There are a lot of things to consider when building a new startup - where to get funding, how to validate your idea, and what features should the product have.
One of the challenges, however, is finding a market that is willing to pay for your solution without even knowing what it is yet.
While some people say this makes your idea too vague and hard to monetize, there’s actually good news.
There’s more money in this space than ever before by angels investing in early-stage companies.
If you're building a Sports startup, you must check these 54 fast-growing companies.
54 Sports Startups 1) Strava Strava is an online platform that allows runners and cyclists to track their activities, compare their results, and compete with their peers.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: San Francisco Started in: 2009 Founders: Mark Gainey, Mark Shaw, Michael Horvath, Yandong Liu Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $151,850,000 Number of funding rounds: 7 Number of investors: 7 You can find their website here
2) FanDuel FanDuel is a daily fantasy sports site where you may play for real money.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: New York Started in: 2007 Founders: Lesley Eccles, Nigel Eccles, Rob Jones, Tom Griffiths Number of employees: 1001-5000 Funding amount: $416,200,000 Number of funding rounds: 7 Number of investors: 24 You can find their website here
3) WHOOP WHOOP is a performance optimization system that helps athletes improve their performance by tracking their recuperation, training, and sleeping hours.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Boston Started in: 2012 Founders: Aurelian Nicolae, John Capodilupo, Will Ahmed Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $204,751,000 Number of funding rounds: 8 Number of investors: 33 You can find their website here
4) Hudl Hudl is a software platform that provides sports teams with video analysis and coaching capabilities.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Lincoln Started in: 2006 Founders: Brian Kaiser, David Graff, John Wirtz Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $228,850,000 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here
5) OneFootball News, scores, stats, and more on the ultimate football media platform.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: Berlin Started in: 2008 Founders: Lucas Cranach Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $141,957,137 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here
6) Vox Media Vox Media is an online media publishing organization that specializes in influencing editorial properties and premium advertising.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Washington D.C. Started in: 2003 Founders: Jerome Armstrong, Markos Moulitsas, Tyler Bleszinski Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $307,632,220 Number of funding rounds: 9 Number of investors: 11 You can find their website here
7) Betty Labs Betty Labs is a company that makes a sports trivia app that aims to create life experiences.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Los Angeles Founders: Howard Akumiah Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: $9,300,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here
8) Fanatics Fanatics is a sports merchandise company that produces fan attire and jerseys for a variety of retail outlets.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Jacksonville Started in: 1995 Founders: Alan Trager, Michael Rubin, Mitch Trager Number of employees: 1001-5000 Funding amount: $2,365,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 7 Number of investors: 15 You can find their website here
9) ShotTracker ShotTracker develops sensor-based technology that gathers basketball stats in real time during workouts and games.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Mission Started in: 2013 Founders: Bruce Ianni, Davyeon Ross Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $33,785,000 Number of funding rounds: 9 Number of investors: 21 You can find their website here
10) Fanatiz Fanatiz is a sports streaming platform providing live and on-demand sports channels.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Miami Started in: 2017 Founders: Matias Rivera Larrain Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $17,022,158 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here
11) chiliZ An international sports and entertainment company.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Malta Started in: 2012 Founders: Alexandre Dreyfus Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $27,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 2 You can find their website here
12) Mars Reel Mars Reel is a high school sports and youth culture content and consumer products company.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Los Angeles Started in: 2010 Founders: Bradley Deyo, Brandon Deyo Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $4,825,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 24 You can find their website here
13) Loupe Loupe is a live eCommerce streaming network that is working on a mobile app for collecting sports cards.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Miami Started in: 2020 Founders: Eric Doty Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: $15,110,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here
14) XYXX Apparels XYXX Apparels, which owns the XYXX innerwear line.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Surat Started in: 2017 Founders: Yogesh Kabra Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $4,923,799 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here
15) BookMyShow BookMyShow is an online ticketing service for movies, theaters, and sporting events in India.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Mumbai Started in: 1999 Founders: Ashish Hemrajani, Parikshit Dar, Rajesh Balpande Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $224,500,000 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here
16) Growve Growve is a brand aggregator that specializes in wellness and beauty brand acquisition and management.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Fort Lauderdale Started in: 2018 Founders: Brian Baer, Matthew Newman Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $175,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 11 You can find their website here
17) Cloud9 Cloud9 is a multi-game professional esports organization situated in the Los Angeles, California area.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Los Angeles Started in: 2013 Founders: Jacques Etienne, Paullie Etienne Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: $79,309,995 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 26 You can find their website here
18) CEEK CEEK is a smartphone VR app that allows users to connect with bands in a virtual reality environment.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Miami Beach Started in: 2015 Founders: Mary Spio Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $7,247,500 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here
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19) FTX FTX is a mobile game developer who works online.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Shenzhen Started in: 2008 Founders: Zheng Tang Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: CN¥13,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here
20) SportsEdTV Digital Media in Sports Education
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Miami Started in: 2017 Founders: Aleksandar "Sasha" Jovicic, John Eagleton, Robert Mazzucchelli Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $5,475,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 You can find their website here
21) Spartan Race Spartan Race is an obstacle race and endurance company that aims to provide athletes with sporting challenges and courses.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Boston Started in: 2007 Founders: Andy Weinberg, Joe DeSena, Julian Kopald Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $15,750,001 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here
22) Topgolf Entertainment Group Topgolf Entertainment Group is a technology-enabled sports and entertainment community with a global reach.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Dallas Started in: 2000 Founders: Dave Jolliffe, Steve Jolliffe Number of employees: 5001-10000 Funding amount: $301,360,257 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here
23) Second Spectrum Second Spectrum is working on a game machine learning software that will use artificial intelligence to change sports.
Details of the startup:
Country: United States City: Los Angeles Started in: 2013 Founders: Jeff Su, Rajiv Maheswaran, Yu-Han Chang Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $20,099,998 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here
24) Heja Heja is the only app you'll ever need to communicate with coaches, managers, parents, and players.
Details of the startup:
Country: Sweden City: Stockholm Started in: 2018 Founders: Mikael Blix Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $6,801,874 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 8 You can find their website here
25) Fiture Fiture is a smart workout equipment brand for the home.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Chengdu Started in: 2019 Founders: Edward Fu, Yuhan Tang Funding amount: $391,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 17 You can find their website here
26) NODWIN Gaming NODWIN Gaming is a gaming solutions provider and e-sports event organizer.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Gurgaon Started in: 2012 Founders: Gautam Virk Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: ₹1,640,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here
27) Fishbrain Today and tomorrow, Fishbrain helps people catch more and bigger fish and become better fishermen.
Details of the startup:
Country: Sweden City: Stockholm Started in: 2010 Founders: Jens Lindman, Johan Attby Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $58,750,000 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 20 You can find their website here
28) HalaPlay Technologies HalaPlay Technologies is a platform for daily fantasy sports.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Bengaluru Started in: 2016 Founders: Swapnil Saurav Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: $7,964,767 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 8 You can find their website here
29) ESL Professional gaming, commonly known as e-sports, is the emphasis of ESL, a gaming news and information network.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: Cologne Started in: 1996 Founders: William Perry Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $30,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 You can find their website here
30) G2 Esports G2 Esports is a world-class esports organization that represents some of the greatest players on the planet.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: Berlin Started in: 2013 Founders: Carlos Rodríguez, Jens Hilgers Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $27,300,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 13 You can find their website here
31) ONE Championship ONE Championship is a sports media firm that specializes in mixed martial arts.
Details of the startup:
Country: Singapore City: Singapore Started in: 2011 Founders: Chatri Sityodtong Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $336,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here
32) Rooter Rooter is a sports community app that aims to connect and customise sports content across sports and gaming for its users.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: New Delhi Started in: 2016 Founders: Akshat Goel, Dipesh Agarwal, Piyush Kumar Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $2,700,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 16 You can find their website here
33) EGYM EGYM uses high-tech software to develop and construct the most advanced smart connected strength training equipment.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: Munich Started in: 2010 Founders: Florian Sauter, Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $143,471,520 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 7 You can find their website here
34) Veo Veo is a cameraless method for recording and viewing sports.
Details of the startup:
Country: Denmark City: Copenhagen Started in: 2015 Founders: Henrik Teisbæk Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $33,055,028 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 10 You can find their website here
35) IQONIQ IQONIQ is a new fan engagement platform focused solely on the "Sports and Entertainment sector."
Details of the startup:
Country: Italy City: Montecarlo Started in: 2019 Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: € 100,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 1 You can find their website here
36) Bikemap Bikemap is a global provider of bike map and navigation services. Offline, routing, and map functions are all available with a mobile subscription.
Details of the startup:
Country: Austria City: Vienna Started in: 2014 Founders: Christof Hinterplattner, Matthias Natmessnig, Peter Eich Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: € 2,600,000 Number of funding rounds: 6 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here
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37) Playtomic Playtomic is a sports court booking website that aspires to become a social network for athletes.
Details of the startup:
Country: Spain City: Madrid Started in: 2017 Founders: Domingo Guzman, Felix Ruiz Hernandez, Pablo Carro, Pedro Clavería, Sergio Servet Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: € 11,300,000 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here
38) McLaren Group McLaren Group is a sports car manufacturer that specializes in automotive, motorsport, and technology.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: England Started in: 2017 Founders: Bruce McLaren, Ron Dennis Number of employees: 1001-5000 Funding amount: £353,800,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 2 You can find their website here
39) Hupu Hupu is a forum for sports comments and news.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Shanghai Started in: 2004 Founders: Shawn Cheng Number of employees: 501-1000 Funding amount: $337,927,040 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here
40) EVOS Esports EVOS Esports is an eSports group that is establishing an online sports platform to help shape the country's eSports environment.
Details of the startup:
Country: Singapore City: Singapore Started in: 2016 Founders: Hartman Harris, Ivan Yeo, Michael Widjaya Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $16,400,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 5 You can find their website here
41) Kitman Labs Kitman Labs is a sports analytics firm that employs artificial intelligence to improve athlete health and performance.
Details of the startup:
Country: Ireland City: Dublin Started in: 2012 Founders: Iarfhlaith Kelly, Stephen Smith Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $24,498,273 Number of funding rounds: 8 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here
42) Codoon Codoon is a sports and wellness company that makes gadgets that track users' activity, sleep, and other bodily functions.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Chengdu Started in: 2009 Founders: Paul Shen Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $111,304,532 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 8 You can find their website here
43) Tonsser For youth footballers, the #1 platform and performance app is
Details of the startup:
Country: Denmark City: Copenhagen Started in: 2013 Founders: Jeppe Curth, Peter Holm, Simon Hjære Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: € 9,800,000 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 7 You can find their website here
44) ReSpo.Vision ReSpo.Vision uses cutting-edge AI research to change football and utilize it to monitor and evaluate football games.
Details of the startup:
Country: Poland City: Warsaw Started in: 2020 Founders: Lukasz Grad, Mateusz Szala, Pawel Osterreicher, Wojciech Rosinski Funding amount: € 1,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 2 You can find their website here
45) JOGO JOGO assists users in predicting football's future faces.
Details of the startup:
Country: The Netherlands City: Amstelveen Started in: 2020 Founders: David Dwinger Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: € 1,870,000 Number of funding rounds: 3 You can find their website here
46) Gen.G Esports Gen.G is the premier esports organization that connects the United States and Asia.
Details of the startup:
Country: South Korea City: Seoul Started in: 2017 Founders: Kent Wakeford, Kevin Chou, Mike Li, Phillip Hyun Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $46,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 14 You can find their website here
47) SMARTSTUDY SmartStudy is a multinational entertainment firm. Pinkfong and Monster Super League are two examples of our high-quality animation and gaming entertainment.
Details of the startup:
Country: South Korea City: Seoul Started in: 2010 Founders: Ryan Seungkyu Lee Number of employees: 101-250 Funding amount: $12,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 1 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here
48) Mobile Premier League The Mobile Premier League is an eSports platform that rewards players with cash prizes while they play games.
Details of the startup:
Country: India City: Bengaluru Started in: 2018 Founders: Sai Srinivas Kiran G, Shubham Malhotra Number of employees: 251-500 Funding amount: $225,500,000 Number of funding rounds: 4 Number of investors: 15 You can find their website here
49) Skitude For skiers and resorts, we create a digital ecosystem.
Details of the startup:
Country: Norway City: Oslo Started in: 2014 Founders: David Huerva, Marc Bigas, Victor Oliva Number of employees: 51-100 Funding amount: $26,780,868 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 8 You can find their website here
50) bepro11 bepro11 is a football technology platform that offers services such as sports video and data analytics.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: Hamburg Started in: 2015 Founders: Alex Han, Luis Kang Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $19,122,451 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 6 You can find their website here
51) Pandascore Provider of esports stats and odds
Details of the startup:
Country: France City: Paris Started in: 2015 Founders: Flavien Guillocheau, Jonathan Retterer Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $9,016,217 Number of funding rounds: 5 Number of investors: 9 You can find their website here
52) Sponsoo Sponsoo is an online marketplace that connects sponsors with athletes and sports teams.
Details of the startup:
Country: Germany City: Hamburg Started in: 2014 Founders: Andreas Kitzing, Bela J. Anda, Christian Kaspar Number of employees: 11-50 Funding amount: $2,685,647 Number of funding rounds: 12 Number of investors: 20 You can find their website here
53) Dongqiudi Dongqiudi is a website that provides news, commentary, league rankings, and video feeds of football matches from across the world.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Beijing Started in: 2013 Founders: Chen Cong Number of employees: 1-10 Funding amount: $66,442,502 Number of funding rounds: 3 Number of investors: 3 You can find their website here
54) iQiyi Sports iQiyi Sports is the sports division of iQiyi, one of the most rapidly growing online video platforms.
Details of the startup:
Country: China City: Beijing Started in: 2010 Number of employees: 5001-10000 Funding amount: CN¥850,000,000 Number of funding rounds: 2 Number of investors: 4 You can find their website here
