08 May 10 winners for International Sports Groundbreakers Challenge by Sport Singapore and GSIC powered by Microsoft

• First edition of the International Sports Groundbreakers Challenge aggregated more than 200 solutions from industry stakeholders from 25 countries in response to the problem statements posted.
• Following a rigorous selection process, 15 companies from 9 countries presented their solutions to a panel of 11 judges.
• 10 winners will each receive $15,000 to develop and implement the prototype of their solution.

Sport Singapore (SportSG), together with Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC), unveiled the 10 winners for the inaugural International Sports Groundbreakers Challenge (ISGC). This comes following 2 months of rigorous assessments of more than 75 applications from 25 countries including Singapore, the United States of America, Australia, Spain, and Israel.

Launched in November 2022, the challenge was a public call for companies to develop innovative solutions in response to a set of 49 problem statements aggregated from various sports organizations that address challenges around sports innovation. Open to participants across all industries, the challenge sought to encourage cross-industry and cross-border collaboration while enabling start-ups to work alongside tech giants of the industry.

Out of the applications received, the judging panel shortlisted 15 applications to pitch their solution to a panel comprising sports industry professionals, representatives from organizations such as Microsoft, SportSG, FIFA, LaLiga, Real Madrid, Singapore Cycling Federation, ONE Championship, and Evolve MMA. The winners of the inaugural International Sports Groundbreakers Challenge are:

1. EliteFit.AI (Singapore): B2B startup focused on enabling a virtual personal trainer (using computer vision and motion AI) for fitness companies, sports companies, telco VAS and insurance companies resulting in higher revenues.
2. Xeerpa (Spain): offers solutions for social CRM (customer relationship management)consulting, personalize, insight marketing, social login, artificial engagement, and other services for business, data lake, mart, and warehousing sectors.
3. tagSpace (Australia): Developer of a location-based platform designed to create mobile and wearable applications for interactive social experiences.
4. Sceenic (UK): an online co-viewing platform designed to create virtual living rooms to watch videos together with friends.
5. Microtube Technologies Pte Ltd (Singapore): Developer of wearable sensing technology designed to provide an immersive mixed reality experience.
6. Grabyo (UK): browser-based live video production suite integrated with other social media platforms.
7. turfcoach (Germany): develops AI software solutions for sustainable turf management.
8. Zuno Carbon (Singapore): provider of end-to-end carbon management services intended to measure greenhouse gas emissions and streamline compliance monitoring.
9. binah.ai (Israel): Developer of a digital healthcare and wellness platform designed to monitor medical-grade vital signs in real-time.
10. Genesis Gym Singapore: Provider of personal fitness coaching for clients ranging from busy people, post-injury recovery and high-level athletes, education programs, and a fitness app providing world-class coaching.

Each Singapore-based winner will receive prize money of $15,000 to kickstart the development of their proposed solution.

“It is encouraging to see so many companies, both local and international, step forward to propose solutions to tackle the issues laid out in the industry’s problem statements. The intent of this challenge was to encourage cross-learning between sport and tech businesses and we are looking forward to witnessing the actualisation of these 10 proposed solutions that have emerged victorious in the competition. Beyond the challenge, we hope that this will also set the stage for closer collaboration and ideation to uplift the sporting industry and drive its digitalization,” said Roy Teo, Chief of Industry Development, Technology & Innovation Group, SportSG.

Iris Córdoba, the General Manager of GSIC echoed the sentiments as she shared: “Out of the 15 finalists, 5 of them were based in Singapore and successfully addressed the challenges of sustainability, performance, fan engagement, and smart venue areas. This noteworthy achievement has demonstrated the thriving sports innovation ecosystem and remarkable talent in the local sports technology industry of the country. As GSIC enters its second year of operation in the region, with approximately 30 local startups receiving support, their commitment to continue supporting the ecosystem through GSIC’s services and activities remains unshaken. They look forward to the future pilots that will be implemented as a result of ISGC”.

With the fast-moving pace and dynamic nature of the industry, SportSG and GSIC aim to refresh the problem statements on a regular basis to give companies an accurate and relevant reflection of the scenario in the local and global sporting industry. The problem statements are broadly categorized into the following areas:

1. Fan Engagement – driving meaningful interaction and community activation with fans and participants that transcends geographical limits.
2. Smart Venues – efficiently manage and cater to different audience sizes and profiles through technology.
3. Athlete Performance – leveraging technology to optimize athletes’ training and improve performance.
4. Sustainability – using technological applications to encourage sustainable practices within the sporting industry.
5. Sport for Good – efficient use of digital solutions to increase the accessibility of sporting activities and create more opportunities to play.

The open call for the second edition of ISGC is due to start in the end of 2023. More details about the challenge will be announced in due course on the official website.