Basketballs weren’t the only things bouncing this weekend in Charlotte – plenty of innovative ideas were being thrown around at this year’s Sports Tank Demo Day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
In association with the NBA All-Star Game being held in Charlotte, TPG Sports Group’s Sports Tank Innovation Studio — a company based in Charlotte — held their fifth annual Demo Day to highlight five emerging sports-tech startups.
The companies pitched to the invite-only audience and a panel consisting of Marques Colston (CEO of Dynasty Innovation and former Saints wide receiver), Lorin Hamlin (of Innovation Partnerships and Under Armour) and Taylor Bloom (CEO of SportsTechie).
While none of the startups were based in Charlotte, they were diverse in both geography and approach.
Sports Tank Demo Day Winners
edisn.ai from Bangalore, India, took the Audience Choice Award with their AI-powered platform. Their player-recognition technology and ability to relay facts and stats back to viewers in real time increases fan engagement and delivers highly personalized content.
Armchair Quarterback from San Diego — a real-time, play-predicting fan game that intertwines fantasy sports and gambling — won the Athlete’s Choice Award, chosen by a panel of pro-athletes in attendance.
And finally, the Under Armour Innovation Award, chosen by panelist Lorin Hamlin, went to Physmodo from Dallas. Physmodo is a product focused on joint detection that predicts movement inefficiencies in order to work with physicians to recommend corrective exercises. This award gives them the chance to pitch to a group of Under Armour teammates and tour the Under Armour Headquarters.
The three winners, along with the two other attendees — sports betting software Prophet and esports recruiting software GYO Score — were selected to attend and present out of over 300 applicants.
Pete Philo, president of TPG Sports Group and the organizer of the event, said he was excited by the results.
“I like that three different companies got awards, last year one company swept,” he said. “That doesn’t diminish anything from the other companies, but it’s nice to have three, and I couldn’t be happier right now.”
His company, which is based in Charlotte, has held Demo Day in different cities over the years, but Philo said it’s special to have it back home and for these startups to be here.
“We want it to start it in Charlotte, because that’s where we’re from,” he said. “So it’s exciting — I’m happy.”
