Gemba launches program for high-potential sport and entertainment industry start-ups

Leading sport and entertainment consultancy Gemba has unveiled its new sports start-up initiative Tenka, which aims to support high-potential ventures within the sports and entertainment industry.

Developed in collaboration with industry leaders to accelerate the growth of sport and entertainment related start-ups, Tenka offers facilitated training and mentoring, as well as providing access to intellectual capital, business modelling and industry contacts in return for equity, cash or in-kind value from the participating start-up.

The establishment of a pathway for emerging businesses extends Gemba’s recent success incubating and launching its own start-up, Turnstile, Gemba’s global sponsorship valuation platform.

Emerging out of intellectual capital and market benchmarks gathered over a decade advising rights-holders and brands in Australia and overseas, since launching publicly at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston in 2018, Turnstile’s client roster has grown to include leading global brands and rights holders such as Formula 1, City Football Group, Coca-Cola and DDMC Fortis.

Explaining the rationale behind the Tenka initiative, Gemba Director and Chief Executive, Rob Mills stated “we felt that we had developed and demonstrated a clear capability in new product development, the incubation of an idea through to a high-potential business on a global scale.

“We did all this based in London, working for some of the biggest sports brands in the world, and generating meaningful revenues within our first year.

“So now we’re now excited about applying some of the same learnings and principles, helping develop, launch and scale other businesses in the sport and entertainment industry.”

Gemba will provide access to its strategy and marketing frameworks, in addition to world class sport and entertainment consumer research. Tenka will also involve Gemba collaborating with elite sporting organisations such as Essendon Football Club, to provide start-ups with unique access to complementary services such as high-performance and product development channels.

Mills added “our collaboration with sports organisations such as Essendon Football Club aims to align organisations that have similar values and complementary skills.

“We’re bringing together consumer insights, business modelling and strategy through Gemba, access to high-performance knowledge and facilities, plus proven fan engagement strategies. We think emerging businesses in the sports and entertainment space will really benefit from working with us.

“The sports and entertainment industry is experiencing massive disruption and challenges right now, with events postponed or cancelled due to the Coronavirus. But we know from our preliminary work developing the Tenka program that there is still plenty of opportunity for new technology and new business models to add tremendous value to our industry. This can only help with the rebuild as we come out the other side.”

Start-ups within the sport and entertainment industry that are interested in partnering with Gemba and its professional network can apply for consideration from 12th May 2020.

Click here for more information or to submit an expression of interest.