What is EBAN Sports?
EBAN Sports is the Community reserved to EBAN Members and individuals affiliated with our Members who are early stage investors interested in the SportsTech vertical. EBAN Sports organizes knowledge exchanges, dealflow showcases and networking activities intended to drive the growth of SportsTech early stage investing across Europe. Find out more below about how to become a member of EBAN Sports or how founders can present. their startups to us.
The current SportsTech landscape
In recent years, the SportsTech sector has emerged as a dynamic and innovative field, blending technology with sports to enhance performance, fan engagement, and overall experiences. As the demand for innovative solutions in sports continues to grow, the potential for investment in SportsTech presents a unique opportunity for European business angels.
The SportsTech sector encompasses a wide range of technologies and innovations, including wearable devices, data analytics, virtual and augmented reality, and digital platforms that enhance athletic performance and fan engagement. With the increasing integration of technology in sports, the market is ripe for investment. European business angels are in a unique position to capitalize on this growth by supporting startups and initiatives that are shaping the future of sports.
Our objectives for this community
📣 Promote Investment Opportunities: Highlight the lucrative investment potential within the SportsTech industry, emphasizing emerging trends, market growth, and successful case studies.
🪙 Support Entrepreneurs: Create a supportive ecosystem for SportsTech entrepreneurs by providing resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities that facilitate their growth and success.
🤝 Foster Collaboration: Build partnerships between investors, entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders in the SportsTech space to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing.
📜 Advocate for Initiatives: Identify and promote initiatives that support the development of SportsTech, including funding opportunities, accelerator programs, and educational workshops.
Activitives
Steering Comittee
Audra Shallal
EBAN Sports Co-Chair, President of Corenvest
Audra Shallal is an expert in Women’s Entrepreneurship and Angel Investment in the EMEA region. She promotes Entrepreneurship and Angel Investing through Programs, Mentoring, Business Plan Competitions, Business Angel Networks and Women’s Economic Empowerment within the EU and the MENA region. Audra has played a key role in launching the Enterprise Financing Network within the MENA-OECD Investment Programme which creates a unique platform to connect entrepreneurs, financiers, research bodies and policymakers in order to improve the conditions for financing entrepreneurship.
Investment Interest
Healthtech and Wearable technologies
Juan Fuentes Fernández
EBAN Sports Co-Chair
Juan Fuentes is a cross-border investor in nine start-ups related to sports and entertainment. His investment thesis focuses on supporting industry-related start-ups that have already achieved product-market fit and are in early expansion phase. (He does not invest in projects related to professional football.) Juan is a member of the Finnish Angel Network (FIBAN) and strategic partner of EPSI (European Platform of Sports Innovation). He has served as a mentor in the Techstars Sports Tech Accelerator in the USA and as a jury member in various startup competitions both nationally and internationally. Additionally, he has acted as an advisor on boards (ecosystem players/VC funds).
Investment Interest
Sports Entertainment
Rohn Malhotra
Managing Director at SportsTechX
Rohn Malhotra is a serial entrepreneur with over 17+ years of experience as a founder and mentor to multiple startups, after starting his career as a management consultant at KPMG. He currently operates in two roles: as Founder & Managing Director of Berlin-based SportsTechX, the leading market intelligence company for sports innovation, and as Investment Director at Match Ventures, a prominent European SportsTech VC. A regular speaker at industry conferences, Rohn also serves as a mentor and judge at startup accelerators and competitions, and guest lecturer at various Sports MBA programs.
Investment Interest
Wearables, Fan Experience, Broadcast Tech & Smart Venues
Edgardo da Fonseca
Co-président Sophia Business Angels
Edgardo da Fonseca has an Electronics Engineer degree plus a MBA and more than 25 years of experience in the computer and telecom industry. Involved in SBA ecossystem, he lends his expertise in the areas of building and growing international teams. Real serial entrepreneur, he created and developed several companies. With Ascend Communication, he developed significant cross-fertilization exchanges, swapping skills and sharing best practices with geographically distributed teams between the Silicon Valley and Sophia Antipolis (the European Valley). Recognized as a thought leader in the field of entrepreneurship, he is often invited to speak at conferences and participates in round tables. Edgardo also lectures at SKEMA and EDHEC (business schools) where his courses include International Development and Management. He is the founding President of Sophia Business Angels, a private investors club. Former sportive and passionate about the sport, he was President of the Rugby Club Antibes Sophia Antipolis and he climbed the Kilimanjaro.
Investment Interest
Professional Sports (Rugby)
Daniel Kulig
Founder at DK Mentoring, Executive at Svexa (Silicon Valley based sportstech company)
Daniel Kulig is an angel investor, startup mentor, and co-founder of four tech startups, with a finance background from a US university and over 20 years of business experience in the USA and Europe. Since 2016, He has invested in sportstech, healthtech, and medtech companies, focusing on innovative solutions and strong teams. He currently co-run Svexa, a Silicon Valley-based sportstech company. His expertise includes helping startups enter and scale in the US market, specializing in “soft landing” strategies, market entry, and growth. With over 5,000 hours of mentoring, he brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial experience, financial acumen, American dynamism, and European relationship-building to every venture he supports.
Investment Interest
HealthTech, Telemedicine & Remote Care, Mental Health & Well-being, SportsTech
Albert Colomer i Espinet
Founder and Vice-President of BANC
Albert has been at the forefront of the angel investor movement in Spain. In 2002, he co-founded and became executive director of the Business Angel Network Catalunya BANC, the first Spanish angel network, which he led. Additionally in 2006 he co-founded ESBAN, a private foundation to raising awareness and promoting angel investment and Business Angels Networks in Spain. Since 2003, Albert is member of the Board of EBAN. Albert has been appointed by the Parliament of Catalonia as member of the Advisory Board of the Catalan Institute of Finance, the public credit institution of the Government of Catalonia. During his career, Albert has gathered a profound knowledge of the entrepreneurship skills. As a consultant, advisor, coach or business angel, His experience in entrepreneurial field, over 25 years, has helped thousands start-ups and entrepreneurs to born and grow. He is co-founder (1986) and executive director of CPAC (Fundació Privada per a la Promoció de l’Autoocupació de Catalunya), an independent charity with a mission to help people and organizations to be entrepreneurs.
Investment Interest
Vesa Lehtinen
CEO and Founder Corenvest Oy
Vesa Lehtinen is a very hands-on minded angel investor, business development executive & board professional focusing on internationalizing success stories. Lately concentrated on international field of cyber security, medical technology and pharmacy automation; electric vehicles, SaaS business, consumer electronics, professional tooling, eCommerce, food tech and last but not the least – on a new innovation for personal experience of fresh coffee. Experience in developing, branding and managing a rapidly growing companies. A proven track record from the fastest growing electronic financial service centre in Finland. An experience in exporting e.g. Itella Plc’s (Finland Post) digital business accounting concept, several medical technology concepts and having responsibility of internationalization strategies and business development in many companies. Startup development and entrepreneur coaching are his daily interest.
Investment Interest
Automotive and Motorsports
Heikki Rotko
Executive Chairman at Choicely
Juan Fuentes is a cross-border investor in nine start-ups related to sports and entertainment. His investment thesis focuses on supporting industry-related start-ups that have already achieved product-market fit and are in early expansion phase. (He does not invest in projects related to professional football.) Juan is a member of the Finnish Angel Network (FIBAN) and strategic partner of EPSI (European Platform of Sports Innovation). He has served as a mentor in the Techstars Sports Tech Accelerator in the USA and as a jury member in various startup competitions both nationally and internationally. Additionally, he has acted as an advisor on boards (ecosystem players/VC funds).
Investment Interest
Sports Entertainment and media
Nina Rautiainen
Innovation & Growth Ecosystem Jyväskylä
With over five years of experience of networking in the field of Sport, health and wellbeing, Nina has been able to build bridges from Finland in the Nordics as well as around Europe. She is excited to join EBAN Sport steering group in 2025 in engage angel investing in sport. With over five years of experience of networking in the field of Sport, health and wellbeing, Nina has been able to build bridges from Finland in the Nordics as well as around Europe. She is excited to join EBAN Sport steering group in 2025 in engage angel investing in sport.
Investment Interest
Sports, health, and wellbeing
