Learn more about the startups you'll see and how to register for the event.
Come out to the Fillmore and support entrepreneurship February 15th! The event is free and open to the public. Save your spot here!
Our hometown favorite, the Minnesota Twins, and global accelerator Techstars have joined focus to invest in startups revolutionizing sports, media, and live entertainment. Building off the success of the inaugural cohort, the 2023 class is comprised of a diverse group of founders from several different states and countries including the UK and Nigeria.
For the last three months, these 10 startup founders have called Minneapolis home. They have braved the cold to receive mentorship from Techstars, the Minnesota Twins, and the local startup ecosystem. To celebrate the completion of this accelerator, Techstars is set to host Demo Day on February 15th. Demo Day is a live pitch showcase and a chance to learn more about each company and meet the founders.
The 2023 Minnesota Twins Accelerator by Techstars cohort includes:
Backr, the sports media platform for following your favorite Athletes, not teams. (Birmingham, AL). Gen Z is changing the way sports are consumed. They watch fewer televised games and more short-form content centered around the players. With Backr the next generation of fans can get rewarded for their fandom while keeping up with their favorite Athletes from recruitment through retirement on and off the field.
Biiah, the corporate wellness platform supporting the health of employees through singing classes and scalable technology (Cambridge, UK). More than ever people are struggling with their mental health. Singing has been scientifically proven to increase mood, reduce stress and anxiety, regulate heart rate, and increase lung capacity. Biiah is a new corporate wellness benefit helping people utilize a skill they already do as a means to improving their health whether that’s in person, virtually, or via the Biiah app.
Brave, the movement assessments platform that drives peak athletic performance (Austin, TX). Brave’s product, Valor, boils down a Sports Performance Lab into 10 sensors that provide actionable insights on movement and asymmetries to assist with injury prevention and rehabilitation. From the field to the metaverse Brave is positioned to be the movement platform that connects the real and digital worlds.
FanBants, the ultimate destination for Africa’s 400 million sports fans (Lagos, Nigeria). By 2025 there will be close to 500 million mobile internet users in Africa making it the right time for FanBants to bring Fantasy Sports to the continent. FanBants is offering a simplified fantasy experience tailored to the African fan, creating the future of fantasy gaming in a market where it is still in its infancy.
FLUSTR, where short-form video meets gaming (Los Angeles, CA). With over 3.5 billion users of short-form video apps like TikTok and 3 billion gamers in gameworlds like Fortnite, the founders had the idea to combine these two industries based on their film and game development backgrounds. With FLUSTR, users record or stream their talents and compete as virtual avatars.
United Market, an AI-powered platform that connects music producers and artists to curate more records (Atlanta, GA). Collaboration has increased in the music industry over the last 20 years. This has led to issues with ownership rights, royalties, and distrust between artists and producers. United Market is solving this issue by creating a space where members can collaborate globally and streamline all of their business needs to one secure platform.
TicketRev, helps fans find cheaper tickets to their favorite games and concerts (Miami. FL). With TicketRev fans name the price they are willing to pay for their preferred seat location. Season ticket holders, resellers, and even sports teams can use TicketRev to sell their inventory faster without ever having to name their price.
Vesta, the platform for finding and promoting events (Omaha, NE). Vesta is the one-stop shop for event promoters and bored individuals. Event promoters post their event once and Vesta sends it to local media outlets, visitor bureaus, social media sites, and their app. For event attendees, simply swipe through the Vesta app to answer the age-old question of “what to do” with friends and family.
Virtual Tables, is the virtual venue of fandom (New York, NY). There are 3 billion sports fans worldwide but less than 5% attend a game live. Traditional fan engagement tactics aren't working and are available for 95% of global fans. Virtual Tables allows fan engagement to take place in a virtual setting, opening the doors of a fully branded, multi-use virtual venue, capable of hosting anything from an intimate 1 on 1 meet and greet to a 10,000-person fan fest.
Whitebalance, an AI-powered audio tool that solves content copyright issues in live entertainment (Remote, USA). In major league sports alone, teams spend up to a million dollars in fines for publishing online media with licensed music. Whitebalance can remove unwanted sounds effectively in minutes.
Techstars has invested in over 3,000 startups as part of their 50+ accelerators worldwide. Of those investments, 83% of them are still active or have been acquired. This cohort has positive signals to continue with that success. Half of the companies are in conversations to work with the Twins in upcoming seasons.
The Techstars & Minnesota Twins partnership will continue for at least one more year with applications for the 2024 cohort opening in May 2023.
