A number of team sports-related products are among the 10 finalists selected by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) to present their companies at the 2022 SFIA Start-Up Challenge, taking place virtually on July 26, 2022. The application pool included entrepreneurs from around the world, representing all segments of the industry, including innovative sports tech, fitness equipment, team and racquet sports, health and wellness products and gaming.

All finalists will receive industry exposure, real-time feedback from industry decision-makers and executives, personal introductions and one year of SFIA membership. Each finalist will create a five-minute pitch video, professionally edited and polished by SFIA digital media partner, Spark Inc., and present to a panel of more than 100 judges. Assessments will evaluate each company in terms of relevancy, creativity, and potential. 

In addition to the prizes listed above, the grand prize winner will be awarded a 2023 SFIA Start-Up Challenge judge’s seat, national media coverage, an SFIA research report spotlight and an exclusive 2022 Industry Leaders Summit package.

“It is exciting and affirming to see the innovative ideas and competitive spirit driving these young sports product companies,” says Tom Cove, SFIA president and CEO. “The backbone of the industry’s success is the creative, risk-taking and entrepreneurial culture of companies like these, who when presented with challenges, continue to find a way to add value to the sports and fitness industry.”

The team sports finalists are:

• Ida Sports: Creator of a soccer cleat designed specifically for women. This initiative is about more than a shoe. Ida is dedicated to gender equality, empowering women and girls, and ensuring everyone has the right to enjoy sport.
• Revolin Sports: A leading design and manufacturing company focused on one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, pickleball! Revolin is committed to the development of eco-friendly materials and sustainable manufacturing practices through the production of paddles, apparel, and accessories for pickleball.
• Scorched Ice: A hardware-enabled connected athlete platform that allows any hockey player to personalize their development, compare, inspire, and celebrate with the global hockey community, to unlock their full potential.
• Spalk: Spalk’s Virtual Commentary Studio is used by sports leagues and broadcasters to localize their live sports content for their fans around the world. Their web-based platform allows live sports commentary to be produced from commentators at home and be plugged into the existing broadcast workflow.
  

And this one can sort of be considered part of the world of team sports:

• Playfinity: Bridging the gap between gaming, technology, and sports. By combining gaming technology with physical activity, Playfinity creates engaging and fun games inspired by the sports kids and parents love, to keep communities playing together and longer.
  

The other finalists:

• Altis: A technology company pursuing high-quality access to fitness instruction using an AI Personal Trainer powered by the world’s first movement operating system, creating the most interactive and intelligent training experience through any screen.
• Caliber Fitness: An outcomes-focused digital fitness platform that combines science-based programming, expert human coaching, and a data-driven experience to deliver life-changing health and wellness outcomes for its members.
• OWN IT: A coaching system that leverages biometrics from leading wearables devices, transforming wellness into performance. Athletes receive actionable insights and habit recommendations from eight ‘controllables’ to optimize sleep, health, recovery, and performance gains.
• Samson’s Grip: A training glove designed to become the new standard for grip strength training and rehabilitation.
• SynergySvn: A sports and science tech company that merges human insight with artificial intelligence to deliver skill-specific feedback using diagnostic wearables to help accelerate muscle memory and boost athletic performance.