Sports Pundit Podcast Network

Today’s Episode, I’m joined my Michael Dhulst.Michael is the Co-Founder and CEO of supertri, formerly known as Super League Triathlon. Since its bold emergence in 2017, this is a league which as carved out a well-earned reputation for disruption - built from the outset to shake up the swim-bike-run events space. Now, under its new supertri brand they aim to further embrace their ‘challenger’ status and build on the foundations they have put in place as the short-form specialists, aspiring to be to triathlon what Twenty20 is to cricket. And in order to get there, Dhulst and his co-founders, Leonid Boguslavsky and four-time triathlon world champion Chris McCormack, are putting their own capital, passion, and expertise on the line. Time Stamps: 2:00 - Initial Interest in Triathlon 5:00 - Identifying a Gap in the Market8:00 - What is supertri? 11:00 - Transitioning from Mass Participation to Spectator Sport13:00 - Unlocking New Venue Opportunities17:00 - Creating a Team Format 25:00 - Capitalising on the Olympics30:00 - Generating Revenues without the Big Media Cheque34:00 - Analysing the Competition… 37:00 - Hosting the eSports World Championships for Triathlon Additional LinksVideo: Introducing supertriSupertri rebrand builds on Super League Triathlon’s disruptive ethosWorld Triathlon and Super League Triathlon unite for new esports seriesPodcast: How Zwift Challenged the Tour de France with Kate VeronneauConnect with Michael on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by CiCi Bellis. Cici is the Founder and General Partner of Cartan Capital as well as a former professional tennis player. Still only 24 years old, she’s never let age be a barrier, famously having won a match at the 2014 US Open as a 15 year-old against a top 20 opponent. Having failed to shake-off a recurring injury, CiCi announced her retirement in 2020 and she has set to work on reaching the top in the world of venture.This was initially set in motion thanks to WTA’s partnership with Indiana University where CiCi got her degree. She then joined leAD Sports and Health Tech Partners Investment Team before setting up as a solo GP and launching Cartan Capital in 2023, a $10 million pledge fund focused similarly on sports and health but more specifically now leveraging her network and her experience as an athlete. Time Stamps 2:00 - Early Professional Tennis Career 5:00 - Developing an Interest in Venture Capital 12:00 - Cartan Capital's Areas of Interest 15:00 - The Opportunity in the Wearables Space 18:00 - Cartan’s Investment into Proto Holograms23:00 - Investing into Sports Betting 27:00 - Finding a Silver Lining to First Hand Experiences in Rehab and Recovery29:00 - The MASSIVE Opportunity to Invest into Femtech 35:00 - Attracting attention from Female Founders and Athlete Founders Additional LinksCartan Capital's Monthly NewsletterFormer tennis pro CiCi Bellis on launching her own VC to invest in sports and health techHow former WTA World No. 35 launched a $10MM Sports & Health Tech FundCartan Capital Invests in Proto HologramFlo Health on how its content drove daily app usage with pregnant mothers - ABBA Voyage passes 2 million tickets soldConnect with CiCi on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Chris Busey.Chris is vice president of DEI & Community Impact at the United Soccer League.A league which recently launched its signature diversity, equity and inclusion program: USL Forward. This multi-dimensional, leaguewide initiative prioritizes professional development for technical staff, league and club executives with the intention of increasing racial and gender diversity in leadership roles throughout the USL’s ecosystem.Having previously spent time in academia, including at Texas State and the University of Florida, where he was an assistant and then associate professor, Busey only more recently made the move over to the world of professional sport, an area that he describes as the ‘last frontier'.Time Stamps4:00 - Chris’ Journey from Academia to the USL6:00 - The DEI Backlash 10:00 - Applying an Understanding of Racial Tensions to a Professional Sporting Environment17:00 - The 'Danny Rose' Example21:00 - Applying the Theories Beyond Head Coaching Roles 24:00 - Addressing the Idea of a "Business Case" for DEI28:00 - What About Diversity of Thought and Experience? 31:00 - Debunking the 'Box Ticking' Argument36:00 - The USL Forward Program Explained38:00 - The Importance of 'Equity'40:00 - Magnifying MistakesUnited Soccer League Launches USL Forward to Increase Access and Opportunity Across USL EcosystemDr. Christopher Busey on USL's Initiatives: Making Soccer Inclusive and Diverse | Morning Footy on CBS Sports GolazoMaking Diversity and Inclusion in Football a lot less Merky Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business CaseConnect with Chris on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Kate Veronneau. Kate is the director of Women’s Strategy at Zwift, a multiplayer online cycling and running training program that enables users to interact, train, and compete in a virtual world. A keen cyclist herself, Kate played an important role in bringing the Women’s Tour de France event, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, to fruition. This is an achievement which has since given her the opportunity to use her voice to advocate for parity and sing the praises of investing in women's sports, as well as to speak to the impact that technology can have in driving greater access and participation in sport more broadly. Time Stamps5:00 - Joining Zwift and the launch of the Zwift Academy8:00 - Creating Women’s Only Rides10:00 - What does Community Look Like on Zwift?14:00 - The (Positive?) Impact of COVID? 16:00 - The Creation of Virtual Events17:00 - The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift19:00 - Having Parity across Men’s and Women’s 21:00 - The Commercial Case for Serving Women23:00 - Making Triathlon a Stadium Sport30:00 - An Opportunity for the Apple Vision Pro? 33:00 - Could AI Reduce the Barriers to Entry for Cycling? Additional LinksHow the Zwift Academy changed Neve Bradbury's life – and how to watch the 2024 finalsReddit Was Built On Legions of Fake AccountsZwift Signs On as Title Sponsor for Tour de France FemmesZwift report highlights positive impact of the Tour de France FemmesHow the arrival of Zwift changed triathlon training foreverArena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift expands to new destinations in 2023Connect with Kate on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Rory MacFadyen. Rory is the co-founder of Reflo, a sustainable apparel brand made from recycled plastic waste and is also the chief marketing officer at the Icons Series, a team matchplay golf event featuring sporting icons such as Michael Phelps, Canelo Alvarez, and Harry Kane.In this conversation, we talk about the merging on these two lives, getting investment from England’s all-time record goalscorer, tearing up the traditional apparel business model, taking a sustainability-first approach, as well as partnering with a Extreme E team, plans to partner with a Formula E team, and to potentially one day land deals in football, cricket, and rugby.Time Stamps2:00 - Working at the Icons Series and Meeting Harry Kane4:00 - Expanding Beyond just Golf9:00 - Developing a Passion for Sustainability11:00 - 'McDonald's Makes Salads, it Doesn't Make them a Health Food Store’16:00 - Accounting for the Difference in Costs19:00 - The Opportunity for Going Digital 22:00 - Moving into Teamwear 23:00 - Introducing Reloop26:00 - Balancing Sustainability and Commerciality 30:00 - Harry Kane’s Investment into Reflo35:00 - Could an Athlete do something Themselves in the Apparel Space?⁠Additional Links⁠Harry Kane deal can make our brand a behemothThe Fortnite skin that grossed $50 Million for Epic GamesRoblox Launches Wimbledon World With Digital Swag From Andy Murray, Ralph LaurenManaging Sir Andy Murray, One of Britain's Greatest Ever Athletes with Matt GentryConnect with Rory on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Mihir Kumar. Mihir is Senior Director for MLS Emerging Ventures, the in-house investment arm for Major League Soccer. Having taken up the role just over a year ago, it perfectly compliments his previous experience in finance (at BCG) and sport (at Overtime).Recently MLS Emerging Ventures announced the launch of the MLS Innovation Lab, a program designed to shape the future of sports through the identification of cutting-edge startups and advanced technologies to help develop the next generation of athletes, enhance the fan experience and drive continued growth for the League and its Clubs. In this conversation, we talk about what spurred this innovation, the companies in the initial cohort, and the areas of interest for potential future cohorts.Time Stamps3:00 - Mihir’s Experience Working at Overtime5:00 - Launching the MLS Innovation Lab8:00 - Applying Innovation Across the MLS Ecosystem12:00 - Sourcing Investment Opportunities 13:00 - The Initial Cohort of MLS Innovation Lab19:00 - Figuring out the ‘Moat’ and Confronting Competition 25:00 - Areas of Focus for MLS Innovation Labs’ Future Cohorts30:00 - TOCA and Opportunities Around Live Experiences32:00 - Could MLS Create their Own Consumer Products within Health & Wellness? Additional LinksMLS Launches Innovation Lab Startup Accelerator ProgramGame On: Experiential Venues Worth a Shot to Engage Fans Outside the StadiumSweaty Equity: Why Sports Leagues are Setting up Investment FundsChelsea FC launches new sports nutrition app called Blue FuelPRIME Example: Rightsholders could benefit from Dodging industry incumbentsConnect with Mihir on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Matt Gentry. Matt is the co-founder of 77 Sports Management, a boutique sports marketing agency which he co-founded alongside business partner Gawain Davies and British tennis legend, Sir Andy Murray. As well as dealing with a number of young professional athletes, the company also deals with all aspects of Andy’s career, including commercial deals, formulation of brand, PR, media and management strategy - and they have even overseen 50+ seed investments - including a notable investment in Castore - a company recently valued at more than £900m. Matt first started working with Andy while at talent agency, 19 - where he also managed individual talent and media strategy, which included work with Lewis Hamilton and David Beckham - who he coincidently will be joining up with again in his next career move...Time Stamps2:00 - Starting 77 Sports Management with Andy Murray 7:00 - Leaving Money on the Table and Being Value-Driven 11:00 - Getting Involved in Early-Stage Investing and THAT Castore Deal 13:00 - Getting Educated on Investing18:00 - Finding the Right Balance Between Sponsorship and Investing 20:00 - Why Sponsorship Benefits Go Beyond Monetary Value 22:00 - Managing the Different Phases of an Andy’s Career24:00 - Setting up Andy Post-Playing Career 26:00 - Investing into the Hexagon Cup and the Rise of Padel 29:00 - The Other Sport that Andy would be Interested in Investing In 👀31:00 - Matt’s Next Career Move - Being Reunited with David Beckham, alongside other talent at Authentic Brands Group Additional Links 77 Sports ManagementAndy Murray leaves Under Armour, will end career wearing Castore outfitsPodcast: How Castore built a billion dollar British sportswear brand - Business of Sport Podcast: Meet The Man Behind Conor McGregor’s +$650M Empire - My First Million Tennis Star Andy Murray Launches Padel TeamBook: A List Angels by Zack O'Malley Greenburg   Connect with Matt on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Julia Wall Clarke. Julia is the current Head of Communications for the Hexagon Cup, a new, innovative padel tournament, which aims to transform the sport by bringing a new approach - an approach which is brought over by a senior leadership team that has also been behind the likes of Formula E, Extreme E, and the E1 Series. It was at Extreme E that Julia first started working with this team as a Communications Manager, before quickly scaling the ranks to be Head of Communications and then Head of Impact and Communications.Prior to this, she'd already gathered a wealth of experience in communications across a wide range of sports properties including Arsenal, Tennis Australia, Wimbledon, and Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. We start this conversation by diving into the Hexagon Cup, which now, at time of release is only one week away (31st January), before diving into some of those lessons from throughout Julia’s career so far.Time Stamps2:00 - Introduction to The Hexagon Cup 5:00 - Taking Lessons from Formula E and Extreme E8:00 - Injecting Sport with Purpose12:00 - Embracing Celebrity Ownership 15:00 - The Significance of Choosing the ‘Right’ Broadcast Partners19:00 - Taking Investment from DMG Ventures 23:00 - Retaining Authenticity While Innovating 25:00 - Applying Key Communication Skills Across Different Rightsholders  28:00 - The Difference Between Working for an Established vs Challenger League36:00 - Applying Julia’s Career Lessons to Women’s FootballAdditional LinksBook Tickets - Hexagon Cup, Madrid (31 Jan - 4 Feb)DMG Ventures announces investment in €1M team padel tournament Hexagon CupITV to Broadcast the First ever Hexagon Cup Event as Tournament Chiefs Hail the Groundbreaking Deal for the Sport Lon-Glorious Addition: Hollywood Actress Provides Hexagon Cup Another DimensionVideo: Start With Why - How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon SinekConnect with Julia on LinkedIn - hereConnect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Leanne Bats. Leanne is President of The RugbyDAO and also holds the title of Head of Web3 at New Zealand Rugby, where she has been an advisor since 2019. She has also done work for New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and consults in the women’s sport area with READY Sport. Not to mention she has also founded the internet's coolest climate action corporation, Tres Cool.In this discussion, we talk about her early involvement in sport and the important role that community has played throughout her playing days and into her professional career – as well as her transition into, and fascination with, Web3 and digital innovation more broadly.Time Stamps1:00 – Growing up Sport-Mad5:00 – Community as a Common Thread6:00 – Taking Inspiration from the Bored Ape Yacht Club 13:00 – Implementing Innovation, and Web3, within anOrganisation 16:00 – Launching an NFT Campaign with NZ Rugby and World of Women28:00 – Attitude Towards the Term Web330:00 – Online will become ‘On Chain’ 38:00 – Introducing RugbyDAO 48:00 – Democratising Creativity with AIAdditional LinksAll Blacks' Performance Labs New Zealand Rugby Takes First Step into the MetaversePioneering the Future of Rugby with Emerging TechVideo: How an NFT Book Can Fight Climate Change - Web3 AcademyConnect with Leanne on LinkedIn - ⁠here⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠here

Today’s episode, I’m joined by Jo Redfern. In September, Jo became Wind Sun Sky’s first-ever managing director of kids.Before joining the Vancouver-based animation studio, Jo was global head of brand at 24 Watts, leading content strategy and expanding the studio’s Cozmo & Friends property into an animated series for YouTube and into a Roblox game. Prior to that, she was head of brand at BBC Children’s & Education for eight years, overseeing live events, consumer product launches and opening a CBeebiesLand Theme Park and Hotel in 2017. She has also served in marketing and media consultant roles at companies such as WWE and Disney Branded Television.Like in these consultancy roles, this conversation aims to apply her vast experience in kids content over to the world of sport & entertainment - leading to a ton of fresh ideas you may not have thought about before... Time Stamps1:30 - Why Should Sport Create Content that Resonates with Kids?4:00 - Monetising kids Content7:00 - What is Roblox?10:00 - Branded Experiences on Roblox15:00 - Why are Kids Platform Agnostic? And Why Does it Matter?18:00 - Repackaging IP25:00 - Personalisation of Content (Thanks to AI)30:00 - Creating A New Sport like ‘Blade Ball’37:00 - The YouTuber Approach to Monetisation40:00 - Removing the Distribution Barrier45:00 - Using Content to Educate Kids and Change BehaviourAdditional LinksJo's Kids Media Club Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsEvan Shapiro's Substack - Media War & PeaceZoe Scaman's Substack - Musings of a Wandering MindMean Girls reposts entire movie to TikTokIs TikTok the Future of Television?Why Should New IP Launch on Roblox?Connect with Jo on LinkedIn - hereConnect with Andy on LinkedIn - here