Brussels, Belgium – 1st of April, 2025 – The European Business Angels Network (EBAN), Europe’s leading early-stage investor network, is proud to announce the launch of EBAN Sports, a new initiative aimed at fostering innovation and investment in the global sports technology sector. As part of EBAN’s ongoing commitment to supporting entrepreneurship and driving economic growth, EBAN Sports will serve as a dedicated platform to connect angel investors, startups, and industry leaders within the rapidly growing sports ecosystem.

The launch of EBAN Sports was officially announced at Galicia Sportech Congress 2025. The event provided the perfect setting to unveil this ambitious initiative, bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from across the continent.

Jacopo Losso, EBAN’s Director General, expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative:
“Sports have always been a unifying force globally. With EBAN Sports, another vertical within EBAN, we aim to provide our investors with dedicated networks to foster investments and offer startups a dedicated space to fuel their growth.”

EBAN Sports is designed to capitalize on the immense opportunities within the sports industry, which has seen exponential growth in areas such as sports performance, fan engagement, venue management, and fitness. By leveraging EBAN’s extensive network of investors and partners across Europe and beyond, this initiative will provide investors with a dedicated space to connect, while offering startups access to funding and mentorship from experienced investors.

Audra Shallal, Co-Chair of EBAN Sports, stated:
“With EBAN Sports, we’re building a platform to empower startups and investors to shape the future of this fast-growing, complex, and dynamic sector.”

Juan Fuentes, Co-Chair of EBAN Sports, added:
“By connecting investors with visionary entrepreneurs, we aim to drive innovation in sports and create lasting value for both the industry and society.”

The EBAN Sports steering committee consists of nine distinguished members: Co-Chairs Audra Shallal and Juan Fuentes, along with Edgardo da Fonseca, Vesa Lehtinen, Daniel Kulig, Heikki Rotko, Nina Rautiainen, Rohn Malhotra, and Albert Colomer. Each member brings extensive experience as an investor—whether as a business angel or venture capitalist—as well as expertise in ecosystem building, startup mentoring, and/or the sports industry. Collectively, they represent a broad geographical reach across Europe, including Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, and Poland

EBAN invites startups, investors, and industry stakeholders to join the network. For business angels and investors from EBAN member networks, or investors interested in sports. Eban Sports – EBAN

About EBAN
The European Business Angels Network (EBAN) is the pan-European representative for early-stage investors. With over 150 member organizations across more than 50 countries, EBAN supports the development of angel investing through advocacy, networking events, training programs, and research initiatives.