Entrepreneurship + Innovation partners

J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute

Since the inception of our innovation programming, J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU has partnered with us on our efforts to support ventures that are providing new solutions in the world of sport. Each spring and fall we co-host the Global Sport Venture Challenge at ASU Demo Day. We jointly seek out partners like the Global Sports Innovation Center and the Arizona Coyotes to expand our programming even further. Together, our partnership has enabled us to provide resources and education to early startups, our previously funded ventures and ASU’s collegiate athletes seeking more information on entrepreneurial pathways.

“The collaboration between the Global Sport Institute and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute has been instrumental in advancing the development of scholar-athlete entrepreneurs through Sun Devil Athletics at ASU, and more broadly harnessing the synergy and kinetic energy between high performance sport and the arena of entrepreneurship. We’ve increased access to resources, rewarded ideas and solutions to a broad range of problems and markets, and fostered additional partnerships with like-minded organizations thus even further increasing support for entrepreneurs and new venture development, particularly in the world of global sport.” -Ji Mi Choi, Vice President, ASU Knowledge Enterprise, Founding Executive Director, Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute

Global Sports Innovation Center

In February 2021, the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft, the Global Sport Institute and J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU signed a global collaboration agreement. The goal was to enhance knowledge sharing, develop activities that will foster sports startups in the U.S., and aggregate each entities’ individual value to their ecosystems.

The Madrid, Spain-based GSIC describes itself as a center that “facilitates synergies and provides its members with value-added services that enable sports entities and companies to grow and develop with the help of experienced professionals in the sports tech ecosystem.” With a global network of more than 200 members in 35 different countries and more than 100 best practices for reducing the gap between startups and big sports entities, the main goal of GSIC in this collaboration is to add this value to entrepreneurs in the state of Arizona and throughout the United States.

“We understand that the USA is one of the most important markets in the sports industry, both sports and technology wise. Ten percent of our members’ network is composed by American startups that we are already helping to grow on the international market. It is very important for us to create strategic alliances with startups, accelerators and programs such as the one from Arizona State University because we are sure that together we will help the industry to grow faster in digital transformation processes.” -Iris Cordoba, General Manager, GSIC

Arizona Coyotes

In April 2021, the Arizona Coyotes, the Global Sport Institute and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU announced a new initiative — the Arizona Coyotes Venture Challenge. The Arizona Coyotes Venture Challenge will help establish new and innovative sport concepts that can be launched, piloted and scaled within the Coyotes’ various facilities. This program will provide a foundation for aspiring entrepreneurs while keeping the Coyotes on the forefront of new sport related innovation.

“Now, more than ever, sports teams must develop and leverage cutting-edge technologies to engage fans in and out of their arenas, deliver unique and compelling content, and operate as best-in-class business enterprises. This challenge aligns with our key focus on innovation, and we look forward to being presented with many great concepts in December.” -Xavier A. Gutierrez, President and CEO, Arizona Coyotes