The Sports & Fitness Industry Association will be hosting the annual Start-Up Challenge on May 4, 2021 in a virtual setting. The format will be a little different as we transition to a virtual event, hosting over 150 judges from across the sporting goods and fitness industries, including executives, investors, venture capitalists, thought leaders and industry experts. The competition will be intense as start-ups battle for a substantial grand prize package.
Under Armour will grant the grand prize winner access to the Under Armour Innovation Team, a collection of industry executives chartered to propel innovation in the sports and fitness industry. The Start-Up Challenge winner will virtually meet with industry insiders to discuss marketing, financing, manufacturing and the user experience (UX). The selected start-up will also get to experience Under Armour’s approach towards innovative UX by creating their own custom-designed Under Armour shoes.
OpSec Security, a global leader in brand protection, will provide an online landscape to help the grand prize winner assess their global intellectual property risk (a $25,000 value). This package includes a one-year subscription to their Early Warning System (EWS), where OpSec will perform a number of enforcements for fraud or intellectual property infringement. OpSec has also provided a seed prize to the Start-Up Challenge winner of $5,000.
Spark Inc. will be providing an exclusive media package built specifically for the grand prize winner. Representatives of Spark Inc. will work closely with the start-up to create an effective media package to help market and engage new audiences. The package will include a 2-minute company showcase video, a 20-second pre-roll video, a 15-second social media video and a strategic marketing plan.
“We are incredibly excited to bring together such an eclectic variety of companies that will truly put the Start-Up Challenge champion at the greatest advantage as they embark on this journey,” said SFIA CEO & President, Tom Cove. “The finalists and winners alike from previous Start-Up Challenge competitions have gone on to great success, equating to hundreds of millions of dollars in capital and revenue. We expect the level of competition between this year’s finalists to be our best yet.”
In addition, the winner will also receive a free registration to SFIA’s 2021 Industry Leaders Summit, a speaking spot and judges seat at the 2022 Start-Up Challenge, national media coverage, and a spotlight in SFIA’s State of the Industry Research Report.
Applications will be accepted through Friday, January 29, 2021. Click here to apply.
