If you assume If you consider Comcast, you in all probability consider cable or web service, however additionally it is a part of NBCUniversal. That comes with fairly a little bit of sports activities protection, together with the Olympics, NASCAR, WWE and PGA, to call just a few. As such, Comcast has some motivation to drive innovation in the way in which sports activities are lined and consumed.
In 2020, the corporate determined it wanted a car to help startups attempting to introduce disruptive know-how associated to sports activities. The Comcast NBCUniveral SportsTech Accelerator was born with the imaginative and prescient to seek out startups that will carry some innovation to their sports activities league companions, whereas giving the startups entry to Comcast’s media experience and the leagues themselves.
This yr, the accelerator welcomed 10 corporations to its 2023 cohort; his third class. In contrast to many accelerators, this one is not in search of absolute newbies. As an alternative, it needs corporations which have already constructed a product and are working with prospects. Comcast will work with the businesses in the course of the six-month interval, introducing them to their companions and serving to them develop, however the corporations will proceed to function as regular.
Comcast invests $50,000 in every firm in change for sturdy fairness. Jenna Kurath, vice chairman of startup partnerships and head of Comcast NBCU SportsTech, admits it is a nominal quantity, primarily supposed to cowl prices related to taking part within the accelerator. However she says the funding sends an necessary message to their cohort contributors.
“It is actually about us enjoying a task within the recreation and their success, however I believe the opposite huge necessary a part of that’s that you simply usually reserve for bringing in a strategic advisor,” Kurath advised TechCrunch+. “However on this case you herald a number of strategic advisors from totally different sports activities groups, leagues and kinds of sports activities.”
The corporate additionally has a sister accelerator referred to as Comcast NBCU LiftLabs, a six-week program geared toward enterprise AI corporations.
