Illustration by Andrew Kay
St. Louis has always been known as a sports-crazed town, and in recent years we’ve also developed a reputation as a leader in nurturing startups. Now, those two passions are coming together at Stadia Ventures, a newly launched sports innovation hub. Founded by local sports business gurus Art Chou and Tim Hayden, Stadia offers an accelerator program that awards startups as much as $100,000 in exchange for an equity stake. The inaugural class includes four companies, whose founders will be put through a business boot camp, matched with accomplished mentors, and given access to top sports executives. Participants come to St. Louis initially but aren’t required to stay. As the Stadia website puts it, “If you’re a Cubs fan, we may even invite you to leave before the program ends (just kidding…maybe).”
One of the chosen startups, Rookies, was launched in St. Louis by Matt Sebek. “With a focus on the intersection of sports and innovation, the Stadia Accelerator is a dream come true for Rookies,” he says. “Their mentors aren’t just big names; they’ve spent time in sports creating their own businesses or supporting teams and brands on the biggest stage. No accelerator program in the country is more tightly aligned with our product than Stadia—and it just happens to be in our own back yard.”
Rookies (St. Louis)
The creators of the free app “transform baseball card nostalgia into a reality” by allowing users to personalize their own trading cards, complete with stats and photos, then order as many packs as they’d like. The cards work as announcements, greetings, business cards, or wedding favors. rookiesapp.com
Fishidy (Madison, Wisconsin)
This social network for anglers provides extensive waterway maps, info on popular spots, tips from the pros, and worldwide water temperature reports—all to help users catch more fish. fishidy.com
LEIF Technologies (Brooklyn, New York)
Born of the idea that snowboarding shouldn’t be confined to snowy mountains, the LEIF is a high-tech battery-powered skateboard that allows riders to slide across concrete, translating the experience of carving up the slopes to their daily commutes. leiftech.com
Winning Identity (Toronto)
This golf software, created to close what founders perceive as an information gap in the sport, helps coaches and players collaborate and map out successful strategies, using such features as swing analysis, goal setting, and stat tracking. winningidentity.com
