Applications for the Asics Tenkan-Ten accelerator program were up by 60 percent this year, with candidates hailing from 38 countries. Asics has now selected five growth-stage start-ups to take part in its four-month program to meet their goals for both business and funding.
Fun With Balls was founded in 2016 in Munich to combine physical sports with interactive games. The company’s platforms upgrade underused sports courts into immersive experiences, in the hopes of inspiring the public to become more active.
Waybetter of New York City makes games with the similar goal of producing healthier people. Players pay into a pot to complete running or walking challenges, and those who complete them take the pot. So far, some 900,000 people worldwide have taken part, winning a collective $78 million and covering a collective 124 million miles.
Racecheck is a platform that helps athletes of all levels form a community as they find, book and plan races anywhere in the world. It was founded in the U.K. in 2016. Some 1,200 race organizers have used it to promote their events.
MATCHi, a Swedish venture established in 2012, is an online platform that connects venues and players in racquet sports, handling bookings, payment and access control. About 300,000 players in Scandinavia are using it.
OME Health of the U.K. provides personalized nutrition coaching on the basis of biological tests and through partnerships with health insurers and food companies. It was founded in 2016.
Last year’s Tenkan-Ten program also supported five start-ups, all of which reached their funding and business goals. Two of them, Curv Labs and Pyrates Smart Fabrics, have received additional investment from Asics Ventures and taken part in collaborative projects with Asics.
