European Tour Unveils Start-ups Shortlist
The European Tour has unveiled the three shortlisted start-ups from its inaugural European Tour Innovation Hub with Tata Communications.
The Hub, which was launched in September this year in line with the Tour’s brand refresh, called upon start-ups to develop solutions to problems the Tour faces and help ‘Drive Golf Forward’ – the organisation’s new brand identity.
The three organisations, alugha (a German company which can transcribe and translate videos and voice-overs); eyecandylab (a US organisation which leverages AR technology in order to allow viewers to access stats, player profiles and hole layouts); and Sparx Technology (a Canadian company which leverages real-time data to create on-screen polling and betting integration), will work with the Tour’s business development team, venture capital partners and Tata Communications to try to turn the concepts into a reality.
“We are delighted with the response to our Innovation Hub contest which demonstrates the strong relationship that exists between golf, technology and innovation,” said Michael Cole, Chief Technology Officer, European Tour. “The three shortlisted ideas caught our imagination because the businesses behind them understand the tremendous potential to enhance the game and the Tour for our increasingly mobile, digitally-savvy audiences worldwide. We look forward to working with these three businesses to develop their ideas further.”
“Digital platforms have the power to transform golf for the benefit of the sport’s entire ecosystem, including European Tour’s commercial partners and broadcasters,” said Mehul Kapadia, Global Head of Marketing, Tata Communications. “We look forward to harnessing our expertise in the digital transformation of global sports to explore with the three shortlisted businesses how they could not only take the golf fan experience to the next level, but also identify untapped operational efficiencies or revenue streams for the European Tour ecosystem.”
The panel of judges includes Cole and Kapadia, as well as Rufus Hack, Chief Content Officer, European Tour; Tri Pham, Chief Strategy Officer, Tata Communications and former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson.
