Sports Loft Podcast

Will Pithers, Strategic Partner Manager for sports at Meta, joins Andy and Charlie on the Sports Loft podcast. Having previously work at City Football Group , Will helps teams, leagues, federations, athletes and creators optimise their content strategy across Meta's platforms. With user behaviour shifting from public feeds toward private messaging, and short-form video dominating content strategy, we wanted to get an insider's view on how sports organisations such as Formula 1, Premier League clubs and Mercedes F1 are navigating Meta's eco-system to engage fans globally. Some of the topics we discuss include: Why short-form video (ie Reels) is the key to success across both Facebook and Instagram How F1 teams and drivers have built a thriving community on threads Why the majority of a social media user's time will soon not be spent in feeds, but rather in private and group messaging conversations. How Meta is looking to make their platforms more attractive for content creators? Why providing utility and not posting too much has been so important for success with WhatsApp channels How sports organisations are looking to monetise their activity across Meta's platforms Why teams should be investing in tools that can help them manage their content archives The potential opportunities for sports organisations in AR with Meta's Orion glasses

In the latest Sports Loft podcast, Andy and Charlie are joined by Victorien Tixier, CEO of Scoreplay. Fresh off the announcement of their $13m Series A funding round, Scoreplay have been seeing huge success onboarding new clients. So we wanted to discuss how they see the content market evolving, their future product strategy and to get some very specific examples of how sports organiastions are using Scoreplay to its full potential.   Some of the topics we discuss include:   Why has the fragmentation of content workflows has become such a big pain point for sports organsiations? How has Scoreplay leveraged best-in-class AI technologies for facial recognition, logo detection, speech to text conversion and even dubbing, rather than trying to build it themselves? How are rightsholders using the platform with their commercial partners? How has the content market evolved since the launch of Scoreplay and how will it continue to change? Why they have stayed very focused on the sports vertical? How have their athlete investors played such an important role in driving adoption in the locker room? Why does Victorien see the future for Scoreplay as the “media infrastructure for sports”? – and why is developing their API so important in order to achieve this?

Jonny Keogh, UK&I Sports Lead at YouTube joins Andy and Charlie on the Sports Loft podcast. Having previously worked at Sky, Jonny now helps major rightsholders and sports creators make the most of YouTube. So we wanted to dig into what's coming from YouTube, who is being really innovative in their use of the platform and get some specific examples of how teams are using it to drive revenue. Some of the topics we discuss include: Has YouTube become THE destination for highlights? How are rightsholder's monetising their content, but also how are they incorporating YouTube into their sponsorship conversations? How are YouTube Channel Memberships being used by some clubs as an extension of their OTT platforms? And in some cases could it be a more cost-effective alternative? Should creators be viewed differently now that much of the output is almost broadcast quality in terms of the production and storytelling? And which teams and broadcasters are working with them well? With athletes such Jude Bellingham becoming creators – how are they developing different content formats and commercialising their own YouTube channels? What benefits are rightsholders and broadcasters seeing from having live games on the platform? Where is AI being used in the YouTube platform to create new content and commercial opportunities?

Finn Bradshaw, Head of Digital at the ICC, joins Andy and Charlie on the Sports Loft podcast. Having worked previously with Cricket Australia and in tennis at the Australian Open, Finn now drives the digital agenda at the ICC and has events such as the Cricket World Cup to look after. So we were keen to dig into how the ICC is looking to innovate and adopt new technologies.   In our latest episode with Finn Bradshaw:   Innovating at the Cricket World Cup Why the challenge for cricket in America is not building an audience, but having the right product? How did the ICC work with influencers such as Jomboy during the World Cup and what did they learn? Why did the ICC partner with existing games on Roblox rather than building their own? How did experiences on the Apple Vision Pro help with partnership discussions? What were Finn's biggest learnings from getting 4million viewers on the ICC TV app?   How the ICC uses different social platforms Why are Facebook and Instagram the best marketing platforms ever built? Which platform has the best analytics? Why did match highlights only go on Meta channels up until 2023 and why change? How does Finn balance the need to build audiences on their own channels vs getting the reach on social?   Running proof-of-concepts at the ICC How does the ICC test ideas before rolling them out more broadly? How did the ICC test vertical video? What did the learn and how did they adapt? How have POC's built trust with internal stakeholders, sponsors and partners? Why is it important how you measure success for POC's? Why has senior backing been so important for implementing a “test and learn” approach?

In this episode,  Andy and Charlie talk to Courtney Jeffries, CEO of VRTL, a virtual platform that is enabling teams, leagues and brands to scale in-person fan experiences to a global audience. We discuss why engaging with fans who might never get to the stadium is so important, how virtual events have developed since the pandemic and the creative use cases that are being developed using the platform.   05:20 Intro to VRTL 08:25 Experience at TechCrunch Disrupt 12:07 What's the features that make VRTL unique 20:22 What's driving teams and brands to use the platform 30:00 Virtual events post the pandemic 34:07 The importance of finding the right clients 40:04 Funding journey and the dream use case

With Yanni away in Hawai'i (working on the IRONMAN World Championship, rather than competing in it) Charlie took the reins of the podcast this week, welcoming Alex Kerr, CEO of Trajektory, to chat about sponsorship analytics in the sports industry. We've been tracking his company – which uses advanced AI and a dynamic valuation method to deliver more accurate media analytics – for a while, so it was great to get Alex on to dig into the business. Along with our Head of Strategy, Andy Selby, Charlie and Alex explore the significance of data in driving revenue for both rights holders and brands, dig out success stories from Trajektory's client base, and explore the balance of providing a SaaS service and supporting customers through hands-on customer success teams. Based in Chicago, the company works with major brands and teams across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. Timestamps: 06:15 – Intro to Trajektory 11:00 – Client successes 14:30 – Understanding brand objectives 22:00 – Innovations around in-venue data tracking 28:30 – Serving both sides of the market 34:30 – Getting granular on reporting 39:00 – The culture at Trajektory

In this episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, hosts Yanni Andreopoulos and Andy Selby are joined by Sam Schmelzer, Partner and COO of ADvantage VC, to dig into early-stage investment in sports-focused technologies.  ADvantage focuses on three areas of the sports tech ecosystem: fan engagement, the connected athlete and derivative sports, which spans fantasy, gaming and e-sports. As such, the its portfolio includes the likes of Greenfly, the short-form content distribution platform; Tappp, which enables commerce, betting and interactive polling to sit alongside live sports on a single screen; and Infinite Athlete. ADvantage tends to lead investment rounds for Series A and B companies, with cheque sizes ranging from $2-5 million and $4-8 million, respectively. Timestamps: 06:00 – The ADvantage thesis 12:00 – The role of strategic LPs  18:00 – Evaluating sports tech startups 24:00 – Fan engagement technology 30:00 – Emerging sports leagues as investment opportunities 36:00 – How ADvantage is looking at AI in sports

This week, Yanni and Andy chat with Suzanne Kirkland about how the company uses AI to separate audio into its “stems” or component parts, giving organisations more control over their audio and video assets. In sports, that means tweaking levels or replacing unwanted sounds to make content libraries more usable. But the tech, which was born out of a love for homemade karaoke, also has powerful applications across TV, film and the music industry. Timestamps: 08:30 – Intro to AudioShake 15:45 – How the tech alters the content creation process 19:00 – Speed of processing and real-time 23:00 – The reaction of the sports industry 30:00 – Karaoke and the company's founding 33:30 – The business model   39:30 – Real-time audio splitting  45:30 – Training the AI models

In this week's episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, Yanni and Charlie sit down with Shubh Jagani, head of enterprise solutions at OpusClip, the AI startup that can turn long-form videos into viral clips with just one click.  Today, every organisation – from sports teams to media giants – needs a constant stream of engaging social media content. OpusClip makes that possible, helping clients like VoxMedia, Seattle Seahawks, FloSports, Memphis Grizzlies and Juventus to transform their video libraries into shareable clips, to engage their existing audiences and find new fans. Over the course of the conversation, we cover the companies inception and growth, its relevancy to the sports and entertainment industry, and the company's new product, ClipAnything – which allows users to effortlessly generate specific moments from any video using natural language prompts. Timestamps: 07:00 – Introduction to Opus Clip and Clip Anything 13:00 – Use cases of Opus Clip in sports organisations 16:45 – Opus Clip's virality model 31:00 – How ClipAnything works 36:30 – Model training 40:21 – Company growth 45:30 – The market's acceptance of AI

On this episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, hosts Yanni and Charlie sit down with Antyush Bollini, COO and co-founder of OneCourt, a groundbreaking company making sports more inclusive for fans who are blind or visually impaired. OneCourt has developed a haptic device that allows fans to feel live action through trackable vibrations, revolutionising the way sports are experienced. The company, spun out of the University of Washington, recently partnered with T-Mobile and Major League Baseball to showcase their innovation at the MLB All-Star Game and are on the verge of launching a new device with improved features. There's also an angel round underway, with the likes of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, heading up the cap table. Timestamps: 05:00 – Developing the One Court haptic device 15:00 – Testing and piloting the technology 24:15 – The market 32:30 – The role of audio 37:45 – Partnership with T-Mobile and MLB at the All-Star Game 45:00 – The journey ahead 49:45 – OneCourt's angel round  

In this episode, the Charlie and Yanni chat with Bob Thomson, the founder of Storyteller, a company that enables brands to integrate vertical video stories into their apps and websites. They discuss the rise of vertical video formats like Stories and Reels, the power of narrative in sports, and how Storyteller helps sports teams and rights holders deliver engaging content to fans. Storyteller is a platform that helps clients create and deliver vertical content in a compelling and personalised way. Clients, such as the LA Rams and FC Barcelona, have seen positive results in terms of increased engagement and video views after implementing Storyteller. The platform also offers opportunities for commercialisation, including sponsored content and full-screen ads.  Timestamps: 07:00 – Overview of Storyteller   08:16 – The rise of vertical video    19:39 – Creating vertical-specific Content   23:32 – The components of the Storyteller platform   29:00 – Success stories: LA Rams and FC Barcelona   33:00 – Monetising content and selling merchandise   38:00 – Building partnerships   49:00 – The dream client

In this episode, Yanni and Charlie chat with Kamal Mistry, CEO of Arcturus, a company specialising in volumetric video – which allows for the capture and display of three-dimensional spaces and objects. We were blown away by Arcturus' demo at the Sports Loft Summit, which put the viewer in the middle of a wrestling match. So we've been keen to delve further into the origins of Arcturus, the concept of volumetric video, and how the technology is being used by its sports and entertainment clients. Kamal explains how Arcturus provides tools and services for creating and manipulating volumetric video content, which can be viewed on 2D displays, as well as VR/AR headsets, such as the Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and Microsoft HoloLens. The conversation also covers current capabilities, future developments and the crucial discussions around rights deals. Timestamps: 06:25 – What Arcturus does 14:45 – Difference between volumetric video and standard AR/VR 25:00 – Capturing volumetric video 28:30 – Video complexity and compression 35:15 – Market readiness for immersive video rights 42:30 – Integrating volumetric video into broadcasts 49:45 – Next Ssteps and fundraising

This week Yanni and Charlie sit down with Vince Ircandia, CEO and founder of Stellar Algo, a company transforming how sports organisations understand and engage with their fans, using data analytics. Vince explains how Stellar Algo unifies fan data from diverse sources – including venues, e-commerce, social media and marketing channels – into a single, actionable view, and shares his journey from working with teams like LA Galaxy and LA Kings to founding Stellar Algo. "The relationship you have with the fan is becoming more central, regardless of the revenue streams you're trying to drive," Vince explains. "Our platform makes it easy to identify fan insights and opportunities, and we put those at your fingertips." He also highlights how their platform empowers teams to identify fan insights and personalise content, with the goal of improving fan engagement and revenue growth. And we dig into how one NHL team effectively targeted 30,000 fans for a Toyota campaign, resulting in significant engagement and sales, showcasing the tangible impact of data-driven marketing.

In this episode, Yanni and Charlie chat with Maninder Saini, head of growth at Twelve Labs, a company that uses multimodal AI to bring human-like understanding to video content. We had Twelve Labs on stage at the Sports Loft Summit, so in this conversation we dig deeper into the applications of this technology in the sports and media entertainment industry, particularly in helping rights holders organise and find content in their video libraries. Up front, Maninder explains what multimodal AI is and why it's the perfect tool for understanding the content and context in video. We also cover the evolution of Twelve Labs, its recent $50M Series A funding and the challenges and opportunities in the market. We think Twelve Labs is an exciting proposition for sports and entertainment organisations with large (or even unwieldy) content libraries because there are so many potential use cases. A broadcaster might use it to tag and organise incoming match footage to share with relevant commercial partners. A team might use it to help its video editors quickly assemble highlight reels and social content. A brand might use it to scour historical footage for advertising material – showing how they've been the key differentiator at crucial moments through the decades. And that's just scratching the surface. “My view is that it can make a video editor into a bionic editor,” says Maninder. “They can do so much more with Twelve Labs. Most of the teams, at the club and league level, are often quite lean and very scarcely resourced. So this technology will enable them to do all of the things on their backlog and their to-do list that they never really get around to because they're just overburdened with the volume of day-to-day tasks.”   Timestamps: 06:30 – Intro to Twelve Labs   12:00 – Using AI to organise and search video libraries   16:15 – What is multimodal AI?   23:30 – Explaining foundation models       28:00 – Applications in various industries   33:30 – Twelve Labs as an API business   46:00 – AI: efficiency versus automation   48:00 – The future of Twelve Labs and dream clients  

This week's guest on the Sports Loft Podcast is Michael Proman, managing director of Scrum Ventures – a seed stage investment platform that counts large Japanese corporations among its investor base, and uses that network to grow its investments and help them break into Asia. Founded by Japanese serial entrepreneur Tak Miyata in 2013, Scrum began life as a generalist VC firm, “investing in pretty much anything under the sun,” says Michael. That all changed in the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when Scrum's investors – including the likes of Panasonic, Fujitsu and Mizuno – became interested in the opportunities around in sports, media and entertainment. Now, the remit is to find companies that “transcend the vertical” – those that relate to sports, health or entertainment, but might have a total addressable market (TAM) beyond those definitions. “If I look at the first dozen investments we've made,” says Michael. “A lot are either outside of sports, change the definition of sports and entertainment, or show the evolution of what sports and entertainment means in a 2024 perspective.” Timestamps: 01:23 – Introducing Scrum Ventures 08:00 – The importance of relationships in the Japanese market 20:00 – The attraction of tech that transcends the sports vertical 25:00 – Valuing companies and finding growth opportunities 30:00 – The importance of partnerships  36:00 – Scrum's approach to supporting its investments 41:00 – Investing in IP and other growth areas

On Wednesday May 8th, we held the Sports Loft Showcase 2024, where we featured twelve incredible tech companies that we believe the industry needs to know about. In this second episode of our two-parter on the event, Charlie, Andy and our MC for the day, Yanni, look back at the Summit and discuss the presentations from the companies that can broadly be defined as operating in the content and immersive spaces. They are: Twelve Labs Opus Clip Tagboard Audioshake Spalk Ateme Arcturus And if you missed part one, make sure to check it out. In that episode, we dig into the companies that presented in our Fan Engagement sessions.

On Wednesday May 8th, we held the Sports Loft Showcase 2024, where we featured twelve incredible tech companies that we believe the industry needs to know about. In this episode, Charlie, Andy and our MC for the day, Yanni, look back at the event and discuss the presentations from the companies that can broadly be defined as operating in the fan engagement space. They are: Monterosa Storyteller Satisfi Labs StellarAlgo OneCourt In part two, we'll dig into the companies that presented in our Content and Immersive sessions.

“The 26.2 miles of London streets from Blackheath to the Mall are, in my opinion, the most incredible experience on the planet,” says Charles Juba, group director of digital & technology at London Marathon Events (LME) and this week's guest on the Sports Loft Podcast. Our conversation took place shortly after 53,000 people had completed the 2024 TCS London Marathon the previous weekend, raising an unprecedented £67 million for charity, and breaking more than 40 other Guinness World Records. We wanted to find out from Charles what role technology plays in the success of the marathon and LME's other events – which include 10km fundraisers, half marathons, a swim in the capital's Hyde Park, a cycling race and plenty more. “Innovation for me is a layer cake and you have to have a firm foundation on which you build,” says Charles. “The starting point at London Marathon Events is very much based on our data... because innovation pivots around insight and insight requires quality data.” Timestamps: 09:00 – Introduction to London Marathon Events and its role 14:45 – Innovation and technology in enhancing the participant and fan experience 24:00 – Engaging in the participants journey  30:00 – The Impact of the London Marathon App 37:00 – Harnessing the power of data for engagement and partnerships 44:45 – Future Goals  

This week Yanni and co-host Charlie chat with Sam Renouf, CEO of the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO). Sam joined the organisation in 2019 has been central to the organisation's strategy and development since. We kick off the conversation by setting the scene, with Sam discussing the inception and evolution of PTO, including its recent partnership with World Triathlon. He digs into the organisation's goal of becoming a more consumer-facing brand with its T100 Triathlon World Tour and outlines the strategies for growing a sustainable fan base for triathlon. "It's taken us a couple of years to figure out the right model. But we think that in the T100 we have something unique," he says. "We're like the PGA Tour from a governance structure because we've got the athletes and the pros. We're Formula One with this season long narrative with glamorous locations. And we're the World Marathon Majors with the mass participation. So really it's super exciting." We were keen to chat with Sam about the role technology plays in the roadmap for the T100 series. Tech, Sam explains, will be baked into almost every element of the series – from its broadcast and commentary, to the sponsorship proposition and management of mass participation rankings.  Sam also mapped out the PTO's funding model, with the likes of Michael Moritz as a lead investor, alongside Warner Bros. Discovery. And with the prospect of the organisation securing further funding to accelerate the growth of the T100, it's going to be a fascinating journey to watch. Timestamps: 10:46 – Evolution of PTO's business model 25:11 – Importance of technology and investment from Warner Bros. Discovery 29:39 – Consolidating high-value audience with first-party data 30:21 –  Using data for sponsorship, media, and direct-to-consumer 35:09 – Storytelling and technology in triathlon 40:59 – Bringing non-endemic sponsors into triathlon 43:50 – Building revenue streams for triathletes 53:18 – The future of the PTO

Football in the US is growing – fast. But Major League Soccer has a long way to go to catch up with the likes of the NBA, MLB and, of course, the behemoth of the NFL. To do so, the league is turning to tech in order to supercharge broadcast, boost fan engagement and even get more kids playing the sport. In this episode of the Sports Loft podcast, Yanni and Charlie sit down with Chris Schlosser, the senior vice president of emerging ventures at the MLS and head of the MLS Innovation Lab. They dive into the purpose and goals of the Innovation Lab, and explore how the lab can really contribute to the growth of MLS – from the role of technology in elevating fan engagement to how new tools could speed up player development. Chris opens up about what the Innovation Lab entails from the perspective of the six tech companies in their primary cohort, and breaks down how the initiative provides resources, mentorship and test opportunities to those startups. We also talk about MLS's selection process, the Lab's three core areas of focus, and who the cohort taking part in 2024 programme are.   Timestamps: 05:00 – Timeline of the Innovation Lab 12:45 – Pitching the Innovation Lab to MLS owners 22:00 – Testing events and opportunities for startups 25:45 – Benefits of the Innovation Lab 27:45 – Selection Criteria for Focus Areas 32:30 – Criteria for Evaluating Startups 36:00 – Companies Chosen for the Innovation Lab 47:30 – Future Goals for MLS Emerging Ventures

This week's episode delves into the intersection of sports, technology and sponsorship with industry experts Jason Saiban, a partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, and Sally Moore, the global sponsorship lead at Sage. The conversation focuses on the evolution of sports sponsorship, exploring how new technologies are providing additional rights and diverse activation opportunities for sponsors. Our two guests bring unique perspectives, with Jason specialising in commercial contracts, technology, media and law, while Sally oversees Sage's sponsorship portfolio, including partnerships with MLB, Six Nations rugby and The Hundred cricket. Our favourite bits include Sally explaining the differing strategies behind why Sage is engaged in sports in multiple markets, and Jason's explanation of how the US and UK contrast when it comes to contract law around such sponsorships.

In this episode, Yanni and Charlie talk to Tom McDonnell, CEO at Monterosa, the platform that is helping teams and leagues wrestle the fan engagement experience away from social media or third party platforms, and onto their owned and operated websites and apps.   We've been approached by lots of companies try to nail digital fan experiences, but in the last 12 to 18 months we've seen Monterosa's approach evolve, coinciding with an increase in market demand for compelling digital experiences that keep fans coming back. It was therefore great to catchup with Tom, and really explore what this means for their clients such as Liverpool FC, EA Sports, Six Nations and Formula E.   Tom shares his learnings as the company has grown (and changed!) from its days when the BBC was an early client and discusses how teams and leagues can build their audience even if they don't have the development resources of the big tech giants. One of our favourite sections was when Tom discusses how sponsor brands are using the platform to syndicate experiences across all the different sports properties they work with.

In this episode of our 'Investor's View' series, Yanni and Charlie chat with returning guest Jasmine Robinson. Formerly of Causeway, Jasmine is now co-founder and managing partner at Monarch Collective – a $150 million fund launched in 2023 that invests in women's sports teams and leagues. Jasmine's partner at Monarch is Kara Nortman, who co-founded NWSL club Angel City FC, and the fund has already made its first investment: NWSL Boston – a team which was awarded expansion rights in September 2023. Over the course of the episode, we discuss the founding story of Monarch, its overall thesis and how the Boston investment falls into that. Jasmine explains how she never expected to leave Causeway, but that she felt the opportunity in women's sports were too good to miss out on. And we find out why women's sports is the perfect test bed for innovative new technologies.

Join hosts Yanni Andreopoulos and Charlie Greenwood in conversation with Tom Gayner, CEO and co-founder of Levellr, the platform connecting the world's top musicians, brands, and creators with their fan communities on Discord and Telegram. The growth of community building in sports is one of our trends for 2024, so it was great to catch up with Tom and really dig into the realities of what that means. In this episode, we explore the growth of the business, what Levellr adds to apps like Discord, and the delicate balance between building scalable software which is supported by human-powered services. Tom shares his key learnings and success stories, discussing collaborations with industry giants like Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group and setting out how similar thinking can be applied to sports. We also dig into Levellr's recent £1 million funding.

In the words of host Yanni Andreopoulos, this week on the podcast we gathered “the greatest minds Sports Loft has to offer” (oh dear!) to discuss our 2023 sports, media and entertainment tech predictions. We explore how these predictions have influenced or failed to impact the industry landscape, shaping the year that's now coming to an end. We ask: were memberships re-imagined by sports teams? To what degree did rightsholders become content businesses? And did the industry really get smarter on data? Find out what we think, as Yanni holds Andy and Charlie to account on what we got right and what we got, err, not so right. Warning: contains multiple references to Hull City football club. Show notes: Gerard Pique's new Kings League Juventus' fixtures list reveal video Sports Loft Podcast – The role of machine learning in sports, and how to build an AI startup Sports Loft Podcast – BMW, Karta and marketing in the metaverse Sports Loft article – From AI to data enrichment: five sports trends to watch in 2024 Timestamps: 7:00 – Sports will get smarter on data 17:30 – “We are a content business” will become a reality 24:45 – AI will complement (not replace) content creators 31:00 – Memberships will be re-imagined 38:30 – For now, the metaverse is multiplayer online games – that people actually play! 48:00 – Our 2024 predictions

This week Yanni and Charlie welcome Paul Hourigan onto the podcast to get his view on the world of sports, media and entertainment investment. Paul is partner at Ryan Sports Ventures, the sports investment arm of the Chicago-based Ryan family, which has a sports portfolio that spans interests in the Chicago Bears and AFC Bournemouth, plus tech businesses like Tagboard. During the episode, we learn the strategy behind RSV's involvement with Bournemouth and the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, Paul explains why he thinks sport's reliance on sponsorship and rights sales needs a rethink, and we ask for his hot sectors to watch in 2024. Spoiler: AI gets a mention.  Our favourite sections included Paul's reflections on the tailwinds in women's sports, and the growth potential for businesses which are able to take sports data and make it genuinely actionable.  

This week's podcast features Yanni and Andy taking a deep dive into the world of gaming with Pia Schörner, head of digital content creation & BMW Metaverse at BMW, and Erik Londré, co-founder and CEO of Karta – the Sports Loft member which works with sports teams and music artists to build experiences in games like Roblox and Fortnite. We dig into how sports organisations and other brands can incorporate gaming as part of their marketing mix, touching on in-game merchandise, measuring success and picking the right platform. Highlights include Pia pushing BMW execs to allow gamers to blow up Bimmers in a game (“the community will like it and they'll talk about it because it's authentic”), Erik on the thrill of live esports events, and how to find the “sweet spot” that allows for both authentic gaming experiences and brand promotion. Our guests also reveal lessons learnt from their recent projects and discuss why engaging with younger audiences on these platforms is so crucial for brands who want to stay relevant – across the world of sports and beyond. Timestamps: 06:30 – Defining the metaverse 13:00 – How sports can utilise the metaverse 15:45 – The pros and cons of e-sports as a marketing tool 23:30 – The process of designing an activation 29:30 – Marrying brands with the gaming platform 36:30 – Using gaming to boost relevancy  40:00 – KPIs and indicators of success   

In this month's Investor's View episode, Yanni sits down with Andrew Costa, partner at RX3 Growth Partners, a consumer growth equity firm co-founded by NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers. To kick off, Andrew gives us an overview of RX3's operational strategy, which focuses on investments in consumer wellness and sports companies. The unique part of the model is the way the group draws on the networks, knowledge and insights of their athlete and celebrity backers to benefit the consumer focused companies they invest in. Later in the discussion, Andrew sheds light on RX3's meticulous decision-making process and their focus within the consumer wellness and fitness sector. He elaborates on the skills and traits RX3 looks for in founders and shares insights into the growth areas that are exciting him, and shares his take on the state of the market.  With a successfully deployed first fund of $50 million across 19 portfolio companies, RX3 is now looking for opportunities to invest in from its second fund, a $150 million vehicle. Timestamps: 06:00 – Moving from one-off investments to building a fun? 09:00 – Onboarding athletes as LPs14:00 – Deciphering fad trends versus long-term shifts 21:00 – Managing sponsor clashes 26:00 – Estimating growth returns on investments 31:00 – Backing big brands versus high growth startups 38:00 – Where RX3 add value beyond dollars 44:00 – Regretting missed opportunities  

This week we're discussing the intersection of sports, media and artificial intelligence. Join our host Yanni and founder Charlie, as they sit down with Don White, CEO and co-founder of Satisfi Labs, and Jamie Wilde, head of technology & data science at Greenfly. The main focus of this episode is the transformative impact of AI in the sports and media industry. We'll explore how companies like Greenfly (which recently acquired machine learning startup Miro, which Jamie co-founded) and Satisfi Labs are utilising AI to enhance fan engagement, streamline sports operations, and create compelling sports-related content. Together, we'll uncover the challenges faced in training AI models using vast and complex sports data, and how these challenges are being overcome. Our panel also dive into the intricacies of running an AI company. From the hurdles of budgeting and talent retention to the evolving business models and staying ahead of commoditisation, our guests will share their insights into the dynamic world of AI startups. Join us as we unravel the potential of AI in sports and media, and discover how these innovations are reshaping the future of the industry. Timestamps: 08:00 – How mature is AI usage in sports today? 13:00 – The role of AI in the Satisfi proposition 20:00 – The Greenfly acquisition of Miro 31:45 – The impact of AI on human personnel 35:00 – How AI startups can retain the best talent 42:00 – How to avoid commoditisation 50:00 – The applicability of AI between sports

In the latest episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, Yanni is joined by Konrad von Moltke, principal of New York-based investment group, WISE Ventures. Within the WISE portfolio, you'll find familiar names like Sports Loft member companies Tagboard and FEVO, plus former member Slate, and many more across the sports, media and entertainment space. Konrad takes us behind the scenes at WISE, revealing why the firm likes to assume board positions in their investments, the art of crafting a robust cap table, and his secret for juggling numerous moving parts and projects (hint: you've just got to stay impeccably organised!).In September's 'Investor's View' episode Konrad also explains that for him, one of the most important skills for a founder to have is the ability to sell a vision.   Timestamps: 08:30 – Tech adoption in sports organisations 14:00 – The WISE thesis and strategic approach 19:30 – Active deployment in 2023 23:00 – Why take board positions 25:00 – Tagboard and building a great cap table 28:00 – What do you look for in founding teams? 35:00 – The strength of being organised ‍‍

This week on the podcast, Yanni is joined by a trio of industry experts, including Kristen Rodgers, the sports and media partnerships lead at Tagboard, Matt Gentry, 77 Sports Management's managing director and Andy Selby, Sports Loft's very own head of strategy. Our first discussion kicks off with a deep dive into how leagues that sit outside of Europe's top tier are using star signings to grow their fanbases. Our guests examine the Messi transfer to Inter Miami and the arrivals of Ronaldo, Benzema, and Henderson in the Saudi Pro League, exploring their impact on the league's popularity. Moving on, we dig into the changing consumption habits in sports media, fueled by the rise of short-form content. With YouTube execs expressing concern that Shorts is cannibalising its core product, Matt, Kristen and Andy discuss what's driving the shift to bitesize formats and what it means for sports. Plus, they examine the evolving strategies of young athletes, as they navigate the world of content and find themselves becoming influencers and content creators. Timestamps: 07:00 – Messi to Inter Miami 09:00 – Athletes as creators  12:45 – Building athlete brands 18:00 – Saudi Pro League vs MLS 22:00 – Athletes as investors 30:00 – Short-form vs long-form content 36:00 – How social media is impacting other formats 41:00 – Young athletes navigating social media 44:00 – The success of the docuseries format 

In the fourth episode of this summer's Investor's View series, we welcome Anthony Bontrager, managing director of West River Group. Anthony's 25 years of experience spans founding his own businesses, holding board positions at a number of portfolio companies, and leading the technology investment practice at West River. Tech is just one of the four sectors the 'investment platform' focuses on, with experience (ie. entertainment), decarbonisation, and life sciences being the rest. Sport intersects with those in a number of interesting ways, which is why we had to invite Anthony on the podcast. Over the course of our conversation Anthony explains what he's looking for when founders approach West River for funding, what he and the group can offer once a deal is done, and how entrepreneurs should be operating in the current economic landscape. It's a fascinating chat with tens of takeaways for those looking to build their own businesses. Timestamps: 02:15 – The West River Group thesis and proposition 05:30 – Where sports comes into the equation  10:00 – The power of data in the sports space 14:00 – What makes a good founder from the VC perspective? 21:00 – Negotiation, valuation and setting terms 29:00 – The impact of the interest rate shake-up 35:00 – The next geographical tech hubs  40:00 – AI and other areas of interest

This week Yanni is joined by Nick Shaw, managing director of EMEA at Greenfly, and Keegan Pierce, managing director for the UK and Ireland at La Liga, as they dissect the dynamic world of sports social media and global pre-season tours. In part one, our guests explain how they're navigating the fast-changing social media landscape. Nick Shaw outlines Greenfly's role in fan engagement and his tips for operating in this period of flux. While Keegan Pierce shares La Liga's innovative social strategies, which involves managing accounts across 20 different social media platforms and has resulted in it being the most followed football league on social media.  Later in the episode, we delve into how teams and leagues are changing their approaches to pre-season tours – from visiting new territories to trying out new broadcast solutions. Plus, Yanni revisits his Women's World Cup prediction and takes another bite at the cherry.  Timestamps 02:45 – Favourite sporting moments of the week 07:00 – How Greenfly is used by sports organisations 10:00 – LaLiga's approach to social media  13:45 – Where social should sit in the organisation  19:45 – LaLiga Tech  26:45 – Democratising content and the power of athlete brands 33:30 – Predictions for X, the company formerly known as Twitter 37:00 – What are the goals of pre-season tours? 41:30 – Making the most of the pre-season   

This week Yanni welcomes Jordan Fliegel, managing director of Techstars NYC and Techstars Sports. Over the course of the conversation, Jordan details how Techstars identifies promising startups, and the ways it works with successful applicants to help their businesses develop. The pair also cover the equity terms and ongoing support offered by the accelerator. As well as Jordan's search for “the Topgolf of fishing”, the discussion touches on what qualities Techstars looks for in its founders, their teams, and products, plus the sectors and areas that are exciting Jordan in 2023. This leads to the unlikely story of how Jordan became an early investor in Lemon Perfect. Founded by former basketball coach Yanni Hufnagel, the hydration company has since raised more than $70m. Jordan is a former managing partner at Founders First, an angel fund and syndicate. He was co-founder and CEO of CoachUp, a platform to connect athletes with coaches. Among other ventures, he was co-CEO of Draft.com – a fantasy sports site which sold to Paddy Power Betfair in 2017 for ~$48m. Timestamps 04:30 – What does an accelerator like Techstars do? 09:30 – How does Techstars attract and vet companies? 14:00 – The decision process of admitting a company 23:00 – What the end goal for each company they bring in? 18:30 – What makes a company too mature for Techstars? 31:15 – Where Jordan expects to find the next big opportunity 38:15 – How the economic landscape has shifted 43:20 – What makes a good founder or team? 56:00 – Lemon Perfect

In this week's Sports Loft Podcast, we explore the broadcast and sponsorship landscape surrounding the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, NWSL and Super League. To unpick it all, we've called upon Jenny Mitton, director and women's sport lead at M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, who's worked on some of the biggest sports sponsorships of recent times. Joining Jenny and host Yanni Andreopoulos are returning guests Tom Read, chief commercial officer of Spalk, and FEVO's chief revenue officer, Josh Rose. Our panel assesses the state of play when it comes to broadcast infrastructure, sponsorship activations, commercial opportunities and more.  And in the second part, we switch gears to explore the fascinating landscape of sports content streaming. As Netflix hints at venturing into live sports, potentially launching a new golf competition, we ponder its implications for the industry and ask whether some sports need Netflix more than Netflix needs sport. Answers on a postcard please.   Timestamps 02:00 – Favourite sporting moments of the week 06:30 – The viral Orange Women's World Cup ad 12:30 – Investment in broadcast production around the women's game 17:15 – The opportunities around women's football and other sports 25:20 – Does sport need Netflix more than Netflix needs sport? 27:50 – The changing landscape of sports distribution 30:30 – Which stories should Netflix and others focus on?   This episode references: The Drum – The Orange Women's World Cup ad is dividing the internet

Our most recent episode of ‘An Investor's View' features Michael Spirito, a founding partner and lead investor of Sapphire Sport, the $300m venture firm that counts City Football Group, adidas and AEG among its limited partners. With its first fund, deployed between 2018 and 2021, Sapphire invested in Sports Loft member company FEVO, among others. Now, having raised $180m from many of its original partners, plus some new names, Michael and the team are on the hunt for new opportunities. Yanni and Michael explore where Sapphire Sport hopes to find its next round of investments, how the firm's thesis is being employed in the current market, and what advice Sapphire is giving to founders across its portfolio.  ----- This episode was recorded in May 2023

In our new series of ‘An Investor's View' podcasts, host Yanni Andreopoulos sits down with Antonio Cacorino, founder and CEO of Apex Capital. In this episode, we explore the opportunities around investing in high-growth tech startups in the sports industry, taking a deep dive into Apex's approach to venture capital – investing with active and former athletes. We ask: what qualities do sports people have that make them good investors? Among plenty more, Antonio gives us his thoughts on the evolving web3 and gaming sectors, offers us his pick of exciting growth areas, and explains what he looks for in the businesses Apex invests in. This episode was recorded in April 2023.

Join Yanni as he chats with Nick Pinks, CEO and founder of Covatic, the Sports Loft member company that's revolutionising advertising through its private-by-design ad-tech. First up, the pair discuss its applications for sports, allowing Nick to explain how Covatic empowers teams and rights-holders to foster stronger connections with their audiences through targeted content distribution. The discussion then moves onto the impressive strides clients like Bauer Media Group and Comcast NBC are making by building Covatic into their advertising strategies. Nick opens up about what it's been like to work with such giants of media, and the feedback they've received along the way. Finally, on the back of its recent Series A, the pair also discuss Covatic's growth strategy, Nick's personal development as a founder, his approach to building up the team, and what the future holds for the business.

In this week's Sports Loft Podcast, Yanni sits down with our very own Charlie Greenwood, CEO and founder of Sports Loft, plus Andy Selby, our head of strategy. Together, they reflect on the highlights and key themes raised at the Sports Loft Showcase 2023. After giving a quick recap of the event, we dig into the biggest trend of 2023: the impact of AI. Undoubtedly it will have major repercussions for the sports industry, so it was fascinating to see how AI is already being used to solve problems and create opportunity. In the podcast, we discuss how companies like Move.ai, Satisfi, Greenfly, FEVO, and Spalk are using artificial intelligence to do just that. Fundraising is another significant topic the tech industry is wrestling with, and our panel addresses misconceptions around the availability of VC funds, highlighting successful fundraising efforts. Finally, the Sports Loft team explores the opportunities for women's sports to benefit from technology, focusing on how innovative solutions can support women's teams and leagues

“For us, every conversation starts with who are you trying to reach?” These are the words of Erik Londré, CEO and co-founder of Karta – the ‘metaverse studio' that's making brands playable by building fan-focused activations inside the most popular virtual worlds.  Karta boasts an impressive client base that includes Amazon Music, Ronald McDonald House, K-pop group TWICE, and Unilever. And in this week's podcast, Yanni chats with Erik to learn about the process of developing award-winning immersive experiences for these brands and organisations on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. Over the course of the episode, Erik introduces Karta and his own background in esports, explains his thinking around how to best engage fans in these spaces, and discusses his vision for how all brands – across the sports and entertainment ecosystem – will soon have a presence in the metaverse.

In this episode, Yanni is joined by Simon Oliveira, managing director and founder of KIN Partners, Daniel Kirschner, co-founder, CEO and president at Greenfly, and Ant Ganjou, co-founder of Move.ai and sports entrepreneur. It's an all-star panel to discuss the evolution of athlete brand-building: Simon managed the image of David Beckham at the height of his fame and recently worked on bringing Neymar Jr into the Fortnite and Call of Duty games. Greenfly, run by Daniel, allows athletes and their teams and agents to share and distribute short form social media content quickly and efficiently. And Ant's Move.ai is able to accurately capture and digitise human movement using basic cameras, smart software and AI, opening up a raft of applications – from licensing athletes' signature moves to embedding them in films, video games and more. Throughout the course of the episode, the panel explores the value of authenticity, the impact of social media – how it's changed the relationship athletes and celebrities have with the media and their fans – and the ways in which public figures will use the 'metaverse' to further extend their brands.

In this episode, we take a look back at the recently concluded Cheltenham Festival, one of the biggest fixtures on the UK sports calendar. Our guests are Olaf Gueldner, chief marketing officer at The Jockey Club, Nick Goggans, CEO and founder of PumpJack Dataworks, and Tom Read, chief commercial officer at Spalk. Host Yanni kicks things off this week by asking Olaf about the success of Cheltenham this year and how his team approach marketing a sporting event with deep historic roots. The panel then dives into the challenges faced by organisers of such events, why knowing your audience can help to improve the fan experience, and how data is crucial for developing successful marketing strategies. Our guests also talk about the importance of broadcast and streaming for growing the sport and finding new fans, as well as the potential of audio and commentary in building relationships with fans and racegoers. Finally, as ever, we ask our guests to share their favourite recent sporting moment. 3baa75c089bcedf8a675e5d070333d2db07288b2

In this week's edition of the Sports Loft podcast, host Yanni Andreopoulos is joined by three expert guests to discuss how sports teams and leagues can use a range of tactics to grow their fanbases and audiences. Adrian Wells, chief marketing officer at Harlequins F.C, Don White, CEO and co-founder of Satisfi Labs, and Josh Rose, chief revenue officer at Fevo, explore the ways sports teams and rights-holders can attract new fans, including big one-off events, sports and sponsorship crossovers and live overseas activations. They also discuss the imperative for sports and teams to attract a younger and more diverse audience, as well as the challenges that come with selling to broader audiences in addition to superfans. The guests draw on their personal experiences, including the recent Harlequins Big Game 14 at Twickenham versus Exeter Chiefs.

For the second year running, this year's Super Bowl was streamed in Japanese via NFL Game Pass – the league's direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform. The goal? To bring new fans to the sport and serve existing fans better. It worked, with viewership increasing year-on-year by triple-figure percentages.    Japan isn't the only country on the radar of Samson Mayall, the NFL's senior manager of direct-to-consumer. Game Pass delivers year-round NFL content to fans across Latin America in a range of local languages. Germany, a hotbed of American football fandom, has also been trialled. In total, fans can access NFL content in 200 countries around the world. Behind each of the local language streams is Spalk – the remote commentary platform that makes broadcasting multi-language sportscasts simple. In this episode, Yanni is joined by Samson and Tom Read, chief commercial officer at Spalk, to discuss the partnership, the NFL's approach to developing global fandom and how direct-to-consumer plays a pivotal role in the league's goal of taking football to the world.

This week Yanni is joined by Ben Reynolds, CEO and co-founder of Spalk, the remote commentary platform that enables sports from around the world to be localised for different audiences through language, dialect and even team allegiance.  Spalk combines its Virtual Commentary Studio with a Talent Marketplace. This means broadcasters and right-holders have the software to put out broadcast-quality commentary from anywhere with an internet connection, and have access to a vast array of sportscasters spanning tens of sports, languages and regions. Today Spalk boasts more than 2,500 commentators across some 50 countries, covering 30+ sports, including some of the biggest events on the global calendar. We catch up with Ben to hear about the successes of 2022 (including the football World Cup), the potential of remote commentary for providing niche audiences with unprecedented levels of personalisation, and how Spalk customers are turning what was previously a cost centre into a revenue stream. In this episode we reference: Sports Loft – Want to take a sport to new markets? Speak their language

Across Europe and the United States, sports events are selling out. If venues seem packed, it's because they are: the UK cumulative attendance record was broken last year with 76.2 million people attending sport in 2022. This prompted us to ask two questions. Firstly, has sport bounced back from the difficulties of the pandemic era? And, secondly, what can rights holders and venues do to capitalise on this in the face of a shifting economic landscape? To discuss all this, we welcome to the podcast Ari Daie, CEO and founder of Sports Loft member company FEVO, and Nathan Homer, chief commercial officer of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Nathan and Ari are the perfect guests to discuss these trends, with perspectives that cover making the ticket buying process easier and more social, and ensuring the live event is enticing and exciting as possible. As Nathan explains, demographics are shifting and fans expect more from their ticket than just 90 minutes of sporting action – from selfie spots and shopping, to quality food and halftime shows. This is forcing venues to evolve, shifting to a “ticket plus” model, built on a premium economy experience. In this episode we reference: Sports Pro Media – Study: Women's sports attendance growth helps set new annual UK crowd record Evening Standard – Is the party over for hospitality? The rise of ‘premium economy' in the match day box 

This year's World Cup might be about to reach its crescendo, but at Sports Loft we're already looking ahead. In this week's roundtable podcast, with an eye on the 2026 World Cup, we ask whether the US can realise its potential of becoming a soccer, ahem, football superpower and debate what's helping and what's hindering its national and domestic teams on their respective journeys. Our panel also discuss whether the launch of ChatGPT marks the true beginning of the Age of AI with respect to, and even find time to dig into why the sports sector is seeing a proliferation of new direct to consumer (DTC) products from rights holders, such as FIFA, Manchester United and others. In this edition of the Sports Loft Podcast, host Yanni Andreopoulos is joined by Daniel Kirschner, the president, CEO and co-founder of Greenfly, and Nick Goggans, co-founder and CEO of Pumpjack Dataworks. Making his debut on the pod is Pete Burns, VP of Commercial Strategy at Deltatre, who works with leading rights holders to develop their strategies for growing their own DTC business. In this episode we reference: Hypnotoad and its adoption by the TCU Horned Frogs as their mascot. All glory to the Hypnotoad. ‍

Each winter our head of strategy, Andy Selby, sits down with his crystal ball, a highlights video of Hull City's 13/14 season and a hefty body of research, to predict the major trends that will impact the world of sports, media and tech in the coming year. This also gives us the annual opportunity to look back at the previous year's predictions and see what came true and what didn't. In this week's podcast we do just that, with host Yanni Andreopoulos and Sports Loft CEO and founder, Charlie Greenwood, joining Andy in assessing the 2022 forecast, as well as casting an eye ahead to 2023 and what the year has in store.

Kicking off a new series on the podcast, we brought in two of our members' CEOs, plus a bonafide industry expert, to discuss some of the key topics to have hit their in-tray this week. Regular host Yanni Andreopoulos was joined by Don White and Nathan Peterson, CEOs of Satisfi Labs and Tagboard, respectively, as well as sports sponsorship and comms guru Andy Sutherden. Andy has counselled major brands such as HSBC, Procter & Gamble and Adidas, led the sponsorship planning and activation for six of the major sponsors at London 2012 (and subsequent Olympics), and today advises companies from startups to FTSE 100s on partnership strategy. First up for dissection was the pros and cons of growing startups hiring talented people out of the big tech companies. We then turned our attention to the idea that many Silicon Valley VC firms are seeking returns so vast that they're overlooking viable investment opportunities in order to discover the next 'super unicorn'.  ----more---- In this episode we reference the following article: Napkin Math – Venture Capital Is Ripe for Disruption

Kiki Mills Johnston is full of admiration for founders. "They just see through blockades," she says. "They see how to cross mountains and figure out how to get things done. That's why we do this job – it's just so inspiring to speak with founders every day."  Kiki is our podcast guest this week, and in a wide-ranging conversation, we learn what drew her to the industry, the sectors that are exciting her right now and how she's working to improve the representation of women across the VC space, the startup world and the sports industry. We also dive into the founding story of Drive by DraftKings, its investment thesis and what the team looks for in the founders behind potential investment opportunities. Drive is an early-stage VC firm led by CEO and managing partner Meredith McPherron. It focuses wherever sports meets tech and media, counting Sports Loft member FEVO, fitness wearable scale-up Whoop and publishing platform Just Women's Sports among its portfolio. Its founding partners include sports betting company DraftKings and VC firms General Catalyst, Accomplice and Boston Seed Capital.

Our 'Investor's View' series continues this week with Nikhil Bahel, managing partner at Elysian Park Ventures. Nikhil heads up Elysian's London base, with the goal of broadening the footprint and horizons of the Los Angeles-based firm. We were keen to catch up with him to discuss the rapid growth around women's sports versus traditional franchises, and dive into what Europe can learn from the American sports model. The conversation also spanned the hangover of the pandemic and its impact on the sports ecosystem. “Coming out of the pandemic when no live sports had been played, I think it made everyone sit back and say, ‘is our model working?' And the ones who came out of it well were the US sports franchises,” says Nihkil. “There is a precedent where the US teams and leagues have got the model right from a commercialisation, monetisation and professionalisation perspective. I think there's been an acceleration of the European leagues and federations across sports looking at the US sports model and asking, ‘how do we replicate that?'” Looking ahead, we also discuss where Elysian is looking for its next opportunities. The surprising answer? Don't ignore what's going on in the Web 2.0 space. Elysian Park is the private investment arm of the LA Dodgers Ownership Group and counts more than 50 companies within its portfolio, including Sports Loft member Greenfly, football publisher Copa90, personal fitness app Freeletics and betting platform DraftKings. ‍