Sports Loft Podcast

Professional Triathletes Organisation: Using tech to take triathlon mainstream

This week Yanni and co-host Charlie chat with Sam Renouf, CEO of the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO). Sam joined the organisation in 2019 has been central to the organisation’s strategy and development since.

We kick off the conversation by setting the scene, with Sam discussing the inception and evolution of PTO, including its recent partnership with World Triathlon. He digs into the organisation's goal of becoming a more consumer-facing brand with its T100 Triathlon World Tour and outlines the strategies for growing a sustainable fan base for triathlon.

"It's taken us a couple of years to figure out the right model. But we think that in the T100 we have something unique," he says. "We're like the PGA Tour from a governance structure because we've got the athletes and the pros. We're Formula One with this season long narrative with glamorous locations. And we're the World Marathon Majors with the mass participation. So really it's super exciting."

We were keen to chat with Sam about the role technology plays in the roadmap for the T100 series. Tech, Sam explains, will be baked into almost every element of the series – from its broadcast and commentary, to the sponsorship proposition and management of mass participation rankings. 

Sam also mapped out the PTO's funding model, with the likes of Michael Moritz as a lead investor, alongside Warner Bros. Discovery. And with the prospect of the organisation securing further funding to accelerate the growth of the T100, it's going to be a fascinating journey to watch.

Timestamps:

• 10:46 – Evolution of PTO's business model
• 25:11 – Importance of technology and investment from Warner Bros. Discovery
• 29:39 – Consolidating high-value audience with first-party data
• 30:21 –  Using data for sponsorship, media, and direct-to-consumer
• 35:09 – Storytelling and technology in triathlon
• 40:59 – Bringing non-endemic sponsors into triathlon
• 43:50 – Building revenue streams for triathletes
• 53:18 – The future of the PTO

MLS Innovation Lab: Nurturing tech to grow the league

Football in the US is growing – fast. But Major League Soccer has a long way to go to catch up with the likes of the NBA, MLB and, of course, the behemoth of the NFL. To do so, the league is turning to tech in order to supercharge broadcast, boost fan engagement and even get more kids playing the sport.

In this episode of the Sports Loft podcast, Yanni and Charlie sit down with Chris Schlosser, the senior vice president of emerging ventures at the MLS and head of the MLS Innovation Lab. They dive into the purpose and goals of the Innovation Lab, and explore how the lab can really contribute to the growth of MLS – from the role of technology in elevating fan engagement to how new tools could speed up player development.

Chris opens up about what the Innovation Lab entails from the perspective of the six tech companies in their primary cohort, and breaks down how the initiative provides resources, mentorship and test opportunities to those startups. We also talk about MLS’s selection process, the Lab’s three core areas of focus, and who the cohort taking part in 2024 programme are.  

Timestamps:

• 05:00 – Timeline of the Innovation Lab
• 12:45 – Pitching the Innovation Lab to MLS owners
• 22:00 – Testing events and opportunities for startups
• 25:45 – Benefits of the Innovation Lab
• 27:45 – Selection Criteria for Focus Areas
• 32:30 – Criteria for Evaluating Startups
• 36:00 – Companies Chosen for the Innovation Lab
• 47:30 – Future Goals for MLS Emerging Ventures

The evolution of sports sponsorship

This week’s episode delves into the intersection of sports, technology and sponsorship with industry experts Jason Saiban, a partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, and Sally Moore, the global sponsorship lead at Sage.

The conversation focuses on the evolution of sports sponsorship, exploring how new technologies are providing additional rights and diverse activation opportunities for sponsors. Our two guests bring unique perspectives, with Jason specialising in commercial contracts, technology, media and law, while Sally oversees Sage's sponsorship portfolio, including partnerships with MLB, Six Nations rugby and The Hundred cricket.

Our favourite bits include Sally explaining the differing strategies behind why Sage is engaged in sports in multiple markets, and Jason’s explanation of how the US and UK contrast when it comes to contract law around such sponsorships.

Monterosa: powering fan engagement for sports' leading rightsholders

In this episode, Yanni and Charlie talk to Tom McDonnell, CEO at Monterosa, the platform that is helping teams and leagues wrestle the fan engagement experience away from social media or third party platforms, and onto their owned and operated websites and apps.

 

We’ve been approached by lots of companies try to nail digital fan experiences, but in the last 12 to 18 months we’ve seen Monterosa’s approach evolve, coinciding with an increase in market demand for compelling digital experiences that keep fans coming back. It was therefore great to catchup with Tom, and really explore what this means for their clients such as Liverpool FC, EA Sports, Six Nations and Formula E.

 

Tom shares his learnings as the company has grown (and changed!) from its days when the BBC was an early client and discusses how teams and leagues can build their audience even if they don’t have the development resources of the big tech giants. One of our favourite sections was when Tom discusses how sponsor brands are using the platform to syndicate experiences across all the different sports properties they work with.

Monarch Collective: going all in on women's sports

In this episode of our 'Investor's View' series, Yanni and Charlie chat with returning guest Jasmine Robinson. Formerly of Causeway, Jasmine is now co-founder and managing partner at Monarch Collective – a $150 million fund launched in 2023 that invests in women's sports teams and leagues.

Jasmine's partner at Monarch is Kara Nortman, who co-founded NWSL club Angel City FC, and the fund has already made its first investment: NWSL Boston – a team which was awarded expansion rights in September 2023.

Over the course of the episode, we discuss the founding story of Monarch, its overall thesis and how the Boston investment falls into that. Jasmine explains how she never expected to leave Causeway, but that she felt the opportunity in women's sports were too good to miss out on. And we find out why women's sports is the perfect test bed for innovative new technologies.

Levellr: building communities of superfans in sports

Join hosts Yanni Andreopoulos and Charlie Greenwood in conversation with Tom Gayner, CEO and co-founder of Levellr, the platform connecting the world's top musicians, brands, and creators with their fan communities on Discord and Telegram.

The growth of community building in sports is one of our trends for 2024, so it was great to catch up with Tom and really dig into the realities of what that means. In this episode, we explore the growth of the business, what Levellr adds to apps like Discord, and the delicate balance between building scalable software which is supported by human-powered services.

Tom shares his key learnings and success stories, discussing collaborations with industry giants like Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group and setting out how similar thinking can be applied to sports. We also dig into Levellr's recent £1 million funding.

Reviewing our trend predictions and looking ahead to 2024

In the words of host Yanni Andreopoulos, this week on the podcast we gathered “the greatest minds Sports Loft has to offer” (oh dear!) to discuss our 2023 sports, media and entertainment tech predictions. We explore how these predictions have influenced or failed to impact the industry landscape, shaping the year that's now coming to an end.

We ask: were memberships re-imagined by sports teams? To what degree did rightsholders become content businesses? And did the industry really get smarter on data? Find out what we think, as Yanni holds Andy and Charlie to account on what we got right and what we got, err, not so right.

Warning: contains multiple references to Hull City football club.

Show notes:

• Gerard Pique's new Kings League
• Juventus' fixtures list reveal video
• Sports Loft Podcast – The role of machine learning in sports, and how to build an AI startup
• Sports Loft Podcast – BMW, Karta and marketing in the metaverse
• Sports Loft article – From AI to data enrichment: five sports trends to watch in 2024

Timestamps:

• 7:00 – Sports will get smarter on data
• 17:30 – “We are a content business” will become a reality
• 24:45 – AI will complement (not replace) content creators
• 31:00 – Memberships will be re-imagined
• 38:30 – For now, the metaverse is multiplayer online games – that people actually play!
• 48:00 – Our 2024 predictions

Ryan Sports Ventures: investing in people that change the game

This week Yanni and Charlie welcome Paul Hourigan onto the podcast to get his view on the world of sports, media and entertainment investment. Paul is partner at Ryan Sports Ventures, the sports investment arm of the Chicago-based Ryan family, which has a sports portfolio that spans interests in the Chicago Bears and AFC Bournemouth, plus tech businesses like Tagboard.

During the episode, we learn the strategy behind RSV’s involvement with Bournemouth and the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, Paul explains why he thinks sport’s reliance on sponsorship and rights sales needs a rethink, and we ask for his hot sectors to watch in 2024. Spoiler: AI gets a mention. 

Our favourite sections included Paul's reflections on the tailwinds in women's sports, and the growth potential for businesses which are able to take sports data and make it genuinely actionable.

Timestamps:

• 08:30 – The difficulty of focusing on multiple verticals
• 12:00 – The returns of investing in teams versus technology
• 19:00 – The background to the AFC Bournemouth deal
• 26:30 – Learnings from the world of rugby
• 34:00 – The over-reliance on sponsorship and rights sales
• 41:00 – The use of AI in sports tech
• 45:30 – Evaluating what a good return is

BMW, Karta and marketing in the metaverse

This week's podcast features Yanni and Andy taking a deep dive into the world of gaming with Pia Schörner, head of digital content creation & BMW Metaverse at BMW, and Erik Londré, co-founder and CEO of Karta – the Sports Loft member which works with sports teams and music artists to build experiences in games like Roblox and Fortnite.

We dig into how sports organisations and other brands can incorporate gaming as part of their marketing mix, touching on in-game merchandise, measuring success and picking the right platform.

Highlights include Pia pushing BMW execs to allow gamers to blow up Bimmers in a game (“the community will like it and they'll talk about it because it's authentic”), Erik on the thrill of live esports events, and how to find the “sweet spot” that allows for both authentic gaming experiences and brand promotion. Our guests also reveal lessons learnt from their recent projects and discuss why engaging with younger audiences on these platforms is so crucial for brands who want to stay relevant – across the world of sports and beyond.

Timestamps:

06:30 – Defining the metaverse
13:00 – How sports can utilise the metaverse
15:45 – The pros and cons of e-sports as a marketing tool
23:30 – The process of designing an activation
29:30 – Marrying brands with the gaming platform
36:30 – Using gaming to boost relevancy 
40:00 – KPIs and indicators of success 

 

RX3 Growth Partners: consumer investment alongside athletes

In this month's Investor's View episode, Yanni sits down with Andrew Costa, partner at RX3 Growth Partners, a consumer growth equity firm co-founded by NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

To kick off, Andrew gives us an overview of RX3's operational strategy, which focuses on investments in consumer wellness and sports companies. The unique part of the model is the way the group draws on the networks, knowledge and insights of their athlete and celebrity backers to benefit the consumer focused companies they invest in.

Later in the discussion, Andrew sheds light on RX3's meticulous decision-making process and their focus within the consumer wellness and fitness sector. He elaborates on the skills and traits RX3 looks for in founders and shares insights into the growth areas that are exciting him, and shares his take on the state of the market. 

With a successfully deployed first fund of $50 million across 19 portfolio companies, RX3 is now looking for opportunities to invest in from its second fund, a $150 million vehicle.

Timestamps:

06:00 – Moving from one-off investments to building a fun?

09:00 – Onboarding athletes as LPs14:00 – Deciphering fad trends versus long-term shifts

21:00 – Managing sponsor clashes

26:00 – Estimating growth returns on investments

31:00 – Backing big brands versus high growth startups

38:00 – Where RX3 add value beyond dollars

44:00 – Regretting missed opportunities