Member Article

London Sport launches 'first of its kind' sport technology incubator

A new tech hub that will nurture some of the capital’s most promising SportTech and FitTech startups is set to open in 2017 as part of a partnership between London Sport and London & Partners.

The SportTech hub will be housed in London Sport’s forthcoming ‘House of Sport’ building and provide tech and digital startups with access to the sport and fitness sector, along with facilities and programmes aimed at fostering collaboration and innovation.

Open to early-stage companies, the incubator will attempt to channel the capital’s thriving tech scene into products and initiatives that get more Londoners active and engaging with sport in their communities.

London Sport’s not-for-profit ‘House of Sport’ venture will be the first of its kind in the city, providing space for 150 to 200 people in a dedicated four-storey office block to help foster collaboration within the sport sector.

Peter Fitzboydon, Chief Executive, London Sport said partnerships and collaborations with technology was the ‘biggest opportunity’ for getting more people into sport and making London one of the world’s most active cities.:

He said: “London’s standing as a global hub of tech innovation makes it the perfect place to form these partnerships, and this new tech hub will create an environment which breaks down barriers and opens up opportunities for start-ups, for the sport-sector and, ultimately, for people in London and around the world who want to be more active in a way that works for them.”

Scott Thompson, Chief Commercial Officer, London & Partners said that the new sport incubator would build on similar initiatives such as the Travel Tech lab, with more potentially on the way.

He said: “From sports tech to events tech, we see an opportunity across a range of technology sectors to establish incubators which bring together the right people from London’s tech community.

“We have already had some great success supporting the growth of some of London’s most exciting travel technology start-ups with our Travel Tech lab and we look forward to replicating this with the sports technology incubator.”