Investment in the future
Sunday, November 25, 2018
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They announced the winners of the first accelerator of sports projects of FC Shakhtar and HYPE Sports Innovation
On November 24 and 25, the final selection of participants was held in Kyiv.
Innovative ideas
Out of over 100 applications, they selected 24 projects to take part in the final. For two days, the applicants presented start-ups and had individual interviews with the panel members including the senior executives of Shakhtar and the top managers of HYPE, along with some well-known mentors and investors: Nadezhda Vasilyeva (former CEO of Microsoft Ukraine), Viktoria Tigipko (TA Ventures) , Yuliya Poroshenko (Agrohub Ukraine), Lazaros Papadopoulos (Hellenic Basketball Federation), Natalya Yemchenko (System Capital Management), Federico Winer (SAP Entertainment), Olha Baranets (Veon Group).
Innovative ideas
Out of over 100 applications, they selected 24 projects to take part in the final. For two days, the applicants presented start-ups and had individual interviews with the panel members including the senior executives of Shakhtar and the top managers of HYPE, along with some well-known mentors and investors: Nadezhda Vasilyeva (former CEO of Microsoft Ukraine), Viktoria Tigipko (TA Ventures) , Yuliya Poroshenko (Agrohub Ukraine), Lazaros Papadopoulos (Hellenic Basketball Federation), Natalya Yemchenko (System Capital Management), Federico Winer (SAP Entertainment), Olha Baranets (Veon Group).
Lazaros Papadopoulos: Shakhtar is moving in the right direction because innovation and technology rule the world
- Shakhtar is moving in the right direction because innovation and technology rule the world. This kind of accelerator is a great opportunity for both the club and the entrepreneurs themselves to find some new interesting projects, - a well-known Greek basketball player and the current investor Lazaros Papadopoulos shares his impression. - Personally, I’ve seen some great ideas here, along with very talented young people who also need investment.
Amir Raveh: We see how sports are changing and becoming more innovative, with our co-operation with FC Shakhtar opening up new opportunities for the world
- We are really delighted with the level of all the start-ups present at this boot camp. Participants from several countries have come here to share their ideas and developments in the field of the latest sports technologies, analytics, medicine, smart stadium, entertainment and liaison with fans, as well as e-sports. We see how sports are changing and becoming more innovative, with our co-operation with FC Shakhtar opening up new opportunities for the world, - says the HYPE president and co-founder Amir Raveh.
Top ten
Each project was unique and interesting but after discussions, the panel selected 10 participants to have been offered further co-operation. Mykhailo Teleshko is only 14 years old, being the youngest participant in the accelerator. His development - a device that can register offside situations during a football match - was highly appreciated by all the project participants.
Top ten
Each project was unique and interesting but after discussions, the panel selected 10 participants to have been offered further co-operation. Mykhailo Teleshko is only 14 years old, being the youngest participant in the accelerator. His development - a device that can register offside situations during a football match - was highly appreciated by all the project participants.
Mykhailo Teleshko: I didn’t expect to be selected for further participation. Now I’ve got a huge motivation to develop and suggest new ideas. I’m really inspired by this experience!
- The idea of such a system came to me quite recently, and I decided to present it at the FC Shakhtar sports accelerator, - says Mykhailo Teleshko. - I didn’t expect to be selected for further participation. Now I’ve got a huge motivation to develop and suggest new ideas. I’m really inspired by this experience!
Seven winning projects were developed by Ukrainian start-ups, three more belong to foreign counterparts. For example, the Italian team Awe Sport offered an innovative analytics platform for working with fans called FanBox.
Seven winning projects were developed by Ukrainian start-ups, three more belong to foreign counterparts. For example, the Italian team Awe Sport offered an innovative analytics platform for working with fans called FanBox.
Franco Morelli: We hope that co-operation with the global brand of Shakhtar will be useful for both the club and our company
- We came here with great hopes and are glad that they ranked our idea among the best ones, - said Awe Sport representative Franco Morelli. - For us, this is a great opportunity to make a name for our development, which is being created by a large team of professionals. We hope that co-operation with the global brand of Shakhtar will be useful for both the club and our company.
Gyulnara Akhmedzhanova: The participants in this accelerator offered lots and lots of interesting, fresh developments. Such projects are investment in the future. And we will continue to develop this activity
- The football club Shakhtar always thinks progressively and seeks to introduce innovations in every segment of its operations. That’s exactly why we are always looking for new ideas, both sport and club management wise, - explains Gyulnara Akhmedzhanova, the FC Shakhtar Financial Director. - The participants in this accelerator offered lots and lots of interesting, fresh developments. Such projects are investment in the future. And we will continue to develop this activity.
Now, the selected winners will have a four-month online training course from the mentors of HYPE Sports Innovation for the further development of their projects. Also, they plan to start receiving applications for participation in the next SPIN accelerator of sports projects soon.
Now, the selected winners will have a four-month online training course from the mentors of HYPE Sports Innovation for the further development of their projects. Also, they plan to start receiving applications for participation in the next SPIN accelerator of sports projects soon.
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