The Minnesota Twins Accelerator by Techstars announced today the 10 companies that will participate in this year’s program focused on the fan experience in sports and entertainment technology.
The cohort, made up of startups from the U.S. and around the world, will take part in the Minneapolis-based accelerator program, connecting them to mentors with the Minnesota Twins’ front office, global investment company Techstars and others within the sports technology and startup ecosystem, according to the announcement.
The group of companies contains six founders from historically marginalized groups, the announcement said.
The accelerator program, headquartered in the Ford Center in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis, is the first in Minnesota sports and the second to be operated and funded by a Major League Baseball team, the program says.
Last year, the accelerator had its inaugural cohort of 10 companies, including St. Paul-based SoleSafe and Minneapolis-based LeagueOS. Seventy percent of the cohort companies had “proof of concept” and "engagements" with future partners, according to the announcement.
This year’s program runs now through mid-February.
“In their own way, each of these companies is working to expand the boundaries of the human experience and we’re excited about what that will mean for Twins fans in the future,” Chris Iles, senior director of brand experience and innovation for the Minnesota Twins, said in a statement.
These are the 2022 Minnesota Twins Accelerator by Techstars companies:
Backr – a Birmingham, Ala.-based sports media platform for following athletes, not teams; previously known as ProU Sports
Biiah – a Cambridge, England-based company offering an app that provides guidance and structure for creating a daily singing routine focused on mindfulness
Brave Virtual Worlds – an Austin, Texas-based platform offering wearable sensors that tracks and assesses the quality of movement
FanBants – a Lagos, Nigeria-based fantasy football gaming company
Flustr – an Inglewood, Calif.-based streaming app, allowing users to compete against each other live
TicketRev – a New York City-based platform that helps users find cheaper tickets, allowing fans, resellers and teams to connect to reserved seats
United Market – an Atlanta-based platform enabling collaboration between musicians and executives
Vesta – a Ralston, Neb.-based platform allowing users to find and promote events
Virtual Tables – a New York City-based company providing services for digital events, such as online autograph signing
Whitebalance – a Chicago-based virtual production studio using artificial intelligence
