A ground-breaking 10-week programme by Arsenal to identify new fan experiences came to a climax today as six startup businesses unveiled their achievements and future plans.
The Arsenal Innovation Lab launched in September 2017 with innovation specialist L Marks and after receiving over 250 applications, six startups were selected to work with the club to develop their proposals.
The businesses are exploring a wide range of fan initiatives ranging from artificial intelligence to augmented reality.
On Monday they demonstrated their products and services to senior business leaders from the club at Emirates Stadium. The club will now decide whether to continue with a commercial relationship and invest in the companies to bring the ideas to reality.
Arsenal chief commercial officer Vinai Venkatesham said: “We have worked with six very exciting startups over the last ten weeks and they have come up with some fascinating ideas which could transform some of the things we do with our supporters.
“We are always looking to push the club forwards and the Arsenal Innovation Lab has provided us with the opportunity to work with technologists, startups and entrepreneurs who have brought unique perspectives for us to consider.
“We would like to thank everyone involved for all the hard work and commitment to date and look forward to developing these pioneering ideas to take the club forward.”
L Marks chairman Stuart Marks said: "We're delighted to have worked with one of the biggest football clubs in the world to address some of their challenges by working with the six innovative startups that have presented today.
“The startups have come from across the globe to take part in the programme in Highbury and have all made incredible progress over the last ten weeks. Arsenal has shown how large businesses really can collaborate with startups effectively and I'm excited to see how each team progresses in the future."
The six businesses are highlighted below:
Peak is a data analytics company based in Manchester. During the programme they used data and artificial intelligence to help Arsenal get a deeper understanding of factors that influence traffic to the Arsenal.com website. Founded in 2014, it has grown rapidly and, in 2015, won Tech North’s Northern Stars competition as a ‘top tech startup in the UK’.
BotNation is a French startup that creates Artificial Intelligence chatbots on messaging apps, voice apps and websites. On the programme they helped Arsenal provide support with purchases on the ArsenalDirect e-commerce store. They are already used by 700 companies in 53 countries.
WoraPay is a mobile ordering and payment technology company. On the programme they focused on helping Arsenal improve the matchday experience for supporters by allowing them to place orders, make payments and have their food and beverage delivered. Based in London, WoraPay’s tech is already being distributed to UK retailers by the Lloyds Banking Group and Mastercard.
‘I like that’ is a London-based startup that offers a complete and on-demand retail experience where users can purchase directly from international media sites, including Arsenal.com, without having to navigate to the club’s e-commerce store, ArsenalDirect.com. This provides a revenue stream for publisher websites as well as retailers.
KonnecTo is an Artificial Intelligence-based data analysis platform, based in Tel Aviv. They have helped Arsenal analyse their supporters’ interactions with the club and translate that information into actionable insights. They have worked closely with the Partnerships team to provide a deeper understanding of Arsenal's supporter base and helped identify potential partnerships.
Aireal allows digital content to coexist in reality using geospatial augmented reality, visible through mobile devices. The Dallas based company is helping Arsenal engage with its global supporters by providing them with the ability to place static and moving 3D digital objects, such as players or trophies, anywhere in the world for fans to interact with. This will create infinite ways for the club’s supporters to experience the Arsenal world like never before.
For more information on the programme, please visit: www.arsenalinnovationlab.com
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