Reflecting on 2023: Powering the local sportstech ecosystem through industry collaboration
ASTN’s success this year must be contributed to the dedication and tenacity of our robust network of startups, scaleups, established sportstech companies, partners, employees, government and the wider sports community. The sportstech sector is well poised to springboard to even greater heights in 2024 and ASTN is ready to take the leap.
If I was to sum up this year into a theme it would be ‘collaboration’. Partnership has been the red thread throughout so many of our achievements this year. I’m so proud to be a small part of the team that is the sportstech sector and I’m constantly in awe of the feats we accomplish when we work as one. I am appreciative of the union of this sector and as we edge closer to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I look forward to seeing the continued collaboration into 2024.
This year we doubled-down on delivering our fundamental role – facilitating local sportstech startup success – by successfully supporting and mentoring over 30 early-stage founders and growth-stage entrepreneurs. Since our first inception, ASTN programs have now supported almost 150 early-stage and 60 growth-stage startups combined through its dedicated programs.
Ambassadors represent ASTN on the global stage
In April we proudly appointed two Aussie sporting heroes to represent Australia’s billion-dollar sportstech industry on the global stage. Olympic skiing great Lydia Lassila and Rugby Union legend George Gregan, both Australian sport royalty and sportstech entrepreneurs, stepped up as global ambassadors for ASTN. Both Lassila and Gregan have already added so much value to the work we do by attending key international events, including our international trade mission to Europe. They both continue to share their business insights with ASTN’s member network, as well as working with ASTN’s pre-accelerator and accelerator participants.
2023 innovation report shines the spotlight on local sportstech growth
To quantify progress in sportstech, we released our second Sports Innovation Report in May – revealing the sportstech sector is now worth A$4.25 billion which is equal in value to Australia’s well established fintech sector. The report uncovered 758 companies that make up Australia’s sportstech ecosystem, now employing 13,438 people, and identified the formation of a rapidly growing sportstech cluster along Australia’s eastern seaboard. It also highlighted that Australian sportstech company creation has grown by 11.8% per annum in the 10 years since the inception of the ASTN in 2012.
Accelerating women in sportstech
As part of our partnership with Women in Sports Tech (WiST) we put the spotlight of female sportstech founders, publishing a new report ‘Paving the way for Sports Innovation in Australia’. The report recognised and celebrated more than 100 women who are leading sports innovation across Australia within government, industry, sporting institutions, universities and high-performance sport within Australia.
To increase the success of female-founded sportstech businesses in Queensland, we secured funding under the Accelerating Female Founders Program, part of Advance Queensland Initiative. With the grant we are working to connect Queensland-based female founders with national sportstech peers and an international network to strengthen entrepreneurial foundations. We also opened applications for our Female Founders Masterclass Series, designed to give female founders the tools to start and grow a successful sportstech business. ASTN and WiST also worked together to build many specialised programs and activities for 2023, from webinars to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the workforce, to mentorship events and internship opportunities.
Continuing on the partnership vein, we announced our partnership with the Government of Western Australia in July to accelerate the development of Western Australia’s sports technology and innovation ecosystem. As the successful recipient of an X-TEND WA Program grant under the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s New Industries Fund, areimplementing several activities and programs for the state and enabling at least seven Western Australian sports technology startups to participate in our Pre-Accelerator Program.
ASTN links local startups and scaleups with global markets and higher education institutions
At the beginning of the year, several Australian sports leaders and sports technology executives headed over to the United States to attend a number of leading global conferences in Boston, New York and Texas including the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC). This conference provided a forum to discuss cutting-edge trends in analytics and business to foster innovation in the global sports industry. It also had a focus on driving diversity and inclusion across the industry to advance accessibility and representation in sports.
To connect local sportstech startups and scaleups with global markets and provide genuine networking opportunities with local agencies, ASTN facilitated a trade delegation to Europe. Funded by Global Victoria and Trade and Invest Queensland with on-the-ground support by Austrade, fourteen participating sports technology and innovation companies were given the unique opportunity to visit Paris in France, Lausanne and Zurich in Switzerland, Frankfurt in Germany as well as Ghent, Tubize and Antwerp in Belgium. The delegation participated in workshops, meetings, and site visits to key sports headquarters over a tightly packed and valuable eleven days.
To drive collaboration between sportstech founders, technologists and entrepreneurs with higher education institutions, ASTN released its inaugural ‘Power of University Partnerships’ report. The report provides a starting point for companies to track down and directly engage with suitable education leaders aligned to their vision. It includes a list of 120+ university leaders who have been recognised as experts in their field. The report also includes 30+ Internship and Student Placements Programs, as well as the 20+ top Research Centres for sports and technology innovation.
Giving thanks to James Demetriou, founder of ASTN
We said a fond farewell to James Demetriou, ASTN’s Founding Chair, as he hung up his boots and retired after a career of pushing boundaries for the betterment of Australian sport. For over a decade in the role, Demetriou helped to pave the way to a more inclusive sector and had the foresight to predict the potential impact technology would have on the business of sport globally. There are many people in the industry who will forever be grateful for his impact and contribution to Australian sportstech.
On the pulse with Sport’s Cutting Edge and Sportstech & Member News
The ASTN ‘Sport’s Cutting Edge’ podcast recently recorded its 69th episode and we have had some exceptional talent join our dynamic and talented podcast host Lachy Wills. Our podcast enables our network to stay on the pulse with the latest news around sports innovation. From Paul Hoon, CEO of Etrainu, to Libby Owens, CEO of Champion Data and Steph Bofinger, Founder of Fempro Armour – we left no sportstech stone (or conversation) unturned.
In addition, the team is curating sportstech news from around the world and Australia in the daily blog ‘Reading the Play’. Members can submit their news items to be listed on the ASTN website with links back to their third publication or their own website. Other sportstech news is listed and categorised by Australian and international sportstech news of which a weekly recap is provided to the sportstech ecosystem on a weekly basis.
Powering to the finish line: striving to be the world’s leading sportstech ecosystem by 2025
Looking ahead, the global sportstech industry is expected to grow by 13.8% per annum to US$41.8+ billion by 2027. ASTN is committed to strengthening the reach, reputation, and connections of the Australian sportstech startup ecosystem across important global markets and our aim is to be the world's leading sportstech ecosystem by 2025.
In the new year we look forward to welcoming a host of new founders, entrepreneurs, startups into the humming sportstech sector and supporting them to scale and commercialise their technology and ultimately reach their full potential.
Thank you to our partners, network of sportstech businesses, employees, and the local communities we live and work in for your partnership in 2023. On behalf of ASTN, I wish everyone a safe and restful break spent with loved ones.
Dr Martin Schlegel, Chair, Australian Sports Technologies Network