Calling all sports tech startups: The NFL wants to hear your ideas. The league is hosting 1st and Future, its annual Super Bowl startup competition, next month in Houston on Feb. 4, the day before Super Bowl LI. Accepted companies will be put into three categories — Communicating with the Athlete, Training the Athlete, and Materials to Protect the Athlete — and pitch their ideas to a group of judges that includes former NFL players, entrepreneurs, investors, and medical professionals. Winners from each category will receive $50,000, two tickets to the Super Bowl in Houston, and acceptance into TMCx, a startup accelerator housed… Read More
Can a high-tech, sensor-infused ball help a generation of device-addicted kids be more active? One startup is about to find out. Seattle-based Play Impossible is coming out of stealth mode and just announced a $1 million investment round that included participation from Two Sigma Ventures, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and WestRiver Group, the firm led by TopGolf Entertainment Group Co-Chairman Erik Anderson. The company has developed a smart, connected inflatable ball that looks completely normal from the outside but has a bevy of electronics inside — accelerator, barometer, microcontroller, ultracapacitor, etc. — and sends real-time data via Bluetooth to an accompanying iOS or… Read More
On the court, Kobe Bryant was relentless in his preparation and laser-focused on the smallest details that would give him and his team an edge over his opponents. Now Bryant, who retired from the NBA this season, is channeling his legendary intensity into the venture capital world. Bryant and his partner, entrepreneur Jeff Stible, announced a new $100 million fund for investing in technology, media and data startups in an interview with the Wall Street Journal Monday. The Los Angeles-based firm is called Bryant Stibel, and the co-founders are putting up their own money. They aren’t looking for outside investors right now. Announced @BryantStibel investment platform to… Read More
