iSportconnect founder Sree Varma joins jury of Euroleague Basketball startup tech challenge
January 29, 2018
Euroleague Basketball, together with University of La Salle-URL’s innovation park, La Salle Technova Barcelona, announced today that they are jointly launching the EB Tech Challenge, an initiative that aims to connect some of the world’s most innovative startups ready to disrupt the sports industry by providing solutions to existing or future challenges for sports organisations.
The Euroleague Basketball Tech Challenge, powered by La Salle-URL, is sending out an open call to start-ups to apply for the opportunity to attend an intensive week of collaboration, where they will meet top executives of both organisations, as well as a powerful roster of leaders in the sports business, entrepreneurship and investment communities.
Start-ups will benefit from mentoring, networking and conference sessions with renowned industry specialists, where they will be able to validate their concepts and potentially prove them in real environments. The Tech Challenge week will be hosted at Euroleague Basketball headquarters and the facilities of La Salle-URL in Barcelona.
Start-ups may present any projects that fit within any of the target topics, with the only requirement to be eligible being that such projects are technology-centered and bring creative and innovative solutions and opportunities for professional leagues, clubs, sponsors and sports organisations in general.
The selection of the finalists will be performed by a panel of renowned professionals, including:
Jordi Bertomeu – President & CEO, Euroleague Basketball
Josep M. Santos – General Manager, University of La Salle-URL
Adam Kelly – Senior Vice President, Head of Sales Worldwide, IMG Media
Salvador Alemany, President, Abertis
Sree Varma – Founder & CEO, iSportconnect & iSportconnect Capital
Luis Vicente – Founder & Chairman, 3vs Sports Partners
Sree Varma said: “I am thrilled to be part of such a prestigious judging panel. Technological innovation is a topic close to my heart – as it is key to iSportconnect’s ongoing success – and I cannot wait to see what the competition entrants have in the pipeline.
“iSportconnect Capital is always on the lookout for new projects and an investment opportunity or two may even arise from what I expect to be a fantastic event.”
“Since its early days, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have always stayed committed to innovation and disruption to empower growth and find new ways of improving the game and better connecting with fans.” Jordi Bertomeu, President and CEO of Euroleague basketball said. “We are glad to partner with the prestigious University of La Salle-URL to create an ecosystem that allows the leagues and its clubs to accelerate change and growth through creativity, innovation and technology.”
Josep M. Santos, General Manager of La Salle-URL, said: “At La Salle Barcelona Campus we are always striving to innovate. The EB Tech Challenge is a fantastic opportunity to discover new innovations and explore opportunities, and to make a difference in the sports startup world.”
If you are a startup and ready to disrupt the sports business industry, this is your chance! For more information, visit techchallenge.euroleague.net or download the brochure here.
About Euroleague Basketball
Euroleague Basketball is a global leader in the sports and entertainment business, devoted to delivering superior European club leagues under a unique and innovative organizational model. Owned and managed by some of the most successful and historical clubs in the world, EB manages the continent’s two premier men’s basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup, as well the sport’s premier under-18 showcase, the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT. Euroleague Basketball competitions bring the elite of European basketball to all five continents with broadcasts in over 210 countries and territories, and to the entire sports community through its OTT platform EuroLeague TV. EB also organizes a series of community and educational programs. Its ground-breaking corporate social responsibility program One Team features 40 clubs that have already made a difference in the lives of more than 12,000 participants. Its Sports Business MBA trains future professionals in sports management.
About La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL
La Salle, an institution with more than three hundred years of history, is founding member of Ramon Llull University, offering specialized university programs in Architecture, Engineering, Business Management and Animation and VFX. With a clear international vocation, it’s connected into 60 Lasallian university centers in 77 countries in the world, more than 1 million students and 10 million Alumni. La Salle clearly bets for Entrepreneurship, through La Salle Technova Barcelona, an innovation park and accelerator for technologically based start -ups.