Kenzen won the Future Athlete category in the First and Future competition with their smart patch, which is a biosensor that measures vital signs. The patch pictured here is a prototype. Photo: Kenzen.
My favorite part of the Super Bowl was when Cam Newton fumbled. I loved watching the play from DeMarcus Ware’s shoulder. I saw his fingers tighten around the ball. Football must have been so boring before shirt and helmet cameras were invented.
Does this story sound possible? It must be from some parallel universe. No one is developing shirt or helmet cameras. Right?
Wrong. This type of innovative technology is being developed today. The sports industry has teamed up with technology startups and smart business school graduates. Together, they’re creating amazing new products and services that will revolutionize the industry.
These profitable partnerships make sense when you learn that the Stanford Graduate School of Business is facilitating them. This school has been responsible for producing some notable football stars like Richard Sherman, who plays for the Seattle Seahawks, and stars in the financial world like Bill E Ford, Chief Executive Officer of General Atlantic.
The National Football League, TechCrunch, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business have created First and Future. It’s a startup competition devoted to improving the sports experience for athletes and fans. The competition was held on February 6th and featured twelve worthy competitors. It was broken down into three categories:
The Future Stadium is the category for startups with a product that will have the greatest impact on fans’ live stadium experience.
Bringing Home the Game is the category for startups with a product that will be adopted by consumers and change how they experience sports broadcasts at home—or anywhere.
Tomorrow’s Athlete is the category for startups with a product that will improve athletic training and athletes’ safety during competition.
Judges from a wide range of sports, business, marketing, and broadcasting companies have been selected to attend the event and judge pitches in each category.
Competitors are focused on putting together an excellent pitch since the winning team in each category receives $50,000, tickets to the Super Bowl, and a chance to meet leading NFL executives.
You can find the highlights of the competition—and the winning startups—by clicking here.
