LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have launched a global sports innovation platform designed to forge strategic collaborations with emerging startups, building on the success of their previous accelerator programs with R/GA.
The Global Sports Venture Studio will approach innovation as a team sport, according to the club, which is owned by Guggenheim Baseball Management, a consortium that includes current and former executives from the global investment firm Guggenheim Partners.
The Studio will connect partners from sports, technology and entertainment, including e-sports organizations, sports betting and fantasy sports platforms. Startups will be selected to align with partners' strategic objectives.
"The Dodgers' organization has seen great success with our previous accelerator programs by embracing disruption and taking a close look at new technologies and shifts in consumer behavior," said Dodgers chief financial officer Tucker Kain. "We now want to open up this platform for others in the global sports and startup ecosystem to experiment with innovation, share success and grow as an industry."
The Dodgers-owned Elysian Park Ventures is among a handful of partners that provide capital investment and access to research primarily for growth-stage startups, but all startups in all geographic locations are encouraged to apply for the program.
"Our programs are designed to provide value to our corporate program partners and to startups," said Stephen Plumlee, global chief operating officer of R/GA and managing partner of R/GA Ventures. "By evolving the program model toward a more collaborative and global approach, the Global Sports Venture Studio will better enable program partners to capitalize on disruptive technologies and emerging consumer behaviors on an ongoing basis."