About Sports Venture Week
Sports Venture Week (Nov 30th-Dec 5th 2026) is a national platform bridging sports, technology, community, and venture. Co-organized by Seattle innovation ecosystem leaders Venture Black, WTIA, Founders Live, and Gametime Hero, we bring together athlete-operators, high-growth startups, and venture investors to scale the future of sports innovation.
Across our entire ecosystem, we deliver tailored value to each of our key stakeholders:
We provide athletes with a playbook to convert earning power and influence into durable equity, transitioning pros into founders, angel investors, and venture partners.
For founders, we deliver direct exposure to targeted capital, main-stage pitch and exposition opportunities as well as connection to active allocators, and strategic athlete partners.
We offer investors curated deal flow across sportstech, media, and performance verticals, complete with syndicate co-investment and access to athlete-LPs. Innovators gain a live testing ground to demo products, gather direct feedback from elite performers, and accelerate market adoption.
For philanthropists, we create a bridge between venture creation and impact by pairing Giving Tuesday fundraising and charity tournaments with non-profit partners.
We serve the community as an accessible entry point to knowledge about and introductions within the venture ecosystem, opening wealth-building private equity networks to broader, more diverse audiences.
Lastly, we power the broader sportstech industry through market validation, distribution channels, and direct connections to institutional capital to scale modern sports infrastructure.
About The Organizers
Venture Black
Venture Black is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on connecting social and working capital across the innovation economy to support Black and ally founders, investors, and service providers.
WTIA
The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 1,000 member companies across Washington State's technology ecosystem. For over 40 years, WTIA has worked to make Washington a leading global hub for creating, growing, and adopting advanced technologies.
Founders Live
Founders Live is a global entrepreneurial community and media channel designed to inspire, educate, and entertain early-stage founders worldwide. Originating in Seattle in 2014, Founders Live has expanded to nearly 100 cities across more than 35 countries.
Gametime Hero
Gametime Hero is an AI powered OS for Active Communities Gametime Hero consolidates scheduling, automatic RSVPs, automated waitlists, roster management, digital waivers, and secure payment processing into a single tool. It features sub-finding options and skill-based matching to keep competitive play balanced and ensure games stay full. By replacing fragmented group chats and spreadsheets, Gametime Hero helps organizers spend less time on administration and more time building active, lasting communities.