Sports Innovation League

Sports innovation league is a sports innovation program where up to ten startups get the support needed to drive meaningful change in both active and passive sports engagement in the Netherlands. The program takes place from July 8th to October 11th.

Sports Innovation League is a four-month sports innovation program for startups with solutions that inspire Dutch society to embrace and enjoy sports. The program supports up to ten startups in their commercialization and growth journey, empowering them to drive meaningful change in active and passive sports engagement across the Netherlands.

Sports Innovation League is an initiative from Nederlandse Loterij, supported by NOC*NSF, and facilitated by Rockstart.

About Nederlandse Loterij
Nederlandse Loterij is the largest provider of games of chance in the Netherlands with the game brands: Staatsloterij, Lotto, Eurojackpot, Miljoenenspel, Lucky Day, Krasloten, TOTO Winkel, TOTO Sport, TOTO Casino en Winnitt. In 2022, Nederlandse Loterij awarded 5.829 million euros in prize money to its players. Annually, Nederlandse Loterij donates its entire profit to Dutch sports via NOC*NSF, to 18 charities in the areas of health, movement and well-being, and to Dutch society via the Ministry of Finance. In 2022, this amounted to 195 million euros. This way, Nederlandse Loterij contributes to a happy, healthy and sporty Netherlands.

About NOC*NSF
The 'Nederlands Olympisch Comité * Nederlandse Sport Federatie' (NOC * NSF) is the umbrella organisation for sports in the Netherlands and includes as its members 77 National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and 17 associated organisations, representing more than 24,000 sports clubs and 5,2 million Dutch people involved in sports.

About Rockstart
Rockstart is an early stage investor that empowers purpose-driven founders across three domains: Energy, AgriFood, and Emerging Technologies. Rockstart invests in early-stage startups from each of the three funds and provides access to capital, market, and expertise by connecting founders with co-investors, mentors, partners, corporates, and the wider Rockstart network. Rockstart has invested in more than 350 startups and its alumni value to date is more than €1.6bn.

Sports Innovation League is looking for European-based startups with existing hardware or software solutions or an internationally proven concept that can be localized to the Dutch market. We’re interested in sports and movement initiatives that have undergone validation and are ready for scaling. These initiatives should have a lasting impact on both active and passive sports experience. Additionally, they should make a measurable contribution to the selected goals of the Dutch Sportagenda 2032:

♦ Elevate Dutch sports participation
12 million Dutch people engage in sports and physical activities at least 3x a week

♦ Expand Dutch sports engagement
14 million Dutch people enjoy games, races, matches, competitions, and events weekly as either participants or supporters

♦ Increase enjoyment of sports
Dutch sports lovers, volunteers, supporters, and elite athletes demonstrate higher levels of enjoyment in sport

Nederlandse Loterij launched Sports Innovation League to advance its mission: actively working towards a happier, healthier, and more active Netherlands by directly contributing to NOC*NSF’s sports agenda for 2032. The program is designed to help tackle challenges faced by the Dutch sports industry and drive meaningful change in active and passive sports engagement across the Netherlands.

The purpose of the program is to support up to ten startups with their commercialization and growth through Sports Innovation League’s extensive network, capabilities, and resources. Through this development, there’s potential to develop pilot projects, funding opportunities, and other long-term engagements with all of the founding partners.

Following the application review, Rockstart and the Scouting Selection Committee team will select the top 25 startups for a 45-minute selection interview scheduled between May 6th and 15th. The final 8-10 startups chosen for the program will be announced in the last week of May.

Applications open on March 26th and close on April 23rd at www.sportsinnovationleague.nl. The final 8 to 10 startups chosen for the program will be announced in the last week of May. Selected startups will be onboarded between June 10th and 17th. The program kicks off in the second week of July and runs until the second week of October.

The program will feature a hybrid format, with events taking place both online and in person. The in-person events will be hosted in the Netherlands.

There will be in-person deep dive weeks with a live kick-off, workshops, plenary sessions with the Sports Innovation League team, partner dinners, and more.

Online deep dive weeks include workshops, plenary sessions with the Sports Innovation League team, and training sessions, among other activities.

There are no financial costs for the startups entering the program. All we ask for is your time, dedication, and passion for revolutionizing the Dutch sports industry!

The program begins with a needs assessment of the startups to gain a deeper understanding of their focus areas and upcoming milestones. Based on this assessment, the program manager tailors support accordingly. The program offers support through four key elements:

Training and Workshops: Plenary sessions followed by 1-on-1 sessions covering topics like internationalization, team development, and fundraising.

Mentorship: Each startup receives two mentors, focusing on business development and industry expertise respectively, with 20 hours of support over the program’s duration.

Ecosystem/Network Support: Startups are connected to relevant individuals in the partners' networks, including experts, investors, and corporate partners.

Final Event: Startups receive media attention and pitch to a large audience at a final event, showcasing their progress and achievements.

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