and Sports
In partnership with
The first venture studio to focus on women and sports.
The Trailblazer Venture Studio focuses on the biggest growth opportunity in sports: women.
We partner with entrepreneurs and companies—from early-stage startups to later-stage businesses—that put women leaders, athletes, and fans first.
Collaboration lies at the heart of this work. Let’s build together.
Our Focus
- Media, culture, and storytelling
- Health, fitness, and well-being
- Training and performance
- Sponsorship and compensation
- Retail and commerce
- Fan experience
- Esports and gaming
Meet The Companies
Led by former ESPN associate Tiffany Kelly, Curastory allows athletes and creators to shoot and edit high-quality video, monetize their name, image, and likeness in powerful new ways, and distribute their content to their video channels.
Founded by Janet Marie Smith, a designer and urban planner who has led the renovations of some of the world’s most legendary sports venues including Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Fenway Park, Dodger Stadium and now Stamford Bridge, EPP is transforming sports venues to create fan experiences rooted in magical spaces and revitalizing iconic landmarks across sports.
Led by former Wall Street executive Lauren Foundos, FORTË’s developed the fitness industry’s only turnkey, live and on-demand streaming solution, enabling gyms to offer a premium hybrid experience to their members and powering top brands like UFC GYM, YMCA, The Edge, 305 Fitness & the NFLPA.
Led by former college friends and sports fans Jacie deHoop, Ellen Hyslop, and Roslyn McLarty, The GIST is a community-driven digital media company, changing the way sports content and storytelling speak to underserved sports fans.
Led by serial entrepreneur, brand and community builder, Akemi Sue Fisher, HER Galaxy is a division of the global Galaxy Racer platform that seeks to empower women at the intersection of esports, gaming and culture.
Co-founded by Laura Youngson, who led a group of women to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to play a Guinness world record-breaking football match to highlight gender inequalities in sport, Ida Sports exists to prioritize high-performance and comfortable footwear and cleats for female athletes who have traditionally been an afterthought in the sports industry.
Led by Katlyn Gao, a deeply experienced female-centric consumer brands executive, League One Volleyball is commercializing volleyball by creating a purpose and profit driven ecosystem rooted in a national network of junior clubs, with the vision to create the first, full-season indoor volleyball pro league in the US.
Led by former LPGA professional golfer Jeehae Lee, Sportsbox AI is an AI-powered single-camera 3D-motion capture technology company that brings real-time corrective feedback to help athletes achieve their goals in sports and fitness, starting in golf, using patent-pending 3D Motion Analysis and Kinematic AI technology.
Founded by professional athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Sue Bird, and Simone Manuel, and led by Co-founder and Chief Content Officer Jessica Robertson, Togethxr is a media and commerce company curating original content to elevate women’s voices in sports.
Our Partners
We believe that women are the biggest growth opportunity in sports. We also believe that no one has ever unlocked this combination’s full potential. We see Trailblazer Venture Studio as the key.
Billie Jean King Enterprises
Billie Jean King Enterprises is an investment, consulting, and marketing firm that puts King’s philosophy and brand value to work by partnering with companies to challenge the status quo and create a level playing field.
Elysian Park Ventures
Elysian Park Ventures is a domain-focused, stage-agnostic, and thesis-driven investment platform that invests in companies that are building the future of sports and that ignite growth in intersecting markets like culture, health, tech, and commerce.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most innovative, successful, and cherished sports franchises in the world with a track record of breaking barriers both on and off the field.
R/GA Ventures
R/GA Ventures works with startups and corporate partners to create a more human future. We do this by identifying disruptive and inspiring technologies and ideas, and supporting those ideas with the financial, creative, and relationship capital necessary to drive growth and returns.
FAQ
Have questions?
We have answers.
Applications are currently closed but we encourage you to keep in touch as there may be future opportunities. Click here to connect with us, and read on for more specifics about the program.
The Trailblazer Venture Studio will launch with a 12-week program that will require 3-5 hours of your time each week. Many of us have been entrepreneurs ourselves and understand what it takes to run a business. We are conscious of your time, which is why our work together involves us plugging into your priorities or weekly meetings focusing on the areas where you need help, whether that’s strategic business development, brand strategy, marketing, or setting up innovation pilots. The hours you spend with us are about building your business and achieving your goals.
Most of the program will be virtual, with opportunities to be in person in both NYC and LA.
This Studio is about propelling dynamic women leaders and innovation that benefits women, rather than about the stage of the company. If you’re focusing on new opportunities for women leaders, athletes and fans, or fans of women’s sports, you are a potential fit for us.
No. We are interested in how the goals and actions of your business speak to women, benefit women athletes and fans, or appeal to fans of all genders who love women’s sports. If your company is gender-inclusive and committed to diversity in leadership, if your product services women as much as it does any other gender, or if your product is built specifically for women, we encourage you to apply.
Our approach is different from an incubator or accelerator. Some companies entering our program may need growth capital; others may already be well-capitalized. Each situation is unique, but our Studio partners have the capacity to make significant, stage-agnostic investments if there is a good fit. In most instances, Elysian Park Ventures and R/GA Ventures will provide the investment capital. In special situations, there is the possibility of more funding from BJKE Enterprises.
It’s the chance to work with R/GA’s world-class strategists, technologists, creatives, and consultants in either brand, visual, or verbal design services. The Studio will also provide participating companies access to Robin, an Elysian Park Ventures owned business that can support your creative work after the R/GA services end.
We ask for an equity warrant in exchange for services provided. This warrant covers the costs of running the Studio, as well as aligning BJKE, Elysian Park Ventures, and R/GA with you for the long-term. These warrants are common stock that vests over a period of time and are priced at the 409A, which means we win when you win. We strongly believe in the value of the program, and to back up that belief, you’re able to cancel warrants at any time.
Participation in other accelerator programs will not exclude you, but we prefer to work with companies that can devote the time required to pursue the full range of opportunities delivered by the Studio.
Here is where you can preview all the application questions. The video submission is optional.
Once you submit your application, we’ll reach out directly if we have more questions or for a formal pitch. This outreach is ongoing, so we encourage you to apply early. Decisions will be made by July 1, 2022.
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