OurCrowd, a leading global equity crowdfunding platform, has formed a partnership with LeAD, a sports tech accelerators based in Germany. LeAD is backed by Adi Dassler International Family Office (ADIFO), known best for the heritage of the Adidas brand name. The partnership was created to “discover high potential innovation in sports-related products and services on a worldwide scale.”
OurCrowd reports that a special event will be held this week in Israel to celebrate the partnership between the two entities with with VIP guests: Horst Bente, CEO at Adi Dassler International Family Office (ADIFO); Deborah Weinswig, Managing Director of Fung Global Retail & Technology; and Aviv Shapira, Senior Director of Operations and Production, Intel Sports Group at Intel Corporation. The event will occur during the 2017 OurCrowd Global Investor Summit – the largest crowdfunding event in the world.
“We’re delighted to be launching a partnership with leAD, a leading SportsTech accelerator with extensive ties to the global sports industry,” said OurCrowd founder and CEO Jon Medved. “Coming on the heels of Intel’s 2016 acquisition of OurCrowd SportsTech portfolio company Replay Technologies, this partnership positions OurCrowd to be at the forefront of the bourgeoning SportsTech scene, while gaining access to the best startups that the industry has to offer.”
OurCrowd said that during the Summit and at the LeAD event, industry professionals will discuss why more than $1 billion was invested in SportsTech last year. The emerging market is benefiting from new technologies in virtual reality, wearables for training and recovery, video analytics, Big Data and eSports.
Bente said ADIFO was “thrilled” to join with OurCrowd in identifying the next generation of innovative sports companies;
“OurCrowd’s network and impressive track record in finding and nurturing successful startups make it a natural partner for leAD.”
OurCrowd also announced that early-stage Israeli startups are invited to apply to participate in the accelerator program. The first class of the leAD Sports Accelerator will take place in 2017 in Berlin, Germany.