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THE SPOT: ForwardGame Reigns Supreme at Start-up Battle

PRESS RELEASE: 15 May 2018

ForwardGame AR of Germany was declared the winner of THE SPOT’s inaugural Start-Up Battle, operated by Venturelab, today, beating a strong field of competitors to the title at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

ForwardGame received CHF 5,000 in total for the victory – CHF 1,000 for topping its preliminary round and CHF 4,000 for winning the final.

The company is a creator of strategy mobile games and gameplay set in the real world, whose mission is to bring the fun of playing back to streets, parks and backyards by creating a bridge between the virtual and physical worlds.

Tim Friedland, CEO of ForwardGame, said the win was validation that his company was on the right track: “It tells us that what we are doing is valuable and that it is worth making sport more fun and accessible. For us, the prize is a very important approval of our work.”

Asked to give his thoughts about THE SPOT, Friedland said: “I have no words. It is so well organised and everything has been thought through. I cannot believe this is the inaugural edition, and I appreciate every little detail.”

Start-ups specialising in blockchain, virtual reality, data analytics, connected venue, performance & health and other fields went toe to toe in front of an enthusiastic crowd and juries made up of investors, experts from the Olympic Movement, and business leaders. 

There were four preliminary rounds in total, each featuring 10 start-ups. The three other group winners that earned CHF 1,000 and a place in the final were Switzerland’s Fanpictor, Germany’s Resero Whistle, and France’s SportDiet.

Each start-up was given three minutes to make their pitch, which was followed by a Q&A session with the jury, which for the final was made up of iSportsconnect Founder & CEO Sree Varma, esteemed sports marketing expert Michael Payne, digitalswitzerland’s Diana Engetschwiler, Chief Information and Technology Officer at the International Olympic Committee Gerry Pennell, and R&D Business Development Coordinator at Swiss Timing Christophe Grasso.

ForwardGame was not the only winner on the day. Swiss health firm be.care was awarded the“Quantified Athlete Prize” from Swiss Timing, giving it the enviable opportunity to work with and receive financial support from Swiss Timing on a communal project.

Enmouvement, meanwhile, won the“Swiss Coup de Cœur,” a CHF 2,000 prize offered by the extended organising committee to the most promising Swiss start-up at the competition. 

The audience also had a say in the proceedings, choosing their favourite start-up of the final round in a telephone vote. Fanpictor may not have been crowned champion but winning the hearts of the public was nevertheless a nice consolation prize.

More information on the Start-Up Battle and all the competitors that took part can be found here.

For more information, check out www.thespot2018.org.

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