06 Oct 2017
Sports tech start-ups revealed for new London hub
BY Rob Gibson
From secret music events for fitness to sports heatmaps and AI coaches, 16 innovative start-ups have been selected to launch London’s new Sport Tech Hub.
London Sport revealed the names of the organisations it hopes will deliver the future of technology-supported physical activity and sport across the UK, during the launch of the Sport Tech Hub at the House of Sport.
Tove Okunniwa, the new CEO of London Sport, said the programme aims to cater for everything from mass participation and active travel to social engagement, at-home fitness and immersive experiences.
Following an extensive selection process, 16 SportTech, FitTech and HealthTech start-ups have been selected to form the inaugural cohort of the Hub.
There will now be a six-month incubation programme during which the start-ups will receive support from partners including Fieldfisher, London & Partners, HubSpot, Crowdcube, RLC Ventures, Sponge Marketing, and the Sport Industry Group.
Alex Zurita, London Sport specialist advisor – Technology for Participation, said: "Sport Tech Hub will be at the very heart of innovation for sport in the capital.
“We believe that harnessing the power of technology is vital to the future of physical activity and sport, and these 16 start-ups have an opportunity to be in the vanguard of that future.”
The 16 start-ups selected are:
• AktivKidz – Getting children active through challenges set by celebrities to receive points and prizes
• Batfast – Interactive simulators to increase participation in sport
• Fitswarm – Real-time training
• Flex TV – At home workouts you actually want to do
• Makesweat – Provides a platform for people to plan sessions with friends and share feedback with coaches
• Rabble – Immersive team games in your local community
• Racefully – The only app that enables you to run with your friends in real time, whenever you want
• Return2Play – Concussion management and multi-injury reporting tools for schools, clubs and governing bodies
• Spotters – Social network dedicated to the grassroots football community
• Spryt – Search facility to find the nearest club, facility or coach
• Sport Heroes Group – Creating innovative digital sport experiences to unite communities and motivate the masses to exercise more
• Sweat & Sound – Secret, immersive fitness events for music lovers, creative spirits and curious cats
• TrainAsONE – Artificial intelligence personal coach for runners of all abilities and goals
• Vlique – Connecting users to fitness professionals in real time
• Wellrun – Finding ways to equip and inspire more people to enjoy active travel
• Where – A heat map of social and sporty activities going on nearby.
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