The world observes April 6 every year as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.
According to the United Nations (UN), April 6 presents an opportunity to recognise the positive role sport and physical activity play in communities and peopleโs lives globally.
Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, says, “Sport has the power to align our passion, energy, and enthusiasm around a collective cause. And that is precisely when hope can be nurtured and trust can be regained. It is in our collective interest to harness the tremendous power of sport to help build a better and more sustainable future for all.”
Many believe that sports have the power to change the world, strengthen social ties, promote sustainable development and peace, as well as solidarity and respect for all.
The European sports-tech industry has also experienced massive growth recently. The European sports technology market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.60% from $5.4B in 2019 and to reach a market size of $17.8B in 2026.
The Netherlands is one of the countries that oozes love and passion when it comes to sports. Besides sports, the country also has a shared passion for innovation, smart solutions, and technical excellence.
Amsterdam, sports, and innovation
As an example, Johan Cruijff ArenA football stadium in Amsterdam and the local football club AFC Ajax have joined forces with European football organisations and clubs to tackle joint challenges in the football industry.
Startups with good ideas are encouraged to pitch their product on the Football Innovation Platform, where they will be connected to experts. The best ideas can score a deal where their idea is implemented in the stadium.
Located in Amsterdam South-East, the stadium and its partners are testing solutions for business and societal challenges in crowd control, mobility, security, sustainability, fan experience, citizen wellbeing, and open platform collaboration.
At present, Johan Cruijff ArenA is working on two crucial challenges โ to reduce the carbon footprint of fans travelling to and from stadiums, and to reduce litter and make waste more circular in the stadium or amateur clubs.
On the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, we have listed 10 Amsterdam-based sports-tech startups to watch in 2022.
Gymstory
Founder/s: Mathieu Wernsen, Lars van der Wal, Michael Fahim
Gymstory turns smartphones into a personal coach and gaming platform. The platform consists of an app and patented sensors, which are installed on the gym’s fitness equipment by the company. Gym-goers need to install the Gymstory app and connect to the sensor so that their workouts can be tracked hassle-free
Virtuagym
CEO: Hugo, Paul Braam
Virtuagym operates an online fitness platform that offers basic exercise, personal training, and tailor-made nutrition plans for users. Users can track and monitor their activity via the app available for iOS and Android users.
The app contains more than 4,000 exercises and many ready-to-use workouts that users can easily do at home. The personal coaching app also provides users with personal messaging, appointment scheduling, and nutrition tools.
Metrica sports
Founder/s: Bruno Dagnino, Enzo Angilletta, Ruben Pascual
Metrica Sports is a football data consulting company. The Amsterdam-based company was born out of the desire to provide clubs with the necessary tools to transform raw data into actionable output.
The company’s core product, Metrica Play, helps clubs by plotting and visualising the relevant information in a ๏ฌexible and easy way, which improves the interaction between coaches and players.
Fitmo
Founder/s: Steijn Pelle
Fitmo was founded to bring long-term health changes in the community through healthcare, fitness, and nutrition. It is a mobile app that lets you connect with health and fitness coaches globally. The platform connects users to coaches according to their fitness and health goals. Your coach will push you to the limit and help reach these goals. On the other hand, coaches can monetise their free time and coach up to 50 people via the Fitmo platform
Onefit
Founder/s: Gerelsaikhan Narantuya
OneFit is a fitness aggregator, giving its users access to a multitude of different gyms and studios through a single monthly membership. Active in the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain, the platform has been acquired by Urban Sports Club.
Gymspaces
CEO: Ruben Halfhide
Gymspaces is the online marketplace for sport spaces – “the Airbnb of gyms and studios.โ The platform makes booking an indoor sport or fitness space as easy as booking a hotel room. Users can book and use a wide selection of high-quality indoor sports spaces from boxing rings or yoga rooms at local facilities, quickly and easily.
Fitee
Founder/s: Philip Biedermann
Fiteeโs mission is to connect like-minded students, ex-pats, Amsterdamers, and sporting freelancers through an easy-to-use platform. The platform offers its customers sustainable sporting plans and activities, fitness classes as well as personal trainers.
Welly
Founder/s: Bas Blokhuis, Nicole van den Brand
The Amsterdam-based platform prevents burnout by making employees mentally and physically resilient through training and coaching. Welly combines technology with human interaction and allows employees to focus on body, mind and food for 5-10 minutes a day.
KickStox
Founder/s: Juan Lacroix, Victor Swaab
Kickstox is a fantasy football platform where live data is used to determine player values. The company aims to become the online reference point for football fans who want to connect, compete, and check scores and stats. The platform acts as a daily football exchange where users can trade their favorite football players,
Peakz
Founder/s: Theo Hoeksema, Arturo Canalda, Samuel Perez
Peakz is a scoutfunding platform that helps athletes with their long-term funding. The company is on a mission to help millions of athletes globally to get funded to compete at the highest level.
01
From port to startup fort: How Lars Crama is ‘Making it Happen’ in Rotterdam