Growth-Stage Mentoring

The ASTN Startup Accelerator Program enables the ASTN to provide free guidance & advisory for suitable start-ups across Australia.

We invite sports technology start-ups or companies that wish to focus on specific aspects of their development (e.g. sports digital, advanced materials, sports performance & wellness applications suitable for participants and all abilities, and that your product/service/platform/application is driven by technology) to apply for positions available in the ASTN Accelerator Program.

Mentors

As part of the growth-stage program, startup founders will be able to benefit from the insights, knowledge and expertise of a range of experienced mentors.

Ben Sandhu

Joan Norton

Kimon Taliadoros

Marilou McFarlane

Mark Thompson

Monica Bradley

Nickie Gibson

Stu Williams

Amy Crosland

Cam Vale

Craig Hill

Martin Schlegel

Nikita Vogel

Why should you apply?

The ASTN has unmatched knowledge and expertise in the sportstech industry in Australia, and this is complimented by an extensive network/connections and entrepreneurship education both within Australia and overseas. It has represented sports tech companies and their interests for over 10 years.

The program will help you to:

• Assist in developing an innovative business model, that is sound & prepares your company to scale
• Improve the market readiness of your company
• Accelerate your company's time to market, and/or
• If your company already has a product and market, assist in your ongoing development and expansion within Australia and overseas
• It follows its main mission to ensure Australian sports tech companies are "Born Global"

During the program you will receive:

• A dedicated advisor, and access to the broader ASTN export pool
• Up to approximately 40 hours of free advisory comprised of:
  • 1-on-1 sessions with an experienced sports technology advisor, and/or
  • a number of group workshops.

The advisory program is flexible to the needs of the start-up and may include a combination of:

1. Development of a strategic action plan on what can be reasonably achieved over the advisory period
2. Assistance in the validation of the market opportunity
3. Application of the "Lean Launchpad" methodology as a tool to develop a minimal viable product
4. Market research/intelligence gathering
5. Access to ASTN's training and educational material
6. Validation of your technology product/service/platform/ hardware
7. Introductions and meetings with aligned organizations in the sports tech ecosystem (as possible partners, customers, and service providers)
8. Assistance in the preparation of pitch decks for investor presentations (investment ready)
9. Facilitating presentations to VC and possible investors

Criteria for selection

If you are a sports technology start-up (means a technology-based business with high impact potential, that uses innovation and or addresses scalable markets, and your product/service / platform/hardware is driven by technology)

• Is a Sports Tech Business (*see below)
• Has been established for at least 12 months
• Has a minimum of two (2) full-time equivalent team members in the business
• Is a company registered in Australia, and
• Is assessed by the ASTN as having established a scalable business model

* Sportstech as defined across 9 application verticals 

1. Stadium, Venue & Event Operations
2. Media, Broadcasting, Social Media and Fan Engagement
3. Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality
4. Esports & Fantasy
5. Athlete Performance & Injury Prevention
6. Wearable Sensors & Devices
7. Medical, Wellness & Nutrition
8. Sports Analytics, Coaching, Strength & Conditioning
9. Apparel & Footwear, Equipment, Surfaces

How to Apply

Applicants will be required to fill out the application form (see below) and submit a pitch deck to info@astn.com.au prior to the application closure date. 

The following provides a guide on themes that need to be addressed in the pitch deck:

• Elevator Pitch
• Business Model
• Traction/Validation
• Revenue Model
• Market Opportunity
• Market & Growth Strategy
• Target Market
• Team
• The Problem being solved
• IP Position
• Product / Service / Platform / Hardware
• Competition
• Investment Ask (as a guide only)

Applicants may attach up to two (2) pages of pictures, diagrams and flow charts and a video of no more than three (3) minutes if it assists in explaining the business further (this is optional).

We invite sports technology start-ups or companies that wish to focus on specific aspects of their development (e.g. sports digital, advanced materials, sports performance & wellness applications suitable for participants and all abilities, and that your product/service/platform/application is driven by technology).

The ASTN is inclusive. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view. We believe that diversity drives innovation. So, we're building a culture where difference is valued. We take a holistic approach. We're always growing our network of people, programs and tools all designed to help our members and program participants to grow and manage their businesses. We foster both a top-down and grassroots approach. This gives us the freedom to address the broadest set of initiatives.

Stayed tuned for applications opening in early 2025 for ASTN Accelerator program cohort #15.

Past Cohorts

Cohort 14 (2024)

1. United Sports - Training / rehab / return from injury platform
2. GravityFit - Resistance equipment/ garments to improve posture and skill execution
3. Cool Beans - Male undergarment
4. Nobodies Princess - Female Snowsport Apparel
5. Everclime - Digital impact cards (fan engagement, sponsor activation)
6. 3D MeasureMe - body measurements with the touch of a button using your smartphone
7. Sport CentrAll - Club/Team Management & Team/Player Analytics

Cohort 13 (2023)

1. PlaySpark - Branded game loyalty solutions supercharging consumer acquisition and retention using innovative gamified solutions.
2. Wicky - Data-driven insights for sports fans and organisations.
3. The Inner Game Journals - Athlete performance journals.
4. Pro Sport Coach - Providing local sports clubs with tools, tips and training to attract more members, volunteers, and revenue.
5. Omni Biotech - Build health and performance algorithms that work on all hardware platforms.
6. Get Duck - Innovative in-stadium fan experience software platform.
7. Cuublemesh/wwite - Digital credential blockchain-enabled systems.

Cohort 12 (2022)

1. Sport4 - https://www.sport4.com.au/
2. Dribl - https://dribl.com/
3. Gerford AI - https://gerford.com/
4. AtOne Pty Ltd - https://www.atoneapp.com/
5. Ascend Labs - https://www.ascendlabs.com.au/
6. Fight Geek - https://fightgeek.co/
7. Metric VBT - https://www.metric.coach/

Cohort 11 (2022)

1. Bodhi & Ride - In-studio and at-home spin cycling
2. Box Altitude - Altitude Training Systems
3. Shimmr - In-stadium Fan Engagement
4. ActiveXchange - SportsEye Facility Platform
5. FootyLight - Football Content Platform
6. Xkal Fitness - IoT-enabled fitness app 

Cohort 10 (2021)

1. Alacria Global - Fan & event engagement
2. Profesh - Hockey coaching
3. Scanchats - Digital fan engagement
4. Sportspoker - Online sportspoker
5. Traits Insights - Athlete & football player profiling
6. Wildmouse (Xmouse) - AI-driven sports analytics

Cohort 9 (2021)

1. Xtremekinetic - Wearables, 3D knitted fly-knit technology, comfortable minimum shoes for exercise, and posture improvement.
2. Ludus Elite Sports Training Pty Ltd - Online sports coaching platform, including Coach the Athlete Program, Coach the Coach Program focusing on Extended Reality (XR) experiences.
3. GreeneDesk Pty Ltd - Software solutions across various sports to provide feedback on participants' progress and support customer engagement and retention.
4. Prism Neuro Pty Ltd - Neuro sensory performance, monitoring, rehabilitation and condition diagnosis software analytics, neuro function testing.
5. Vitruvian Investments Pty Ltd - Strength and fitness training systems.
6. PlaySport Digital Pty Ltd - Marketplace for all Physical Activity, Play, Recreation & Sport. A new platform designed to inspire, motivate and connect all Australians to every local activity personalised to their needs.

Cohort 8 (November 2020)

1. InsideEDGE Sport & Leisure Planning - https://ieslp.com.au/
2. L&L Technology - https://www.lnltechnology.com/
3. SportMatch - https://sportmatch.ai/ 
4. Strength By Numbers - https://www.strengthbynumbers.com/

Cohort 7 (August 2020):

1. Moby Clip Pty Ltd (Fishable) - https://www.fishable.com.au/
2. Trident RFID Pty Ltd - https://www.tridentrfid.com/
3. Kanga-Tech Pty Ltd - https://www.kanga-tech.com/
4. Netfit Netball - SportFit - https://netfitnetball.com.au/

Cohort 6 (February 2020)

1. Alerte Digital Health - https://www.alertedh.com/
2. Klip Sports - https://www.klipsports.com
3. PAM Wayfinding - https://pam.co
4. Treiner - https://treiner.co
5. Zena Sport - https://zenasport.co

Cohort 5 (April 2019):

1. Alerte Equine Science - https://www.alertees.com/
2. Athletes AI
3. Cape Bionics
4. LASO Trackscan

Cohort 4 (August 2018):

1. AIRCAST - https://www.aircast.tech/
2. GAIN LINE Analytics - http://www.gainline.biz/
3. IDA Sports - https://idasports.co/
4. Parachute - https://www.parachuute.com/

Cohort 3 (February 2018):

1. Global Performance Testing
2. Hone Product Design
3. Modus Innovations
4. ProHab 

Cohort 2 (August 2017):

1. Elite Akademy Sports Medicine - https://eliteakademy.com
2. Rowlytics (StableForm) - http://www.rowlytics.com/
3. Tee2Green - https://www.tee2green.net
4. Versus Fitness

Cohort 1 (February 2017):

1. Albion Sports Technologies - https://www.albionsports.com
2. RefLIVE - https://reflive.com
3. Rosterfy - https://rosterfy.com
4. BASE Ultra-Endurance - https://www.monash.edu/medicine/base

Program Support:

Inaugural ASTN Accelerator Program support: