The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) and the Government of Western Australia have entered into a partnership aimed at accelerating the development of Western Australia’s sports technology and innovation ecosystem.
For this partnership, ASTN, the peak body of Australia’s sportstech sector, will receive an X-TEND WA Program grant under the state government’s Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s New Industries Fund. The grant will go towards ASTN’s Entrepreneurship Education Program which is designed to build capability and capacity of Western Australia’s innovation community by supporting entrepreneurs and stimulating private investment in innovative projects.
The new partnership under the co-funded X-TEND grant will enable ASTN to implement several activities and programs over an initial 12-month period which shall include events, mentoring support for sports technology start-ups, online masterclasses and mapping of the WA sports tech ecosystem.
“We are excited to be working with the Government of Western Australia to accelerate new and emerging sportstech businesses,” Dr Martin Schlegel, Executive Chair of the ASTN, said. “This partnership mirrors the existing relationship we have with the Victorian and Queensland governments, further strengthening Australia’s overall ability to compete with sportstech businesses on a global scale.
“ASTN will work closely with the local sportstech sector in Western Australia and the broader sports industry to build its capability and capacity through our proven programs and activities,” Dr Schlegel added. “This partnership will better enable connections between WA-based entrepreneurs and the established ecosystem on the eastern seaboard as well as to global markets.”
The grant funding will support at least seven Western Australian sports technology start-ups to participate in ASTN’s Pre-Accelerator Program which is delivered in partnership with the Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC) powered by Microsoft. The program fast-tracks knowledge and insights and more than 130 aspiring sports entrepreneurs from various backgrounds, including athletes, researchers, practitioners and sport administrators, have participated over the past two and a half years.
ASTN will kick off its schedule of activities under the X-TEND Program with an inaugural event on 25 July in Perth.
