Welp Magazine
I love basketball. The way it is played is a product of its time — straight out of the box — mostly done by vision and touch, with very little dribbling and no time for thinking because the game is a continuous scrimmage. It’s also athletic, powerful, physique-oriented, and very coordinated. The space and the court is very compact. This leads to a very fast-paced game with lots of moves and counter moves, sometimes at full speed. You are forced, literally, to think on your feet. It’s a physically heated battle, with contact, fierceness and a souped-up, high-energy atmosphere. And it’s not a battle of brawn or brute force, or who has the physically stronger body. It’s a battle of strategy, skill, and pure fitness.
The rules of the game are simple and if you are a beginner, you can be up and running in no time. Basketball never becomes boring, and it will always be a hit with spectators of all ages. It is, without a doubt, the most entertaining sport on the planet and it transcends all cultures, boundaries and languages.
And that’s why I’m very excited about this article, because I’m going to introduce and showcase to you 25 of the most innovative basketball startups out there. These 25 basketball startups include sporting apparel, skin care, social media, live streaming, social impact, and even just for fun. They’re all innovative and, with a bit of luck, could be the next big thing!
1. ShotTracker
The idea behind this startup: At ShotTracker, they improve the performance of competitive athletes by bringing elite level analytics to the masses. Their latest innovation, ShotTracker TEAM, captures real-time practice and game stats for basketball teams, and it’s affordable for teams at every level of play.
Headquarters: Mission, Kansas, United States
Industries: Basketball, Software, Sporting Goods, Sports
Founders: Bruce Ianni, Davyeon Ross
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
2. DRAFT
The idea behind this startup: DRAFT is a daily fantasy sports company (DFS). On DRAFT, players do simple drafts (unlike the salary cap format) just like the ones they do at the beginning of their season long leagues, but lasting one day or week, and taking only minutes to complete. DRAFT brings DFS back to what it should have been, a simple, fair and fun game, that was designed for this regulatory environment — with player’s chances of winning on DRAFT being almost 3X better than on FanDuel or DraftKings. DRAFT is backed by Upfront Ventures, The Chernin Group and more.
Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
Industries: American Football, Basketball, Fantasy Sports, Finance, Gaming, Golf, Mobile Apps, Soccer, Sports
Founders: Jeremy Levine, Nicolo Giorgi, Palle Pedersen
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
3. FanWide
The idea behind this startup: December 2017 – FanWide has received written commitments for funding that exceeds this $2,000,000 Series A round. they are continuing to accept investments at the current $8,000,000 valuation for a short time. Please visit our investor’s portal at http://fanwi.de/InvestFanWide for the most updated information about FanWide. FanWide is a free website (http://www.FanWide.com) and app (iOS and Android) that connects sports fans from every team in any city. FanWide promotes in-person game watch parties and develops local fan communities for every pro, college, and international team at sports bars nationwide. These venues bid against each other to host the event using FanWide’s patent-pending event auction system, and the hosts guarantee that the team’s games will be featured with sound! Fan clubs and alumni associations can use FanWide’s services to expand their network, organize events, communicate with local fans, collect and report attendance data, enter contests, receive donations, and activate food or drink discounts from the event host or team sponsors. Sports teams and leagues can use FanWide’s Sports Data Platform to analyze fan engagement, and all of FanWide’s services can be integrated within the team’s own website or app. Incentivized by promotions and discounts, fans from around the country can check in at events and report watch party attendance. This is used to improve accuracy for Out-Of-Home TV ratings, so broadcast and advertising partners will see a measurable increase in viewership among the younger audience that is unsubscribing from cable. FanWide also offers partners new targeted advertising channels through its digital platform and on-site activation at in-person events nationwide which function like an “extended stadium”. Since launching in 2016, Seattle-based FanWide has promoted over 350,000 events at 9,000 hosts for 10,000 fan clubs! Millions of out-of-market fans can use the free FanWide website or app to find the closest viewing party for their favorite team, wherever they are living or traveling. Long-term FanWide wants to provide the world’s leading platform to automatically match hosts with fans of any interest group, including TV shows, gaming, politics, board games, trivia, and more.
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States
Industries: American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Big Data, Cricket, Digital Media, eSports, Event Management, Event Promotion, Events, Golf, Hockey, Hospitality, Restaurants, Rugby, Soccer, Social Network, Sponsorship, Sports, Tennis
Founders: Symon Perriman
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
4. NEX Team
The idea behind this startup: NEX Team is a mobile artificial intelligence company started by a team of second-time entrepreneurs and former Apple, Google, and Facebook engineers and employees. They combine cutting edge mobile, AI, and computer vision technologies with deep community engagement experiences to create utility and joy for athletes and sports communities worldwide. HomeCourt is the first application built with NEX Team’s core technologies. Using only an iPhone camera, HomeCourt can count, track, and chart basketball shots in real-time while providing instant video review and deep statistical analysis. HomeCourt is used by players in 100 countries around the world and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and in Sports Illustrated. It is free to download on the App Store. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, with another office in Hong Kong, the company has raised $4 million in seed funding. Investors include Mark Cuban, Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, Sam Hinkie, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Ventures, and Mandra Capital.
Headquarters: San Jose, California, United States
Industries: Apps, Artificial Intelligence, Basketball, Mobile Apps, Sports
Founders: David Lee, Philip Lam, Reggie Chan, Tony Sung
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
5. Sports Flashes Pvt. Ltd
The idea behind this startup: Sports Flashes operates a sports content app that provides sports news, live scores, fantasy gaming, expert views, trivia, and more.
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
Industries: Basketball, Cricket, Cycling, eSports, Fitness, Golf, Hockey, Sports, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volley Ball
Founders: Raman Raheja
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
6. Shoot 360
The idea behind this startup: Shoot 360 is a basketball development through interactive technology that allows its athletes to test, train, track, and compete. The company focused on raising the bar for basketball training and competition on a global level. Their passion for the game has fueled our progress in developing the most technologically advanced and immersive basketball training and competition experience in the world. Shoot 360 was founded in 2012 and is based in Beaverton, Oregon, USA.
Headquarters: Beaverton, Oregon, United States
Industries: Basketball, Fitness, Sporting Goods, Sports
Founders: Craig Moody
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
7. StatRoute Inc.
The idea behind this startup: StatRoute is a sports technology company providing subscription-based services for Fantasy Sports & Sports Betting Consumers. StatRoute exists to allow all consumers access to any stat, for any player or team in 5-seconds or less. This includes data points not seen anywhere else, on a platform that is customizable and personalized to your specific needs. StatRoute is in development to have solutions for NFL, NBA, and MLB by 2019.
Headquarters: St Louis, Missouri, United States
Industries: American Football, Analytics, Baseball, Basketball, Data Visualization, Fantasy Sports, Gambling, Software, Sports
Founders: Jeff Volaski
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
8. Fullcourt
The idea behind this startup: Fullcourt is the first open platform that connects players, brands, and fans to basketball across the world. It provides basketball players a space to share the information that is currently only shared by spoken word. Now the user has the ability to find and share runs, games and locations anywhere around the world. It is available on iOS and Android. It is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
Headquarters: Santa Monica, California, United States
Industries: Basketball, Events
Founders: Kris Porter, Philip Wilson
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
9. SC30 Inc.
The idea behind this startup: SC30 Inc. is the company responsible for Stephen Curry’s complete off-court business portfolio.
Headquarters: Oakland, California, United States
Industries: Asset Management, Basketball, Sports
Founders: Stephen Curry
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
10. DribbleUp
The idea behind this startup: DribbleUp is the first ever smart basketball to track and analyze your performance.
Headquarters: Woodmere, New York, United States
Industries: Basketball, Software, Sports
Founders: Eric Forkosh
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
11. Purple Viper Basketball League
The idea behind this startup: At Purple Viper Basketball League, we’re all about fun and competitive sports. Our experienced referees allow teams to compete to their highest potential, and to always have a great time whenever we play. We’ve been around since 2000 and are not planning on going anywhere.
Headquarters: Newport Beach, California, United States
Industries: Basketball, Fitness, Recreation, Training
Founders: Louis Wang
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
12. Global Sports Analytics
The idea behind this startup: GSA is a technology company that provides advanced basketball analytics to teams, leagues, media, and fans worldwide. The company’s mission is to change the way global basketball is played, analysed and enjoyed.
Headquarters: Dover, Delaware, United States
Industries: Analytics, Basketball, Information Technology, Software, Sports
Founders: Brandon Smith
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
13. Basketball Forever
The idea behind this startup: Basketball Forever provides basketball fanatics with latest news inside and outside the hard court. It also provides commentary, design, videos and analysis, straight to the palm of your hand. Basketball Forever operates under Forever Network.
Headquarters: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Industries: Basketball, News, Sports
Founders: Alex Sumsky
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
14. Walllabies
The idea behind this startup: We’re bringing in the sport the recent developments in the training of the artificial neural networks and machine learning techniques. The company was born from the union of the passion of the statistical data and the professionalism of accountants experienced professionist in the branch of business valuation and business intelligence. The idea of Wallabies has been developed during an evaluation of theoric value taking into reference one of the best international football team, and, precisely, valuating the multiannual performance of the team sport rights of the list of players. We pay attention of the problem how to enhance the performance of players as object of evaluation, we have shifted the measurement techniques used in international tax practice dictated by the OCSE.
Headquarters: Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Basketball, Fantasy Sports, Information Technology, Machine Learning, Soccer, Software, Sports
Founders: Luigi Marco Libroia
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
15. Rival
The idea behind this startup: A platform for athletes to connect and organize scheduled pick-up basketball games. Rival is here to take your sporting experience to a new level. The app allows you to connect with athletes in your area and organize scheduled pick-up basketball games. Users can join existing games, create their own, and rate their opponents. Create any game structure you prefer whether it be 1 on 1, 5 on 5, or even custom. Once your game has been created, your rivals can officially join on the game page, communicate with you, and eventually compete at a specified time and place. The integrated maps feature enables you to choose from a myriad of locations to compete in. Either choose from a location existing on the database or simply tap an icon on the maps interface. Personalize your profile by adding photos, recording the of amount of games played, and editing your player bio so your competition understands what they are up against. Notifications enable you to stay up to date with the latest communication between your fellow users and provide alerts to games you have created or joined. What are you waiting for? Download and #FindYourRival https://www.instagram.com/rival.app/ Download Links: iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rival-app/id1305676677?mt=8 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.findyourrival.rival&hl=en
Headquarters: Corona, California, United States
Industries: Basketball, Mobile Apps, Sports
Founders: Jasjeet Virk, Karan Amin
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
16. ShotTek Inc
The idea behind this startup: The PeaceShooter team is a group of passionate innovators with a love for basketball. Our vision is to transform the game with our patented wearable motion training technology focused on creating a better experience for kids, coaches and athletes.
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States
Industries: Basketball, Mobile Devices, Sports
Founders: Larry Petersen
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
17. PickApp
The idea behind this startup: PickApp is the app for basketball lovers, for those who practice it now, for those who left it but would like to do it again and for anyone who wants to enjoy this sport. PickApp is the app to share, meet new friends, people who have in common the same as you: enjoy outdoor basketball and maintain a healthy and balanced life. With their slogan “Never play alone” they want to promote outdoor play, without ties or commitments, and to play when, how and where you want.
Headquarters: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Industries: Basketball, Sports
Founders: Unknown
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
18. CBL Basketball
The idea behind this startup: Subscription-based recreational basketball league platform that’s powered by software and cash prizes. The CBL league platform is a disruptive software and mobile app technology for the recreational youth and adult basketball community. The CBL is working to become a one-stop platform for passionate recreational to aspiring college and professional players, coaches, and fans. The platform allows players and coaches to start teams, draft players, schedule games, track stats, get exposure, monetize their passion and love for the game, and amplify themselves on their social media networks. The CBL currently has offices in Tempe, AZ.
Headquarters: Tempe, Arizona, United States
Industries: Basketball, Internet, Mobile, SaaS, Software, Sports
Founders: Jamar Johnson, Robert Branch, Venkatesh Sankaran
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
19. Hooper Tube
The idea behind this startup: Hooper Tube is where basketball meets culture and professional connection. We are the sole medium to where professionals, trainers, or aspiring basketball athletes connect to build greater opportunity in their niche, provide support for one another, and share trending content and basketball insights for enhancing our communities connection to the NBA, basketball, and hooper culture.
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
Industries: Basketball, Information Technology, Professional Networking, Social Media, Social Network, Sports
Founders: Sammy Singh
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
20. Playkok
The idea behind this startup: Playkok offers sports curation services.
Headquarters: Seongdong, Kyonggi-do, South Korea
Industries: Basketball, Sports
Founders: Unknown
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
21. FIGHTBALL
The idea behind this startup: The world’s most intense one-on-one basketball competition. fightball provides ‘all highlights, all the time’, taking one-on-one basketball and giving it a makeover – pushing its speed and intensity up to 11. held after dark in a club setting, fightball pits some of the world’s toughest and most athletic ballers against each other in a show of skill, endurance, strength and passion. and when all is said and done, only one is left standing.
Headquarters: Unknown
Industries: Basketball
Founders: Unknown
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
22. Hoop Secure
The idea behind this startup: At Hoop Secure we have a passion for sports. We established the company in 2017 to solve an age-old problem impacting families all over the world. After replacing portable basketball hoop parts several times and having cars damaged from being blown over by the wind even with etc base filled, we set out to create the best solution for the market today. If you love basketball like us, Hoop Secure can help protect your hoop, property, cars and children, allowing for a safer basketball experience for years to come!
Headquarters: Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
Industries: Basketball, Sports
Founders: Unknown
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
23. New Wave Performance
The idea behind this startup: New Wave is a LLC organization, focused on growing the sport of basketball in the Mid-south region.
Headquarters: Unknown
Industries: Basketball
Founders: Sean LeBeauf
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
24. LEDERWUCHTEL
The idea behind this startup: sporting trade
Headquarters: Unknown
Industries: Basketball, Soccer, Sporting Goods, Sports
Founders: Mark Zechiel
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
25. Utrain
The idea behind this startup: Utrain is a platform connecting athletes and trainers through location services, customized workouts and content sharing. We provide a safe and secure marketplace for athletes and parents to find trainers anytime, anywhere. Likewise, Utrain gives trainers an opportunity to introduce themselves to a comprehensive basketball community of up and coming athletes. This mutual opportunity provides dedicated athletes a chance to elevate their game to a new level while enabling talented trainers to expand their reach. A Win-Win! – Utrain has ZERO sign up fee’s and ZERO annual fees! Sign up and enjoy drill videos, basketball content, the ability to start posting and booking training sessions today. – Utrain Safety Policy ensures you will never pay for a session that does not take place. Utrain ensures payment is made AFTER your session has begun. With push notifications and email reminders, Utrain will give you several opportunities to cancel your session with no fees 24 hours in advance. – Utrain gives you the trainer more control over your business and holds the client accountable as well. Utrain Safety Policy ensures you get paid 75% of the session cost if the client does not show up and did not cancel 24 hours in advance. – Utrain is a transactional marketplace for you to be able to accept secure automated payments electronically and post sessions for clients to find based on location services. Your Utrain profile is fully customizable in order to promote your brand through Utrain. Your profile will have a link for your website, brand logo attachment, and customizable banner in every profile bio that is specifically there for you to be able to promote your brand to the Utrain basketball community.
Headquarters: Unknown
Industries: Apps, Basketball, Training
Founders: Unknown
Follow this startup or buy their offering:
