The Arizona Coyotes announced a new partnership with the Global Sport Institute and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University on Wednesday to create the inaugural Arizona Coyotes Venture Challenge.
The Venture Challenge is a pitch contest open to all applicants, including those outside of ASU, that have sports-centered business ideas. For example companies looking at venue innovation, immersive event tech, fan engagement, athlete training, community relations or anything else related to sports are encouraged to apply.
Applications for the Arizona Coyotes Venture Challenge will open in July, and the live pitch competition will happen in December as part of ASU Demo Day.
The winning team (or teams) will get to implement their product or service within the Coyotes organization and will receive promotional resources, workshops and mentorship from ASU’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, known simply as Edson E+I.
The Coyotes and ASU have also pledged to provide the winners with up to $40,000 in funding.
Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez told the Business Journal that he wants other businesses and the community at large to see the organization as a catalyst for innovation and not just as a sports team.
“It really is an example of our core focus around innovation and tech enabled products and services,” he said. “Innovation makes us better. It makes us better not only on the ice, but off the ice.”
Gutierrez is the first Hispanic CEO of an NHL franchise and he has focused on impact, inclusion and innovation since taking over last year. For example, the Coyotes recently announced a new partnership with VenueNext to test out its mobile self-checkout product at the arena.
He said that in addition to the rabid fans the Coyotes already have in the Valley, potential fans can be lured in with a better in-arena experience.
“That Coyote-fan-in-waiting really is looking for an experience. And part of that is engagement, engagement really can be driven by tech enablement,” he said. “It could be everything from just the ease with which you can come in and out of the arena, how you can buy tickets or buy merchandise, or the technology and tech enablement around content delivery.”
Help startups gain traction
There is a wide variety of ideas that could win at the contest in December, so Gutierrez said he cannot predict exactly when the winning team will get to pilot their idea with the Coyotes and its facilities.
The Coyotes will be working with the Edson E+I at SkySong in Scottsdale, which is ASU’s hub for all things entrepreneurial including mentorships, funding connections, business planning and pitch events. Edson E+I also runs Venture Devils, a program to engage, mentor and ultimately fund founders both at ASU and in the community.
The Global Sports Institute is another ASU group at Skysong dedicated to improving the world through sport. Its staff works to expand academic research and help translate it into useful information for the community by working across the entire university.
Jeff Kunowski, associate director of innovation programs at ASU's Global Sports Institute, has a dual appointment to work with Edson E+I. The two institutions have partnered to help sports entrepreneurs tap into university resources.
Kunowski said that working with an NHL team is a good way for startups to gain traction.
“We look forward to pairing ASU’s world-class entrepreneurship resources with the forward-thinking vision and efforts of the Coyotes organization,” he said in a statement. “When starting a business, it is often difficult to gain traction with customers. We’re very excited about the opportunity to put these startups in a position to pitch — and potentially beta-test — their concepts with a prominent NHL team.”
Those interested in joining the pitch competition can learn more about ASU’s venture programs by clicking here. More details and applications will be announced at a later date.
