EB Tech Challenge iSportconnect Sree Varma

EB Tech Challenge: It’s About Embracing Disruption

January 22, 2019

It’s a thrill and a great pleasure for me to be on my way to Barcelona this week for the 2019 EB Tech Challenge in Barcelona, and I want to give a big shout of thanks to my friends at EuroLeague Basketball for again inviting me to be a judge at the second edition of this great initiative at the University of La Salle-URL’s innovation park.

I say this because tech innovation is not only an area of great importance and opportunity for the sports industry but also something I really enjoy thinking and learning about, so being part of an event featuring innovative, disruptive companies is at one level just plain fun.

And I think that actually enjoying tech innovation plays a big part in being able to benefit from it and grow with the opportunities it can offer. I talk to people, especially industry “veterans,” who think that they have made progress because they have reached an attitude of accepting disruption. The real transformational leap is when you actually embrace disruption.

At least that is the attitude I am going to be bring to my responsibilities as a judge of the EB Tech Challenge this week.

Allow me to introduce the 10 finalists for 2019 because they all deserve our attention, whether they are chosen as this week’s winners or not:

  • Dynamtick (Italy) is focused on the area of dynamic ticket pricing. It creates algorithms analyse real-time sales data and other external factors to generate the right price to maximize spectators and revenues.
  • Neoverse VR (Spain has created Fangate as a multi-device content platform for integrating the fan ecosystem, including video content 360, VR, e-commerce, gaming and so on.
  • Zoomtv.IT (Lithuania) has created Trackmylogo.com, an AI-driven computer vision technology measures and constantly monitors the value that sports events create for sponsors on TV and other video platforms.
  • KISWE Mobile (Belgium) has developed Kiswe CloudCast to increase viewership and retention through the power of narrowcasting stories unique to different demographics and audiences (languages and/or influencers).
  • Instant Sponsor (USA) Instant Sponsor is a blockchain-powered global sponsorship platform seamlessly connecting brands and the rights holders (teams, athletes and events) across sports, e-sports and entertainment.
  • Blink Identity (USA) has built a system using a novel approach to face recognition to identify people at full walking speed, in any lighting condition, at scale (1M+ background) — the most frictionless biometric system possible.
  • IC Cosmosh (Greece) has invented Mediastalker to protect creators and copyright owners by stopping media piracy of their very valuable content using AI and machine learning.
  • Snapify Ltd. (UK) has created Snaptivity, a smart stadium technology based on connected sensors to track crowd movement and collect data points like sound, light, ambience, analysed using AI and machine learning to understand behaviour and emotions of the fans along with the stadium environment.
  • Texel (USA) enables next generation experiences using immersive media (“virtual presence”) for live events (sports, entertainment) via a white-label service platform with a wide set of enrichment and monetization tools, including advanced social interaction.
  • PlayPass (Belgium) offers a cashless payment solution which can also be linked to access control, aimed at reducing waiting lines, eliminating fraud and human errors and improving cashflow as well as increasing data insights.

I wish them all the best of luck!

EB Tech Challenge iSportconnect Sree Varma