By Michelle Song
The Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) is building a new Sports Innovation Hub (SPIN) to help student businesses and entrepreneurs in the industry.
The hub’s purpose is to support and work alongside numerous sport technology startup companies. It will help provide a better look at intersecting trends, marketing and new technology while attempting to help entrepreneurs understand the many complex business problems of the industry.
Further, it will allow entrepreneurs to network and work with some of the best sport business experts. As well, SPIN is looking to bring the startups success with their ventures by offering expert insight and knowledge.
Cheri Bradish, one of the leading forces behind SPIN and the Loretta Rogers Research Chair in Sports Marketing at the TRSM, says that she was looking for “what would make a good footprint, broadly, for sport,” as well as playing on Ryerson’s pre-existing startup organizations, including the DMZ. Eventually she came to the answer of creating a sports innovation hub.
For the past year, students have been working and connecting with some of the major players in the industry. Also, the hub has been working with students and various experts to support events, boot camps, group meetups and competitions.
Along with supporting Canada’s startup companies in the sports world and providing a means of research and education, the hub will be hosting events, such as business competitions, hackathons and demo days.
Plans to build the hub were first announced at the inaugural Next Big Idea in Sport competition, which was hosted at the DMZ.
TRSM and its dean, Steven Murphy, have yet to announce when the actual facility will be opened. However, the space was intended to be finished by Christmas.
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