Stanislas de Villelongue

Here are some challenges the sports world is currently facing and will face soon: 🏟 Costs of Organizing Competitions: After the record-high costs of the Sochi Games, there is a consensus to achieve "more with less." The upcoming Paris and LA Games will test whether this approach is effective. 🏒 Professionalization of Athletes: Athletes' unions are actively working to recognize athletes' economic activities at both national and international levels, along with the benefits that come with it. ⚖ Governance: Good #governance principles are still lacking globally. Corruption scandals continue to emerge despite public efforts to prevent them. Court decisions have allowed certain stakeholders to demand more influence, but the absence of basic governance standards will continue to challenge sports autonomy. 🗺 Globalization: The debate continues between adopting an American or European sports model or a hybrid solution to support worldwide expansion, balancing the professional and social aspects of sports. 🕹 Match Fixing: Advanced algorithms will help NFs and governing bodies in detecting fraud. The rise of AI is expected to anticipate many attempts before they occur. 🏥 Anti-Doping: Recent initiatives proposing competitions without doping controls have disrupted the sports ecosystem. The success of these initiatives depends on the monetization of broadcasting and marketing revenues. ▶ Dual Career: Despite efforts from companies, few former athletes secure positions beyond sales or administration. Improved training conditions have extended athletes' careers, making it harder for older athletes to transition to the labor market. 🚺 Women’s Sports: Issues such as pregnancy and maternity rights, gender-based violence, solidarity, and equal pay have been long-standing. 🗣 Stakeholder Representation: Athletes, teams, and leagues are advocating for more independent, democratic, and effective representation. Following the introduction of NIL in the USA and the IOC’s Rule 40 regulating athletes’ commercial activities (including image rights and data), athletes will increasingly demand more opportunities to exploit their rights. ⚽ New Leagues: The push to end the monopoly of sports bodies (mostly in Europe) has elicited varied reactions within the sports ecosystem, encouraging some leagues and clubs to hope for systemic change, including different revenue redistribution. Conversely, to protect the value of established brands, owners and organizers will attempt to limit competition from new entities. 💸 Expansion of Private Equity (PE): The influx of capital into European sports clubs and leagues favored by USD/EUR FX is gradually reshaping the European sports landscape. These challenges highlight the complex and evolving nature of the sports industry. Addressing them will require collaboration among stakeholders, innovative solutions, and a commitment to fairness and integrity.

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The sports tech industry in France is absolutely booming. Paris, in fact, surpassing the rest of the country and was ranked second (in 2022) of all the European cities in terms of the amount of money raised in the sports tech industry over the last few years. These are the sports tech startups to watch 🇫🇷 #sport #tech #startups #sportstech #entrepreneurs #france Teebike, Motherfitness, Addict Sports, SmartSwing Inc., Perform VR, Alltricks, VALEURSPORT CONSULTING, SportsDynamics, SportEasy, SearchYourTeam 👏 Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/dwcV3jkc

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Only 4% of EU VC's have previous startup experience... versus 60% in US  In CVC in EU it will even be worse... (educated guess)  There are some more interesting insights on the low level of support by VC's, the needs from startups, .... in the article below  This confirms also the need for more VC Platform roles in the EU #vcplatform (see my previous post on VC Platform roles)  #venturecapital 

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Time to step up Germany 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 Corporations have pledged to invest €15bn in France at the “Choose France” summit — an annual event held since 2018 to facilitate foreign investments in the country. A large chunk of the money will be dedicated to AI. Microsoft stole the show after announcing its largest investment in France to date, a €4bn cash envelope to build more data centres — and expand existing ones — across the country by the end of 2025. The focus is on increasing the capacity of GPUs, which are needed to run large AI models. Amazon also announced that it’ll invest €1.2bn to further develop its French cloud and AI infrastructure. Quantum computing was also on the agenda. IBM pledged to invest €45m to expand the company’s research efforts in France. Up to 50 quantum researchers and engineers will be recruited in the country in the next year.

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What a groundbreaking initiative! This exciting proposal reflects the IOC’s commitment to staying current and engaging with all generations. 🌐 Embracing the Digital Era: As the world evolves, so does the Olympic Movement. With the Olympic eSports Games, the IOC is stepping into the digital realm, reaching out to younger audiences and embracing the future of sports. 🤝 Connecting with Everyone: The Olympic Movement has always been about unity, and now more than ever, it’s talking to everyone. From traditional sports to virtual competitions, the IOC is fostering connections across boundaries. #IOC #eSports #Olympics

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Financial Overview: The State of Premiership Rugby in 2023 With all the clubs having now released their FY23 financials, let's take a look at the state of Premiership Rugby's finances. The latest reports show that, despite fiscal safeguards such as the salary cap, none of the league's clubs turned a profit, raising concerns about its financial sustainability. 🔍 Key Highlights from My Latest Blog: • Salary Cap Evolution: The salary cap has been pivotal for competitive balance since its introduction in 1999. However, its upcoming increase to £6.4 million for the 2024–25 season poses further challenges. • Revenue Streams: All clubs faced revenue shortfalls relative to operating costs. Harlequins led the revenue charts at £26.8 million, while Saracens recorded a significant loss of over £5 million, reflecting the financial strain. • Wage-to-Revenue Ratios: Rising salaries have strained the clubs, with some ratios exceeding 70%. However, with proactive measures to manage costs, diversify revenue streams, and grow the grassroots playing base, there's hope for sustainable progress. Take a look and let me know your thoughts! #PremiershipRugby #SportsFinance #SustainableRugby

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Hi True story and the Ultimate Guide! I was chatting with the CMO of a top French football club, and he was puzzled. Despite having a passionate fan base and a 30,000-seat stadium, their match day revenues paled in comparison to a German club with 40,000 seats. The German club rakes in €11 million each match day—€135.64 per fan! Meanwhile, the French club manages just €1.35 million, or €22.14 per fan. The reason? Innovation—or rather, the lack of it. Today, I’m excited to share our newly published Ultimate Guide to SportsTech🎉 Packed with: - 24 real-life case studies - 10 cutting-edge GenAI use cases - Best practices - A proven roadmap to build your AI and innovation strategy Michael Phelps once said, “If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people are not willing to do.” So here it is, a game-changing resource for all leaders in the sports ecosystem. Want a free copy? Just comment “ultimate guide” below, and I'll make sure you get it. 🚀 And you find my work meaningful and want more, please comment or share… It will simply help this post reach those who may need it right now… #SportsTech #Innovation #AI #SportsBusiness #UltimateGuide

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Everything you need to know in #SportsBiz today:   1. Kylian Mbappe set to purchase Ligue 2 club SM Caen for £17m, according to Le Parisien 2. Australia's Sportstech sector now valued at AUS$4.69bn says new report 3. Former Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer working on a US-based F1 entry (that's not Andretti) 4. DAZN beats Movistar+ to secure exclusive Serie A rights in Spain until 2026/27 5. PIF willing to buy a stake in Durham-based Hundred franchise, reports The Times 6. PGA TOUR launches 'The Creator Classic' featuring golf influencers with ramped streaming options for fans 7. ESPN records second-most watched Belgian GP with an average of 1.1m US viewers 8. New Ofcom report reveals less than half of Gen Z watch TV each week 9. DraftKings' Reignmakers NFT marketplace shuts down amid legal issues 10. NBCUniversal expects to surpass $1.25bn in ad revenue for Paris 2024 11. adidas records double-digit growth in Q2 2024, with revenues up 11% YoY 12. San Diego Wave president Jill Ellis sues former employee for defamation over workplace allegations 13. Brazilian wonderkid Endrick becomes Red Bull brand ambassador   Keep your finger on the pulse with all the major stories and news announcements by checking out The Wire - our one-stop shop and super-feed of sports business news 👉 https://lnkd.in/dJKSjMv5

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TRU-MOTION is a game changer (I know, everyone says that) But, imagine creating a new way of experiencing a game LIVE. Not being restricted to broadcast cameras angles. Choose any player’s POV. Video games can have the data so the players move like the real players. Coaches and analysts can do their stuff from any angle. Pundits can use it live. Real-time offside calls. Fans can stick a VR headset on in hospitality and be in the centre circle. Loads of possibilities. And as for the commercials? Genuinely a new sports rights revenue stream…already in the MLS, who’s next? #soccerex #sportsbiz #sportstech

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Tomorrow I’m lucky to be hosting a panel with three exceptional founders: - Gilles Gaillard - Co-founder of Animaj, raised 100m EUR (in equity and debt) in 2023 to build an AI-powered animation studio that counts 𝗮 stunning 15 billion (!) YouTube views per year. Animaj acquires animation and cartoon franchises to turn them into digital-first content and amplifies their distribution using AI. - Baptiste Jamin - Co-founder of Crisp IM, 42 alumni, also can be called the “King of Bootstrap”. He started building chatbots in 2015, 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹. Crisp centralises all customer interactions through live chat, chatbots, and a shared inbox. Today Crisp serves over 600,000 companies without raising any funds. - Vincent SIMON - Co-founder of Relationchips and founder of Simundia. Vincent is a serial entrepreneur & investor who founded a coaching platform that raised over 15m EUR & is currently working on a no-code sales workflow platform. What do they have in common? They started their career as freelancers and worked their way up to become highly successful entrepreneurs. 👉 Join us at Le Wagon tomorrow at 7pm to hear their story. We’ll also host a networking session for you to meet people from our community who are working on projects that might interest you. 🔗Link to register in the comments.

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Undoubtedly a game-changing deal in the football industry 🔥 👀 Kylian Mbappé’s own investment firm, Interconnected Ventures, has completed the acquisition of French Ligue 2 team Stade Malherbe Caen for a reported €20 million valuation 🔵🔴 Interconnected Ventures acquired Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.'s 80% stake in the club, meaning that Mbappé will become majority owner alongside Mediawan founder and CEO Pierre Antoine Capton, who will maintain his 20% minority shareholding position. This deal will see Kylian become one of the youngest majority owners of a professional sports team, and one of the only players still in activity. ➡️ Context Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. had acquired the club in September 2020 alongside Pierre-Antoine Capton, for a total investment of between €15 and €20 million. They led a restructuring process over the past 3 years and capitalized on one of the best performing academies in France to balance the operating losses. 2022/23 financials: €14.8 million total revenue €14.7 million total wages €(2.8) million post-player transfers net result ➡️ Deal As explained by The Athletic (link below) in a recent column, a company called KEWJF (Kylian, Ethan, Wilfried, Jires and Fayza) was created in 2017. "Commercial growth saw KEWJF’s revenues rise each year. The company declared turnover of €12.2million (£10.3m/$13.3m at current rates) in 2021. Last year, Forbes estimated that figure at $20m." In 2022, Mbappe set up his own production company, called Zebra Valley and headquartered in Los Angeles, to produce media content across sports, music, art, technology and youth culture - and represented by WME Sports. Zebra Valley announced a a multiyear content creation partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in June 2022 and another multiyear first-look deal with Skydance Sports, the sports content division of Skydance, in October 2022. ➡️ What's next Zebra Valley is already producing an exclusive documentary on Mbappé to be distributed on Netflix - we can imagine that a documentary on the club's acquisition process and new project will soon follow. Interconnected Ventures' CEO Ziad Hammoud is expected to become President of Stade Malherbe Caen - it will be interesting to see how the new management team of the club is designed. The two-time Ligue 2 champions, established in 1913, start the new campaign by hosting Paris FC on August 17th. The anecdote which might not be just an anecdote is that Mbappé nearly signed for Caen as a youngster after the club saw his potential to be a future star and the family considered it a healthy and sheltered enivoronment for the youngster - but the deal fell through when Caen were relegated from Ligue 1 and he signed for AS Monaco. Way into the future, he could even play for his own club, just as Didier Drogba did at United Soccer League (USL) side Phoenix Rising Football Club in 2017. Congrats to the Interconnected Ventures team!

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Exciting News! Our partnership renewal with Engen is making waves on Bizcommunity.com! Dive into the article to learn more about our continued commitment to driving positive change through sports and community engagement. #Mscsports #Engen #Partnership #SportsDevelopment #Sponsorship #ImpactMarketing

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As the 2024 Euros kick off tonight, it's a perfect time to reflect on the unique opportunities this tournament brings! The Euros captivate millions of fans worldwide, creating significant entrepreneurial opportunities. Major events like these provide a global stage for businesses to showcase their products, services, and innovations to an international audience. Entrepreneurs, much like athletes, need resilience, optimism, motivation, discipline, adaptability, and persistence to succeed. The widespread attention from the Euros offers a chance to leverage these traits, promoting their ventures and connecting with like-minded individuals. The influx of tourism, extensive media coverage, and heightened online engagement during such events also significantly boost local economies and startups. As the world tunes in, Euros 2024 becomes a beacon of entrepreneurial creativity and economic growth. Let's embrace the excitement and seize the opportunities! 🌍⚽🚀 #Euros2024 #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #Resilience #Optimism #Motivation #Discipline #Adaptability #Persistence

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This technology will be so useful for promoters in the combat sports industry... We will finally be able to provide detailed analysis to our sponsors, on the value of the advertising we provided. With so many digital channels for engaging fans, it was impossible to monitor the exposure of brands sponsors, but now with Sponsorlytix this is about to change.

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🫵WANTED! Specific request just in from one of our clients! 🔍 Exclusive opportunity for a strategic partnership with one of our top-tier sports brand client. Client with global fan base looking for the following solutions: - AI Fan Engagement Platform - ⁠Smart Infrastructure Management and Optimization Platform Know a founder who should seize this opportunity? Connect with me via comment or DM for further details. #SportsTech #StrategicPartnership #Innovation David Olwyn

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Dear Network, I'm thrilled to share that Yoursportz is on the cusp of transforming the way amateur sports enthusiasts engage with their passion. As the founder of Yoursportz, we are dedicated to providing a seamless, all-in-one platform for players, teams, and fans. 🚀 Why Yoursportz? 🎥 Multi-Camera Angles: Capture every moment with our cutting-edge multi-camera view system, enhancing game experience like never before. 📊 Comprehensive Stats: Track player and team statistics to celebrate achievements and track progress. 🏆 Easy Tournament Creation: Organize and manage tournaments effortlessly, making every game day a breeze. 👥 Dynamic Team Creation: Build and customize your teams with ease, fostering community and collaboration. We believe that sports bring people together, and Yoursportz is here to make that connection stronger than ever. Whether you're a player, coach, or fan, Yoursportz is your ultimate hub for all things sports. 🏅 Join us on this exciting journey and be part of the future of amateur sports! 🚀 👉 Stay tuned for our official launch. Connect with us at navin.mishra@yoursportz.in for investment inquiries and more information. #Yoursportz #AmateurSports #SportsTech #GameChanger #InnovationInSports #SportsCommunity #TechInSports #AthleteLife #SportsFans #StartupLife #FutureOfSports #SportsInnovation #ConnectAndCompete

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Europe's tech market has some catching up to do. #eu #techmarket #technology #techcompanies #marketvalue #financing #growthcapital #scaleups #commercialisation

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