Sports Loft Podcast
Jul 17, 2020
Sports Loft Member Series: an interview with Spalk CEO Ben Reynolds
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Drew Barrand from Sports Loft talks to Ben Reynolds, CEO and co-founder of Spalk. They chat about how the company was formed by friends on a sofa watching sport, what the company does to support broadcasting and commentary and about how covid accelerated growth.
More episodes from Sports Loft Podcast
Sep 22, 2023
WISE Ventures: supporting the evolution of next-gen businesses
In the latest episode of the Sports Loft Podcast, Yanni is joined by Konrad von Moltke, principal of New York-based investment group, WISE Ventures.
Within the WISE portfolio, you'll find familiar names like Sports Loft member companies Tagboard and FEVO, plus former member Slate, and many more across the sports, media and entertainment space.
Konrad takes us behind the scenes at WISE, revealing why the firm likes to assume board positions in their investments, the art of crafting a robust cap table, and his secret for juggling numerous moving parts and projects (hint: you've just got to stay impeccably organised!).In September's 'Investor's View' episode Konrad also explains that for him, one of the most important skills for a founder to have is the ability to sell a vision.
Timestamps: 08:30 – Tech adoption in sports organisations 14:00 – The WISE thesis and strategic approach 19:30 – Active deployment in 2023 23:00 – Why take board positions 25:00 – Tagboard and building a great cap table 28:00 – What do you look for in founding teams? 35:00 – The strength of being organised
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Sep 13, 2023
How star signing drive fandom, and is short-form content king?
This week on the podcast, Yanni is joined by a trio of industry experts, including Kristen Rodgers, the sports and media partnerships lead at Tagboard, Matt Gentry, 77 Sports Management’s managing director and Andy Selby, Sports Loft’s very own head of strategy.
Our first discussion kicks off with a deep dive into how leagues that sit outside of Europe’s top tier are using star signings to grow their fanbases. Our guests examine the Messi transfer to Inter Miami and the arrivals of Ronaldo, Benzema, and Henderson in the Saudi Pro League, exploring their impact on the league's popularity.
Moving on, we dig into the changing consumption habits in sports media, fueled by the rise of short-form content. With YouTube execs expressing concern that Shorts is cannibalising its core product, Matt, Kristen and Andy discuss what’s driving the shift to bitesize formats and what it means for sports. Plus, they examine the evolving strategies of young athletes, as they navigate the world of content and find themselves becoming influencers and content creators.
Timestamps:
* 07:00 – Messi to Inter Miami
* 09:00 – Athletes as creators
* 12:45 – Building athlete brands
* 18:00 – Saudi Pro League vs MLS
* 22:00 – Athletes as investors
* 30:00 – Short-form vs long-form content
* 36:00 – How social media is impacting other formats
* 41:00 – Young athletes navigating social media
* 44:00 – The success of the docuseries format
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Aug 25, 2023
West River Group: investing in the global innovation economy
In the fourth episode of this summer's Investor's View series, we welcome Anthony Bontrager, managing director of West River Group.
Anthony's 25 years of experience spans founding his own businesses, holding board positions at a number of portfolio companies, and leading the technology investment practice at West River. Tech is just one of the four sectors the 'investment platform' focuses on, with experience (ie. entertainment), decarbonisation, and life sciences being the rest. Sport intersects with those in a number of interesting ways, which is why we had to invite Anthony on the podcast.
Over the course of our conversation Anthony explains what he's looking for when founders approach West River for funding, what he and the group can offer once a deal is done, and how entrepreneurs should be operating in the current economic landscape. It's a fascinating chat with tens of takeaways for those looking to build their own businesses.
Timestamps:
* 02:15 – The West River Group thesis and proposition
* 05:30 – Where sports comes into the equation
* 10:00 – The power of data in the sports space
* 14:00 – What makes a good founder from the VC perspective?
* 21:00 – Negotiation, valuation and setting terms
* 29:00 – The impact of the interest rate shake-up
* 35:00 – The next geographical tech hubs
* 40:00 – AI and other areas of interest
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