The Playeasy team is excited to announce our acceptance into the Techstars Sports Accelerator! Playeasy is one of ten companies that has been chosen to participate in Techstars' first sports technology initiative in Indianapolis, Indiana. The mentorship driven accelerator program startups addressing solutions across the sports spectrum.
The team will participate in the 13-week program, that will culminate with a demo day event on September 5th, where founders will pitch their accelerated businesses to investors and venture capitalists. Techstars has recruited over 100 entrepreneurs across the sports and technology fields to mentor its sports tech program, including former MLB All-Star Ryan Howard, NFL player Russell Okung, NBA player Spencer Dinwiddie, former NBA All-Star Baron Davis, and SportTechie CEO Taylor Bloom.
The Techstars Sports Accelerator's objectives are to foster early identification of key trends for future technology in sport; engage meaningfully with early-stage sports tech companies; embrace technologies and business models that will impact the sports industry; and enhance a culture of internal innovation and the spirit of entrepreneurship.
The Techstars Sports Accelerator fund is backed by the founding partners Next Level Fund, Indiana Sports Corp, NCAA and Pacers Sports & Entertainment, in addition to the supporting partners the Indianapolis Colts, NTT IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Techstars is an incredible opportunity for Playeasy, as we enter the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. Not only will this program help us grow our business, but will also provide a unique opportunity to access some of the top names and influencers in the sports world. We are excited to learn and grow as a team, with the help of some of the best mentors you can find.
Over the past 11 years, more than 1,600 companies from countries around the world have participated in Techstars accelerator programs, raising over $6 billion in funding. The Techstars worldwide network consists of 10,000+ mentors, partners, investors and founders. Popular Techstars alumni include SendGrid, ClassPass, and DigitalOcean. This past October, SendGrid (Techstars Class 4) was acquired by Twilio (a Techstars Ventures portfolio company) for nearly $2 Billion.