leAD Sport1 Accelerator

WHY

Adi Dassler was the visionary founder of the iconic sports brand adidas. After the family sold the company more than 25 years ago, the 3rd generation decided to return to sports business.

WHAT

Together with our partners from Zeitgeist Ventures and the 3 oldest grandsons of Adi Dassler, we decided to continue Adi Dassler’s legacy by identifying the most innovative founders of products and services in sports-tech, investing in their companies and helping them grow.

HOW

We developed leAD - legacy of Adi Dassler- an Accelerator programme for early stage startups in sports-tech with thematic verticals such as connected athletes, fan engagement and e-gaming. Through a strong focus on marketing and scouting we attract, every year, hundreds of founders from across the globe. A group of experts annually selects the 10 most promising teams and ideas to participate in our 100 days programme of coaching, mentoring and networking. It’s a very intensive and continuous development of teams, business plans and products. It starts from the so-called 'pre-seed’ stage and helps teams get ready for their seed investment round. The Accelerator became a powerful platform that connects startups, investors, mentors, brands, and sports institutions. In 2019, the leading German sports media company Sport1 came on board as a strategic partner and investor. By now leAD has invested in more than 30 startups from around the globe such as Wingfield, 2020 Armor and Unit1 in the area of connected athletes, or Rooter and Diggin with a focus on fan engagement.