The website SportTechie.com today released its list of the 25 most tech-savvy sports franchises in the world. The Dodgers rank eighth, behind only the Atlanta Braves among MLB teams.
From senior writer Mark J. Burns:
In late 2015, the Dodgers wrapped up the inaugural iteration of its accelerator program in partnership with digital marketing firm, R/GA Ventures. The first-of-its-kind initiative brought 10 startups and early-stage companies together for a three-month training camp in Playa Vista, Calif., with the team providing each company $120,000 in exchange for up to six percent ownership, depending if the company had released a product or secured other funding. The Dodgers Accelerator with R/GA culminated with the companies giving their Demo Day pitches to industry executives, media and investors. One of the startups Kinduct Technologies, which just raised $9 million in Series A funding, is now a client of the Dodgers.
Program 1.0 was such a success that the Dodgers completed their second installment last month as five early-stage companies were brought together for another session. The program has sparked other franchises — such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys — to launch similar technology accelerators and innovation hubs.