SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
STARTUPS TO FOLLOW
Our year-to-year perspective on how the sports innovation landscape has changed with reports focusing on the top startups to follow in the industry - capturing the priorities, technologies and collaborations shaping the sports and entertainment landscape at each moment in time.
FOURTH EDITION - 2026
In the latest edition of our report, the consolidation of tech solutions was a major trend with even deeper integration into the sports industry, as we covered 40 startups that offer a practical view of where innovation is being applied across the ecosystem. Our report spotlighted startups with a value proposition applicable across the entire value chain on and off the pitch.
THIRD EDITION - 2025
In the third edition, AI moved from promise to practice. Across the industry, organisations were no longer just discussing its potential, they were actively testing and deploying real use cases. A shift we set out to capture. This momentum was reflected in the landscape itself, with AI-driven companies taking centre stage. The report featured 40+ promising startups across the ecosystem, highlighting how innovation was increasingly being shaped by practical, applied AI.
SECOND EDITION - 2024
Following the strong reception of the first edition, we saw an opportunity to turn this initiative into a recurring series — continuing to support decision-makers across the sports ecosystem. As AI began to take hold across the industry, the second edition reflected this shift by spotlighting a new wave of promising solutions. The report featured 35+ startups spanning performance, operations, and commercial functions, offering a broader view of how innovation was being applied across the landscape.
FIRST EDITION - 2023
The first edition of our Sports & Entertainment Startups to Follow report was built to bridge the gap between sports organisations, tech solutions, investors, and the wider ecosystem, creating a shared knowledge hub for the industry. Our objective was to focus on solutions addressing real challenges across fan engagement, content, media, and commercial growth. At the time, areas like Web3 were gaining traction and were naturally part of the landscape we explored.