Arizona State University's Sun Devil Athletics is partnering with the Global Sport Institute and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute for a new Sun Devil Athletics’ Venture Challenge to help establish new innovative sport concepts and ideas at the SDA’s university facilities.
"As the world's largest university and national hub for innovation, ASU has creative thinkers and industry pioneers across our five campuses, and we would be doing ourselves a disservice to not tap into that potential," Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson said in a statement.
According to the news release, the program is meant to be a launchpad for aspiring entrepreneurs and their ideas while keeping Sun Devil Athletics in the limelight of sports innovations. It will also mainly focus on ideas related to athletic operations such as venue and facility innovation or athletic performance.
Deputy Athletic Director Jean Boyd said this initiative is another example of the many opportunities of SDA’s resources at the university.
"We're very excited to partner with the Global Sport Institute and Edson E+I, building on the programming we have been providing to ASU scholar-athlete entrepreneurs, and expect this to be yet another exciting collaboration moving forward,” he said in the statement.
There are two application windows for the SDA Venture Challenge, the first opening on Jan. 15 and the second in March. Along with applying, applicants will also have an opportunity to participate in a live pitch competition in April at ASU Demo Day. The statement said the winning venture, chosen by SDA, will have the opportunity for their idea to be implemented at the university facilities as soon as the fall 2021 semester.
Along with having their idea selected, the Global Sport Institute and Edson E+I Institute will provide the winners with mentorship, coaching and promotional resources along with up to $25,000 in award money.
"ASU's Global Sport Institute and the Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute have had a long-standing relationship with Sun Devil Athletics. Many of our efforts to-date have been focused on providing resources to current and former student athletes," Associate Director of Innovation Programs, Jeff Kunowski said in the statement. "With the creation of the SDA Venture Challenge, we are creating new entrepreneurial pathways not only for our athletes, but also the broader community of students, faculty members, and start-ups that are looking to innovate within sport-related markets."
Prospective applicants can learn more about the pitching competition and application process here.
