Football in the US is growing – fast. But Major League Soccer has a long way to go to catch up with the likes of the NBA, MLB and, of course, the behemoth of the NFL. To do so, the league is turning to tech in order to supercharge broadcast, boost fan engagement and even get more kids playing the sport.
In this episode of the Sports Loft podcast, Yanni and Charlie sit down with Chris Schlosser, the senior vice president of emerging ventures at the MLS and head of the MLS Innovation Lab. They dive into the purpose and goals of the Innovation Lab, and explore how the lab can really contribute to the growth of MLS – from the role of technology in elevating fan engagement to how new tools could speed up player development.
Chris opens up about what the Innovation Lab entails from the perspective of the six tech companies in their primary cohort, and breaks down how the initiative provides resources, mentorship and test opportunities to those startups. We also talk about MLS’s selection process, the Lab’s three core areas of focus, and who the cohort taking part in 2024 programme are.
Timestamps:
London Marathon Events: The tech behind the record-breaking event
Professional Triathletes Organisation: Using tech to take triathlon mainstream
The evolution of sports sponsorship
Monterosa: powering fan engagement for sports' leading rightsholders
Monarch Collective: going all in on women's sports
Levellr: building communities of superfans in sports
Reviewing our trend predictions and looking ahead to 2024
Ryan Sports Ventures: investing in people that change the game
BMW, Karta and marketing in the metaverse
RX3 Growth Partners: consumer investment alongside athletes
The role of machine learning in sports, and how to build an AI startup
WISE Ventures: supporting the evolution of next-gen businesses
How star signing drive fandom, and is short-form content king?
West River Group: investing in the global innovation economy
The new social media landscape, and the evolution of pre-season tours
Techstars: accelerating startups across sports and tech
The Women’s World Cup, and the ‘Netflixication’ of sport
Where Sapphire Sport will invest its second fund
Apex Capital: investing with the world’s best athletes
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