Athlete Technology Group, formerly a summit held in Toronto for the sport and tech community, has pivoted to become a venture event and media company for athletes and entrepreneurs.
The Athlete Technology Group is now a full-time and national extension of the Athlete Technology Summit, which brought together professional athletes, business leaders, venture capitalists, and influencers to Toronto last year to connect with the city’s startup community.
“This pivot makes a ton of sense for the entrepreneurs that have established the Athlete Technology Group.”
The new company’s focus will be on bringing global athletes to Canada’s tech ecosystem for business opportunities. The Athlete Technology Group will virtually host a series of masterclass education sessions, networking events, pitch sessions, facilitate investment and business opportunities, and offer content production support.
“COVID-19 shook up the world and we know it shook up the world for a lot of entrepreneurs and athletes,” said Randy Osei, founder of the Athlete Technology Group. “Once the leagues were suspended a lot of athletes were left scrambling looking for other ways to generate revenue.”
“We will be launching a long list of digital assets that will support athlete entrepreneurs across multiple industries,” Osei added. “To restart the economies, I’ve read two things will do that, technology and entrepreneurship, and that is our focus here.”
At last year’s summit, startups including Finaeo, Acorn Biolabs, and Axion Games were given the opportunity to take the stage and pitch their companies to attendees. The event also included discussions from venture capitalists like StandUp Ventures’ Michelle McBane, and Round13 Capital’s Bruce Croxon, as well as booths where athletes could connect with companies.
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Managing partners for the new company include Andrew Safranko and Darryl Julott. The Athlete Technology Group said it has already engaged with more than 40 athletes from across the sports world and claims to have executed several equity-based deals for athletes with the Canadian startup community.
“This pivot makes a ton of sense for the entrepreneurs that have established the Athlete Technology Group. They have grown from just an investment and networking conference to an eco-system of touchpoints that help entrepreneurs grow their businesses,” said Swish Goswami, founder of Trufan, which participated in last year’s summit.
“They have provided multiple business development opportunities for Trufan including business development, marketing, and advisory board services,” Goswami added.
Many Canadian tech conferences and festivals that were set to take place this year have either cancelled or moved online. Elevate was the most recent group to announce the cancellation of its 2020 festival. Others, such as Startupfest, took a hybrid, virtual and in-person approach.
Image source Athlete Technology Group via Instagram.