Marking a new wave of entrepreneurial talent, 10 SportsTech startups joined the second cohort of the Accelerator Program out of 390 applications, across 43 countries.

Doha, 1 June 2020 - Qatar SportsTech (QST), a leading startup accelerator for innovative sports companies, has announced that it will host its first Digital Demo Day on 8th June, to celebrate the completion of the second cycle of its highly acclaimed Accelerator Program. QST is supported by key players in the sports industry – it is initiated by Qatar Development Bank, powered by Startupbootcamp, and supported by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar Financial Centre, Aspire Zone Foundation and beIN Media Group. 

The Digital Demo Day will be live at 9am Doha time on demoday.qatarsportstech.com, enabling sports industry experts and investors from around the world to watch the pitch presentations of the second cohort of SportsTech startups of the Accelerator Program. 

QST’s Accelerator Program, which aims to grow 10 startups with innovative sports technologies in each edition, ran its second cycle between January and March 2020, comprising pioneering SportsTech startups from 8 different countries, scouted out of 1500 startups from across 43 countries. 

In each cycle of the Accelerator Program, the QST team scouts the world to find and engage with startups that use cutting edge technology with the main aim to accelerate the growth of the SportsTech industry. Participating startups in the second edition of the Program included ClassTap, Fridai, Golee, HiQ-Nano, MoodMe, SponixTech, Torq Labs, Wisify, 12th Player and ChantUnite. 

QST’s 12 week, part-time program gives startups the resources necessary to accelerate their growth through mentorship and building strategic relationships with QST’s partners. The startups had the opportunity to benefit from a range of specialized workshops to help them fine-tune their strategic objectives and business models, one-on-one mentoring sessions gaining first-hand advice and feedback from local and international experts, as well as attend top level executive meetings and events with the participation of QST’s partners and wide network of potential investors. 

Each selected SportsTech contributed to one of these challenges: Athlete & Team, innovations that improve how athletes train individually and as a team, and how they engage and compete in sports; Fan & Viewer, innovations that will improve participation for sports enthusiasts, and fan experience and engagement in-stadium and through digital media; World Cup 2022, innovations that create a personalized, memorable and innovative experience for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; and E-Sports, innovations that will transform and enhance how gamers participate in and experience e-sports.

The startups developed a variety of innovative solutions across the board. Their innovations covered different pillars of the sports technology, including a smart body composition assessment caliper, a home kit to measure antioxidants levels in the body, an immersive broadcasting technology, an e-sports gaming voice-powered assistant, a digital club management software, smart performance leggings, a fan engagement augmented reality mobile app, gym membership solutions, a sports club investment platform, in addition to sports crowd engagement technology.

Commenting on the second cohort of QST’s Accelerator Program, Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al Mannai, Executive Director of Advisory & Incubation at QDB, stated: “I would like to congratulate the second cohort for successfully completing QST’s intensive Accelerator Program. I am impressed with the high level of professionalism and quality solutions they have provided. Being adaptable is of utmost importance nowadays, and I am looking forward to a very successful Demo Day for all participants. We want to raise the bar further and challenge the next wave of entrepreneurs to make the most of the potential opportunities that are presented to them”.

Heba Almasri, Managing Director at QST, also commented saying: “We are proud of our startups’ accomplishments throughout the program and their resilience in these unprecedented times. We want to take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate their hard endeavors in transforming the sports industry and we encourage all investors and community members to join us for the Digital Demo Day on the 8th June 2020.”

Qatar SportsTech aims to transform Qatar into one of the leading sports hubs and contribute to Qatar’s diversification goals through the facilitation of corporate startup collaboration through its Accelerator Program.