Two Valley tech industry veterans intend to launch an accelerator program to help startups gain market share in the growing sports industry.
Jeff Kunowski and Dan Burns announced plans for the SPORTx Accelerator program at InvisionAZ’s 2024 Tech Summit, held Feb. 7 at the WM Phoenix Open.
The SPORTx Accelerator is a hybrid program designed to attract, educate and scale early-stage startups developing sports industry-related products and services.
The accelerator, which builds upon Arizona State University’s momentum in sports innovation, is intended to spur collaboration and provide entrepreneurs with subject-matter expertise, funding and access to university resources.
“I think one of the primary areas that we want to really dive into and focus on is in the performance space,” said Kunowski, co-founder and managing partner of SPORTx Accelerator. “That could mean a lot of different things … wearable devices, analytics, and strength and conditioning in different areas."
The idea for a sports-related accelerator program has been in the works for more than a year, said Kunowski, who is also the associate director of innovation programs for ASU’s Global Sport Institute and J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute.
Kunowski is spearheading the accelerator program with Burns, who served as CEO of Exos for over a decade and is now an executive board chair of the company. He is also a co-founder and managing partner of the Sonoran Founders Fund.
Arizona’s thriving sports industry inspired the two co-founders to create an accelerator, Kunowski said.
The state is home to several large sporting events that draw a national crowd, including Major League Baseball’s Cactus League spring training and the WM Phoenix Open. Last year, Super Bowl LVII generated $1.3 billion in total economic impact for the Valley, and the NCAA Men's Final Four is coming to State Farm Stadium in April.
SPORTx Accelerator program to be held twice a year
ASU's Global Sport Institute has collaborated with university departments, engaged with brands and provided dozens of startups with education, mentorship and access to capital. To date, it has awarded more than $400,000 in grants to startups, Kunowski said.
“Historically, our work has intersected with founders at every stage of venture development,” he said. “We’ve established events and workshops to inspire and educate at the ideation stage. We’ve validated and refined at the incubation stage, and the SPORTx Accelerator will focus on additional refinement with an emphasis on profitability and scalability.”
Kunowski said he aims to leverage sports innovation events like the annual Arizona Game Changers Sports Summit and the WNBA All-Star Game — which will be held in the Valley in July — to promote the SportX accelerator program.
“There’s a lot of exciting things happening and we're just excited to be able to kind of be building out that intersection of sport and entrepreneurship,” he said.
The SPORTx Accelerator is expected to launch in the fall. The 10-week program will be held twice a year with cohorts of six to eight companies. Kunowski and Burns aim to bring in college and professional athletes to provide subject-matter expertise to participating startups.
Details are still in the works for a physical location to house the accelerator, Kunowski said.
Once the accelerator is in operation, Kunowski and Burns intend to establish a working relationship with other schools in Arizona to tap into additional deal flow, subject matter experts and university resources.
