Top Innovations in Basketball Revealed at Spalding® and HYPE Sports Innovation Global Competition

At a global competition held in Los Angeles last week, FanWide was crowned as the most disruptive technology likely to shape the future of basketball. HYPE Sports Innovation, a global platform which facilitates connections and investments among the sports innovation ecosystem, partnered with Spalding, the world's largest basketball equipment supplier and the official basketball of the NBA and WNBA, the University of Southern California's (USC) Marshall School of Business and Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the world's most innovative companies and their investors, to host its 18th Global Sports Innovation Competition. Ten innovative startups across wearables, training, digital platform, big data and fan engagement domains showcased how their technology solutions might change the way people play and consume basketball, to a 14-person jury comprised of leaders from the sports industry.

The winner, FanWide received a $10,000 prize, and a trip to Spalding headquarters in Bowling Green, Kentucky to pitch to the Spalding research and development team. FanWide is dedicated to helping out-of-market sports fans find a local fan club or game watch party. Most Valuable Recruit took second place, with MaxOne placing third. All companies will receive a six-month membership to Microsoft's Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC).

"This event showcase the technologies and functions that will shape the future of basketball in just a few years," said Dr. Ilan Hadar, HYPE Sports Innovation Partner and Chief Innovation Officer: "The industry understands today, more than ever, that basketball is evolving towards improved performance through measurements and analytics, different fan engagement channels and more. We are excited to partner with leaders such as Spalding, USC and Silicon Valley Bank and enhance the impact these startups can bring on basketball players and fans".

The jury of industry leaders included Ed Dvorak, Spalding Russell Sports Group; Glenn Fox, PhD, USC Marshall School of Business, Performance Science Institute; DeMarcus Williams, Silicon Valley Bank; Charles Johnson, Puma; Chris Krebs, Fruit of the Loom; John Doleva and Paul Lambert, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Uli Becker, Beckerei LLC and CLUB.ONE; Dr. Sarah Jane Kelly, University of Queensland Australia and Lions AFL Football Club; Jim Wagner, MGA Entertainment; Kevin King Spalding Advanced Concepts Group; Scott Gwartz, Los Angeles Dodgers; Steve Bennet, University of California; and Mike Tomon, Legends.

"This competition provided great insights into the future of basketball," said Ed Dvorak, Senior Vice President of Spalding Global. "As a company that strives to enhance the sport of basketball, both on and off the court, we are greatly intrigued by the great innovations and creative ideas the two-day event showcased. We are committed to continue shaping the future of this game and to partnering with game changers like HYPE Sports Innovation to do so."

"The HYPE Global Sports Innovation Competition hosted at Marshall highlighted new innovations and new thinking about how we train the whole person, from their personal mindset to the fine-tuned measurements of daily performance," said Glenn Fox, Head of Program Design, Strategy and Outreach for the USC Performance Science Institute.

"It was an inspiring day at the HYPE Global Sports Innovation Competition," said DeMarcus Williams, Director of Silicon Valley Bank's Early Stage Practice in Santa Monica. "The companies that participated in the event are doing amazing things, and we're excited about the future of basketball and sports."

The two-day event included a student ideation hackathon where participants were tasked with developing solutions to challenges confronting the game of basketball, such as on-court innovations, athlete performance & analytics, and fan engagement. On the second day, 10 top selected startups pitched their solutions to esteemed jury panel and influencers from the worlds of basketball, sports innovation and technology.

About HYPE Sports Innovation:

HYPE Sports Innovation is the largest sports innovation ecosystem with over 26,000 leaders and key decision makers, including sports and global technology brands, academia, investors and startups. HYPE Sports Innovation has teamed up with Google, ASICS, Microsoft, UEFA and Spalding among many others, and is managing 3 main activities: 1) Core - The Global Top 50 program for sports startups, and global sports innovation competitions alongside major sporting events. 2) HYPE Lab - sports acceleration program; 3) CLUB.ONE - the company's investment arm. HYPE Sports Innovation's mission is to impact people's lives through the power of sports and innovation. Visit HYPE Sports Innovation at: www.hype-foundation.org

About Spalding:

Spalding® is the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world with a long-standing heritage in quality and innovation. Spalding products are the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as well as the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA.  Spalding also produces softball equipment under the Dudley® brand. The SPALDING® and DUDLEY® trademarks are owned by Russell Brands, LLC. For more information, visit www.spalding.com

About the USC Marshall School of Business and Performance Science Institute:

Consistently ranked among the nation's premier schools, USC Marshall is internationally recognized for its emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, social responsibility and path-breaking research. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the world's leading business centers and the U.S. gateway to the Pacific Rim, Marshall offers its 6,000-plus undergraduate and graduate students a unique world view and impressive global experiential opportunities. Within Marshall and the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the Performance Science Institute teaches, trains, and researches the science, best practices, and applied principles for high performance in any field. Founded in 2015 by Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll and Executive Director of the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies David Belasco, the PSI works with USC students, the broader academic community, and organizations / elite performers to provide continuing education and data-driven interventions focused on mindset and performance training.

Silicon Valley Bank

For 35 years, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has helped innovative companies and their investors move bold ideas forward, fast. SVB provides targeted financial services and expertise through its offices in innovation centers around the world. With commercial, international and private banking services, SVB helps address the unique needs of innovators. Learn more at www.svb.com

CONTACT

HYPE Sports Innovation
Lirone Glikman
lirone@hype-foundation.org

SPALDING
Bryan Kirsch
+1-(201) 686-8859
bryan@relativeconsultants.com

USC
Matthew Simmons
USC Marshall Media Relations
Matthew.simmons@marshall.usc.edu
Office: +1-213-821-9868
Cell: +1-202-277-4890