The Minnesota Twins Accelerator was launched by Techstars. It will host its second annual class in the 2022-2023 season.
This accelerator program, which is still the first in Minnesota sports and only the second to be funded and operated by a Major League Baseball team, will bring 10 companies from all over the globe to the Twin Cities to meet mentors from Techstars, the Minnesota Twins’ top office, and the wider sports tech community.
This diverse group of startups includes six founders from historically marginalized communities. They come from seven states and multiple countries including Nigeria and the UK. The program will run until mid-February 2023.
“In the fast-evolving industries of sports and entertainment, fans continuously change the ways they engage. This creates a unique opportunity for innovators,” said Brett Bohl, Managing Director of the Minnesota Twins Accelerator by Techstars. “We can’t wait to support the entrepreneurs in this class and help drive their journey of disrupting and pioneering in the space. You won’t want to miss this year’s lineup of startups.”
These 10 startups provide innovative solutions that focus on the fan experience in sports and entertainment technology.
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Backr, the sports media platform for following athletes — not teams. Backr is leading a new generation of fans who want to learn more about their favorite athletes on the field and off it with an app that covers every stage of the athlete’s journey from recruitment through retirement.
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Biiah is a new app that helps empower people with their unique voice. Biiah, a UK-based company, makes music practice accessible to everyone, anywhere. They offer guidance and structure through their app and associated programs for creating a daily singing routine that focuses on mindfulness and well-being. Biiah partners with established communities to promote well-being and self-confidence. They also encourage social cohesion by singing together.
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Brave Virtual Worlds helps professional sports organizations assess movement quality to prevent and rehabilitate injuries through wearable sensors. Valor(TM) by Brave Virtual Worlds is easy to use, wirelessly connects with smartphones via Bluetooth, and offers actionable insights with biofeedback.
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FanBants is the ultimate fan destination, connecting Africans through competition and community. FanBants creates fantasy gaming experiences for African fans across entertainment and sports and builds community.
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Flustr is where users stream their talents, become CG avatars and compete live. Flustr is a new type of interactive entertainment that seamlessly integrates gaming concepts into live-streaming videos. It allows players to play against each other directly using their smartphones in real-time.
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TicketRev helps fans find cheaper tickets to their favorite games and concerts. The TicketRev platform allows fans to name their price for their preferred seating location. This allows resellers and teams of people to sell inventory quicker.
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United Market provides music creatives and executives with a global platform to collaborate, get discovered, and increase their number of placements. The United Market service maximizes efficiency through real-time collaboration, networking integrations, and security for users during end to end transactions.
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Vesta connects communities through events by making it easy to promote and discover local events. Vestastreamlines the registration of events and local promotion for more than 400 event organizers in the country. For consumers, the platform makes it easy and fun to share “what to do” ideas with friends and family.
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Virtual Tables provides fan-engagement solutions through digital event platforms. DigiSign x virtual tables allow live autograph experiences to reach fans anywhere in the world. This eliminates the need for physical events and significantly scales the most valuable asset, 1×1 talent access.
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Whitebalance is an AI-powered virtual production studio. Whitebalance helps video teams work faster with an AI-powered workflow. This allows users to achieve professional-quality video at a fraction of the cost.
Techstars Minnesota Twins Accelerator is located in the Ford Center. It is a historic landmark in innovation, just steps from Target Field in Minneapolis’ North Loop.
The 10 startups will be able to benefit from Techstars’ industry-leading resources and mentors. They also have the chance to learn from Twins mentors including senior leaders in business and baseball operations.
The success of the Minnesota Twins Accelerator was evident in the 70% of companies that participated last year.
They had proof of concept and engaged with potential partners. Two of these (AWSM Sauce, EDGE Sound Research), were integrated into the Target Field fan experience for the 2022 Major League Baseball season.
Techstars’ Minnesota Twins Accelerator promotes inclusion across all programs. 60 percent of the founders of past and current participants are from historically underrepresented groups.
