Arsenal has unveiled the results from its Innovation Lab initiative.
The English Premier League club, who announced the launch of its Innovation Lab in September last year, selected six participant companies in January 2018, after receiving over 250 applications. After 10 weeks of preparation, the six companies presented their products to Arsenal executives at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium this past week.
“We are always looking to push the club forwards and the Arsenal Innovation Lab has provided us with the opportunity to work with technologists, startups and entrepreneurs who have brought unique perspectives for us to consider,” said Arsenal chief commercial officer Vinai Venkatesham in a statement.
The club will now decides whether to invest in any of the startups. It was not clear from the statement whether the club intends to select multiple, a single or any of the companies.
More information about the Arsenal Innovation Lab is available here.
Here’s what you need to know:
-During the 10-week program, the club sought to identify emerging fan experience technologies.
The startups are:
–Peak, a data analytics company focused on giving Arsenal a better understanding of factors that influence web traffic to the club’s website using artificial intelligence.
–BotNation creates augmented reality chatbots to support purchases on the ArsenalDirect ecommerce store.
-WoraPay, a payments specialist, focused improving how fans place orders, make payments and have their food and beverages delivered.
–I like that enables fans to complete purchases directly from international media sites, without having to go to the club’s ecommerce store.
-KonnecTo created a product that analyzed supporters’ interactions with the club, through AI, in order to generate information that could provide actionable insights.
-Aireal engages fans globally through geospatial augmented reality. Its offering lets fans place static and moving 3D digital objects, such as players or trophies, anywhere in the world for other fans to interact with.
SportTechie Takeaway:
FC Barcelona did this first, launching its Barca Innovation Hub around this time last year. It followed that with a partnership with GMSA to supplement its efforts at the Barca Innovation Hub and to improve Barcelona-based youth programs that encourage the use of technology for learning.
In the US, a number of teams have also developed internal innovation labs, including the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. You can hear more about the 76ers’ efforts with its lab from the team’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, on the SportTechie Podcast.