Eight businesses have made it through to the 2024 Euroleague Basketball FanXP Playoffs, so now it is time to announce the jury.
The panel will be made up of four incredibly successful individuals in the sports business industry, who will decide which four companies make it to SPORTBIZ EUROPE: Barcelona on October 10. The prize for the winning company is €10,000, which will be used to invest in implementing their business solutions inside the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup bubble.
During an event at the Euroleague Basketball offices on October 7, the eight businesses will be tasked with pitching their proposals in front of the judges. Those on the jury are: Stina Lundgren Högbom, Rohn Malhotra, Sree Varma, and Luis Vicente.
Stina Lundgren Högbom is currently Director of Sports Technology and Innovation at svexa, which optimizes training for individual athletes by using data. Having secured a PhD in biochemistry, sports science, and economics, she has a wealth of business experience. Her time as Program Manager of SPIN Accelerator Sweden saw her play a pivotal role in helping sports-tech startups achieve significant growth, particularly those companies that support and empower athletes. Högbom is also a Venture Partner at Anthropy Partners, LLC, an advisor to the KTH Center for Sports Engineering, and national team manager for the Swedish Jujutsu Federation.
“I’m super excited to be back at FanXP and looking forward to listening to and meeting startups at the forefront of the future of sports and fan experience,” she said.
Lundgren Högbom will be joined by Rohn Malhotra, Managing Director at SportsTechX and Investment Director at Match Ventures. A serial entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience as a founder and mentor to multiple startups, he currently operates in two roles: as the Founder and Managing Director of Berlin-based SportsTechX, the leading market intelligence company for all things related to sports and innovation; and also as an Investment Director at a leading European SportsTech VC Match Ventures. He regularly speaks at industry conferences, is a guest lecturer in various MBA programs, and also serves as both a mentor and judge at prominent startup accelerators and competitions.
“The Euroleague FanXP Challenge is known for showcasing some of the coolest tech in sports,” he commented. “Looking at this year’s lineup of startups, it looks like it’s going to be another impressive display of innovation.
The third member of the jury is Sree Varma, the Founder and Chairman of iSportConnect, Varma Properties Group and SEG3/Web3 Media Group. With Varma at the helm, iSportConnect has become the world’s largest private sport business network, working to build and enhance relationships across the world of sport. With more than 23,000 global members from the industry, iSportConnect keeps its vast community connected via a multitude of offerings, and it has offices in London, Amsterdam and Lucknow. He has been an advisor to the Euroleague FanXP Innovation Challenge for the last three years.
“I am delighted to have once again been asked to be part of the jury to select the winning startup in the 2024 Euroleague Basketball Fan XP,” he noted. “It is always fantastic to see the new ideas that are being created every year and I look forward to being part of it.”
Rounding out the judges is Luis Vicente, who holds a number of roles. He is Chairman of APEX, a Founding Member of Mercury 13 and Red Glory Football Investments, and on the Advisory Board of socios.com, RealFevr, Sporttotal, Common Goal, SHE Fussball, and Krause House DAO. With over 30 years of experience in a plethora of management and development fields, particularly relating to growth and sports, one of his main focuses is relating to innovation and technology integration in sports. He believes that sports are on the verge of a global disruptive cycle led by technology, consumer change, data analytics and content convergence. Vicente has previously worked at Manchester City Football Club, Valencia CF, FIFA, Eleven Sports, and more.