Pioneer Square Labs is adding some bench strength. The Seattle-based startup studio, which has already spun out companies such as AdLightning, LumaTax, Boundless and JetClosing, has tapped longtime Seattle entrepreneur Matt Hulett as an entrepreneur-in-residence. Hulett is focusing on ideas in the eSports sector, signaling that Pioneer Square Labs sees opportunities in the burgeoning area of professional video games, which some see mushrooming into a billion dollar industry and is now attracting the likes of Turner and the NBA. Hulett has a history in the gaming industry. He previously served as chief revenue officer of RealNetworks’ RealGames unit, and also… Read More
If you had the chance to create your very own pro sports league today, how would it look? How would new technology change the way the players, coaches, teams, and fans operate? That’s the opportunity in front of Project FANchise. We wrote about this Santa Monica, Calif.-based startup about a year ago, highlighting its plan to buy an Indoor Football League team and allow fans to essentially run the franchise from their smartphones — calling plays on game day, hiring front office executives, designing the team logo, etc. The Salt Lake Screaming Eagles are now 10 games into their season and tonight… Read More
It’s been quite the run for Dave Finocchio and his team at Bleacher Report. The CEO and co-founder launched the sports news site a decade ago with a focus on younger consumers, and in 2012, Turner acquired the company for $170 million. Now Bleacher Report finds itself as one of the leading sports media entities in a rapidly-changing industry affected by the rise of digital content and technologies. That’s why we’re excited to hear from Finocchio at the upcoming GeekWire Sports Tech Summit in Seattle on June 21-22, where he’ll talk about how his company is reshaping the way sports fans consume content… Read More
Twitter lost out on a chance to broadcast live NFL games for the second season in a row, but the social media company will still host exclusive pro football content this year. Twitter and the NFL on Thursday announced a new multi-year deal for several programs to be aired through Periscope and Twitter. Twitter will be home to a 30-minute daily studio show with top analysts from the NFL Network, as well as a pre-game show before primetime Thursday, Sunday and Monday games that will include player warm-ups and sideline interviews. “This new multi-year collaboration will bring compelling live studio… Read More
You probably know Gatorade as a sports drink maker. But the 51-year-old company also has a robust research and innovation arm that is developing some high-tech data-driven methods for helping athletes maintain peak performance. The Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) has been around for more than three decades, but some of the group’s recent work has caught the attention of professional teams across the world that are testing new ways to hydrate their players more efficiently beyond just new flavors. “Traditionally, Gatorade hasn’t been a tech company,” Dr. James Carter, GSSI director, told GeekWire. “But with the emergence of our Gx platform… Read More
