2023.03.01 - 2023.03.01
00:00 - 00:00
Spanish soccer giants Barcelona plan to invest in technology startups through their Barcelona Innovation Hub (BIHUB) initiative.
The LaLiga leaders say they are interested in early stage companies that share their “values and passion” for sport. In exchange for a shareholding in the companies, Barca will provide access to their brand assets.
Barca say the startup portfolio will place the club at the cutting edge of sports technology, while giving the companies involved a high-profile platform for growth.
Barca’s first two investments are in accessibility startup Visualfy, which develops technology to help people with learning disabilities attend sporting events, and wearable data analytics firm Oliver, which focuses on amateur and regional teams.
“Everyone should have equal access to stadiums, and the Visualfy technology will help make this a reality,” said Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
“[And] we know that grassroots teams are the lifeblood of football, and we want to support their development and growth as much as we can.”
The shift to more direct involvement with the startup ecosystem marks the latest evolution in BIHUB, which was established in 2017 as an ecosystem of academics, students, startups and investors that would benefit not just the club, but wider society.
BIHUB made the announcement at the ‘Sports Tomorrow Congress’, staged at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in the Catalan capital. The key themes this year were the metaverse and artificial intelligence (AI). Barca also cited their agreement with the Barcelona Supercomputing centre as the first step towards building a digital twin of their soon to be renovated Camp Nou stadium.
The €1.5 billion (US$1.6 billion) project is viewed as a ‘catalyst’ for the digital transformation of the club, with connectivity, cyber security, big data and AI among the most pressing priorities.
