After undertaking a worldwide search for the “best founders — with tremendous determination, large visions, demonstrated in-depth knowledge of their particular markets, and the humor and humility to rally a team around them” and startups “that were relatively insulated from the risks of a prolonged battle against COVID-19 and/or which actually benefited from some of the pandemic’s effect on consumer behavior and its associated, likely long-term, implications”, the Techstars Sports Accelerator has named Auburn-based Tennibot as one of its ten 2020 class members. Techstars writes:
In recruiting this year’s class, we searched world-wide to find not only the best founders — with tremendous determination, large visions, demonstrated in-depth knowledge of their particular markets, and the humor and humility to rally a team around them — but also startups that were relatively insulated from the risks of a prolonged battle against COVID-19 and/or which actually benefited from some of the pandemic’s effect on consumer behavior and its associated, likely long-term, implications. Importantly, we also sought out startups with either large starry-eyed visions and legitimate customer demand pre-launch, or startups with meaningful revenue and a clear path to profitability in the short-term. And of course, given our unfair advantage in having leading sports properties as partners, alongside 160+ amazing mentors, many of whom have built or invested in the leading sports companies today, we carefully considered selecting a class where every company will benefit from the resources our accelerator can bring forward.
From eSports and sports media, to fan engagement, athleisure, athlete wellness, and deep tech like AI and Robotics, these ten companies have demonstrated strong visions and clear paths to profitability and beyond in their industries. Our 2020 class hails from across the United States, from tech hubs like Boston and New York City, to Detroit and Auburn, with two companies out of Europe and two more from Tel Aviv and Bogota. We couldn’t be more excited to bring these ten companies to the city of Indianapolis, one of the best sports towns in the world and an emerging hub for sportstech.
In partnership with our founding partners Pacers Sports & Entertainment, NCAA, Next Level Fund/50 South Capital and Indiana Sports Corp, and supporting partners the Indianapolis Colts, NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Techstars Sports is thrilled to announce our 2020 class.
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AI/Robotics:
Tennibot (Auburn, AL)
Tennibot eliminates the worst part of playing tennis, which is picking up balls! We provide the only autonomous robotic tennis assistant in the market. Tennibot detects & picks up tennis balls on the court using cameras, sensors and complex algorithms.
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Read more about the Techstars Sports Accelerator 2020 class here.
