, connecting the startups to industry experts and inking many partnership pilots. Throughout the program Techstars Sports founders were able to experience all that Indy has to offer including access to world-class sporting events such as the Indy 500, and suites and field passes at the Colts pre-season games. Indianapolis’ tremendous support for the accelerator also included a private meeting for the founders with Indiana Governor, Eric Holbcomb. 

Learn more about the 2019 class of the Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy, here. 

About Techstars 

Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. Techstars enables founders to connect with entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporations to grow their companies. Techstars accelerator alumni including Classpass, DataRobot, DigitalOcean, Outreach, Pillpack, Remitly, SalesLoft, SendGrid, and Zipline have a current market cap of more than $23 billion. Founded in 2006 by co-founders and co-CEOs David Cohen and David Brown, tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Brad Feld, and the current Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, Techstars is known for developing the principle of #givefirst, a core value of giving to and helping others without a direct expectation of a transactional return. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Techstars employs more than 280 people across 20 countries. Learn more at www.techstars.com. For More Information about the Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy, please visit https://www.techstars.com/sports-program.

About the Next Level Fund

The Next Level Fund, established by the Indiana Finance Authority, is a charitable trust operating separately from the state and its board serves as its trustee. 50 South Capital Advisors LLC, a global private equity firm with a large Midwest presence, including an office in Indianapolis, administers the fund. The Next Level Fund was launched as part of Governor Eric J. Holcomb’s 2017 legislative agenda. 

About Indiana Sports Corp

Founded in 1979 as the nation’s first sports commission, Indiana Sports Corp is a not-for-profit organization focused on bringing premier sporting events to Indiana to drive economic vitality, facilitate a vibrant community with civic pride and garner positive media attention. Because of this, Indiana Sports Corp is able to provide positive, sports-related opportunities for youth in the community. For more information, please visit IndianaSportsCorp.org. 

About the NCAA 

The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for nearly half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit ncaa.org and ncaa.com for more details about the Association and its student-athletes.

About Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) is an integrated sports and entertainment company including the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Pacers Gaming, Pacers Foundation, Inc., and operations of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Our team of inspired and dedicated employees has a shared purpose of WINNING through our commitment to excellence, SERVING our local communities and ENTERTAINING our fans and guests. PS&E is based in Indianapolis and was named a 2018 Best Place to Work by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. 

About the Indianapolis Colts

The franchise has won four World Championships. Since relocating to Indianapolis, the Colts have won 11 division titles, including five consecutive AFC South crowns from 2003-07. The Colts won 115 regular season games from 2000-09, the highest decade total in NFL history, and the team’s 23 consecutive regular season wins (2008-09) set another NFL record. The club won Super Bowl XLI following a 12-4 record in the 2006 regular season, and the Colts reached Super Bowl XLIV after winning the AFC title during the 2009 season. The Colts take great pride in playing an active role in the community and are committed to corporate citizenship throughout Indiana. Leading by example, we hope to encourage and inspire our fellow Hoosiers to participate in the practice of giving back. 

About Hulman Motorsports

Hulman Motorsports is committed to worldwide leadership in motorsports entertainment through its two entities, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) and INDYCAR. IMS is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility and the most famous racetrack on Earth. It hosts renowned racing events and series, including the Indianapolis 500 (Verizon IndyCar Series), Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) and Red Bull Air Race World Championship. INDYCAR is the Indianapolis-based sanctioning body for the fastest and most competitive open-wheel racing series, the Verizon IndyCar Series. 

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