The Atlanta Braves are swinging their way into Silicon Valley-esque territory.
After recently forming a partnership with the-fifth-largest tech hub in the U.S., the Atlanta Tech Village (ATV), the Braves are preparing to spring ATL’s growing tech scene into the forefront with the likes of the California entrepreneurial powerhouse.
“This collaboration is the first of it’s kind between an Atlanta sports team and our thriving tech ecosystem,” said ATV Director, Karen Houghton. “Our hope is that our partnership with the Braves will be a community driver that will continue to connect not only our city’s startups, but also create further connections between startups and large, classic Atlanta brands like the Braves in a really fun and tangible way!”
The Braves are the first of the major sports teams in Atlanta to partner with ATV. With the build of their new stadium, SunTrust Park, on the way, the team’s plan of attack is loaded with events and other opportunities to heighten the digital fan experience for the startup community.
The first of the events, the inaugural #BravesAppChallenge, is a hackathon which will last all weekend from August 12-14. The contestants, whether they be students, developers or designers will face the challenge of bringing a positive experience to fans in the new stadium, specifically molded around the Braves’ mobile-first mindset.
Calling the Atlanta tech community! Join us and the @AtlantaTechVillage: https://t.co/87cO6hOJKl pic.twitter.com/UPsX10Ibg7
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 1, 2016
The overall winner will receive a $5K prize along with tickets for a VIP fan experience. The runner-up will receive $1,000 and tickets for the same VIP experience with the ability to watch batting practice from field level.“We are not looking for specific tech ideas, the most important piece is finding ideas that enhance our fan experience,” said Braves’ Director of Digital Marketing, Greg Mize. “We hope to get out of this collaboration are two simple concepts: inspiration and ideas. Inspiration to embody the entrepreneurial traits of the Villagers — nimble, innovative, fearless and ideas that deliver solutions to enhance our digital fan experience.”
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The Braves will also host programs such as the, Startup Night Out, to bring the tech community together. Other events will be put on at the Village such as, Reverse Pitch, which will create an opportunity for startup teams to pitch their ideas to the Braves directly.
“Unity in building our tech community is essential and our collaboration with the Braves not only introduces some creative ways to bring us together, it also provides a very large platform for raising awareness of our footprint in Atlanta,” said Houghton. “We need talent to come to Atlanta, stay in Atlanta, and more entrepreneurs to build more successful businesses. Startups directly impact our economy and job creation or Atlanta. Our collaboration with the Braves can only help contribute to all of those things.”
To make the stadium’s opening even more appealing to fans, the Atlanta Business Chronicle wrote in January that the Braves partnership with Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Co. is directly linked to SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta, including a large LED scoreboard.
With the ATV partnership locked down, the focus is now directed on the Braves new stadium’s technological experience which will have fans excited. As SunTrust Park nears its opening, ATV will have a direct role in creating a tech-first experience in the organization’s 2017 season.