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.

EBAN Sports Manifesto

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.

What We Do

Join Our Events

Join us during the EBAN annual events taking place throughout the year or with our partner organisations. We also hold two SportTech bootcamps each year for memebers of our community

Join Our Events

Participate In Our Webinars

Participate in our SportTech webinars for our community members as well as our Pitch and Connect series taking place every two months 

Apply to Pitch To Our Community

Engage With Our Community

Engage with the EBAN Sports extended members meetings and become part of an exclusive community focused on SportsTech investing. 

Become an EBAN Sports Member

Co-Founders and Co-Chairs

EBAN Sports Co-Chair, President of Corenvest

Investment Interest: Healthtech and Wearable technologies

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.

EBAN Sports Co-Chair

Investment Interest: Sports Entertainment

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).

Steering Committee

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.

Thomas Preiss is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and community builder with deep expertise in building ventures and collaborative ecosystems at the intersection of sports, innovation, and social impact.

He’s a Co-Founder of Common Goal, a global sport-for-development NGO recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies in the not-for-profit sector that over the last decade mobilized over €80 million toward football-driven social impact initiatives worldwide, and Playmakers, a private peer advisory network for high-growth sports tech founders and CEOs.

As an active business angel and former venture capital professional at IBB Ventures in Berlin, Thomas supports and invests in early-stage companies with a particular interest in innovations that connect sports, technology and societal impact.

Thomas holds an M.A. in International Economics and is an alumnus of UCLA’s Executive Education programme in Entertainment and Media Management.

Founder at DK Mentoring, Executive at Svexa (Silicon Valley based sportstech company)

Investment Interest: HealthTech, Telemedicine & Remote Care, Mental Health & Well-being, SportsTech

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.

Marion Reichel is an entrepreneur, investor and ecosystem builder operating at the intersection of sport, innovation and venture capital.

Throughout her career, she has focused on one central question: How can sport become a stronger driver for innovation, entrepreneurship and societal impact?

With more than 15 years of experience across corporate innovation, venture building, startup financing and professional sports, she has built a unique perspective on connecting founders, athletes, investors and sports organizations. Her career includes leadership roles in strategy and innovation at Deutsche Telekom, heading Innovation Management and the Sport Tech Accelerator at 1. FC Köln, and driving Business Development for Impact Investments at Capacura.

As Founder and Managing Director of Athlete Ventures, she is building a platform that helps bridge the gap between sports and entrepreneurship by connecting promising startups with capital, expertise, networks and market access. A particular focus of her work lies in empowering athletes, especially woman in sports to become investors, founders and long-term value creators beyond their sporting careers.

Marion serves on the Advisory Board of the Gateway Startup Center at the German Sport University Cologne and contributes to several innovation and investment initiatives across Europe. As a member of the EBAN Sport Steering Committee, she is committed to strengthening the European sport innovation ecosystem and fostering meaningful connections between entrepreneurs, investors and the sports industry.

Managing Director at SportsTechX

Investment Interest: Wearables, Fan Experience, Broadcast Tech & Smart Venues

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.

Innovation & Growth Ecosystem Jyväskylä

Investment Interest: Sports, health, and wellbeing

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.