Arsenal has chosen eight startups to work with the English Premier League football club on developing innovations in fan experience.
The Arsenal Innovation Lab, in partnership with Yolo Group, which specialises in fintech, gaming and blockchain, has selected the eight teams to participate in the 2022 edition of the initiative.
The selected teams will take part in a seven-week programme with Arsenal to determine how they can bring innovative ideas that create new opportunities for the North London club’s fans around the world.
The eight teams selected for the programme will focus on enhancing the Arsenal fan experience, whether at the Emirates Stadium or around the globe. They are:
- Endava Berlin – Combining video and data to provide a more insightful viewing experience for fans
- Forza Insider – Providing more opportunities for fans to interact with Arsenal digital channels through online games and virtual experiences.
- Live Tech Games – Through creating an online gaming community, Arsenal fans can supplement the gameday experience with their own prize-yielding mobile games.
- Moonberries – An online craft drink making experience enabling Arsenal fans to create their own club-inspired drinks.
- Salsa Sound – Specialising in enhancing the fan experience through sound. Whether a fan is watching a game at home in London or half-way around the world, it will sound like they’re at the Emirates Stadium.
- Sodyo – Using scanning technology to provide Arsenal fans with new digital experiences and information.
- Valorafutbol – Creating a one-stop-shop for online Arsenal engagement through offerings such as streaming, games, statistics, and rankings.
- Versus Africa – Seeks to provide unique insights into the African market, helping Arsenal improve its digital offering to fans in the region
“The applicant pool and the pitches we reviewed for this year’s Innovation Lab were impressive,” said Juliet Slot, chief commercial officer at Arsenal. “We’re looking forward to working with the eight selected startups as they progress through the programme.
“We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to engage with our hundreds of millions of fans around the world and we’re excited to see how our fans will benefit from the ideas coming out of this initiative.”
Yolo Group is the managing partner for the programme. The company’s Sportsbet.io brand is an official partner of Arsenal and last season it introduced an augmented reality matchday programme to fans.
Tim Heath, general partner at Yolo Investments, said: “We’re thrilled to have put together a programme that pushes the participants to truly redefine the fan experience for current and future Arsenal fans. On top of that, these ideas can lead to an ongoing collaboration with the club as well as an opportunity for investment and prize pool.”
Image: Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash
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