What SportBoost does

SportBoost is a Madrid-based sportstech accelerator and co-investment platform founded in October 2021 by former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and operated under the Spanish private limited company CASILLAS WORLD S.L. From its headquarters in Madrid and a secondary office on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, the company serves four customer groups: early-stage sportstech startups (Idoven, Kognia, Playtomic, Indya, Draftea, Kamleon, Crossmint, Fly Fut, My Public Inbox, Clupik among the named portfolio), professional athletes (via the P.E.O. program with LALIGA, ADESP, PROAD and AFE), sports corporates and properties (LALIGA, LaLiga Tech, UAE FA, Guardia Civil, World Football Summit-affiliated clubs), and a network of 100+ business angels and 50+ VCs. The platform combines three integrated service lines — a five-stage acceleration program (Selección → Intro → Boost → Fundraising → Implementación), a co-investment model (typical tickets of €20K–€250K, with a joint €700K cap with Wayra), and a four-step corporate open-innovation process (Diseño del reto → Scouting → Análisis → Selección & POC) — and is reinforced by named joint platforms AREA12 (with World Football Summit) and GameChangers³ (with Wayra and Gasol16 Ventures).

SportBoost's revenue mechanics are a hybrid of (i) professional services fees from corporate partners for open-innovation programs, (ii) equity returns on direct and co-invested capital (cumulative ~€1.2M directly invested and ~€2M co-invested into a portfolio stated to exceed €100M in aggregate valuation), (iii) sponsored challenge funding (e.g., €10K MEET LALIGA EA SPORTS prize), and (iv) AREA12 membership fees (not publicly disclosed). Pricing for acceleration, co-investment and open-innovation services is not publicly disclosed, and the company does not report revenue. Marketing and distribution are predominantly partnership- and event-driven (LALIGA, Wayra, ESIC, South Summit, WFS, South Summit, MEET LALIGA, AREA12), with earned-media coverage in MARCA, Forbes, El Mundo, ABC, AS, El Referente and 2Playbook providing top-of-funnel reach anchored by Iker Casillas's personal brand.

SportBoost does not develop proprietary core technology itself; rather it curates, integrates and distributes sportstech solutions (AI, drones, biotech sensors, web3/NFTs, data analytics) from its portfolio startups on behalf of corporate sports partners. The technical differentiators are its structured methodologies (the five-stage acceleration framework and the four-step open-innovation process), the joint co-investment vehicle with Wayra, the AREA12 corporate innovation platform, and the P.E.O. athlete entrepreneurship program — all wrapped around a 700+ startup proprietary database, 40% international deal-flow and 18+ sport verticals.

Name

SportBoost

Legal name

CASILLAS WORLD S.L

Website

https://sportboost.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SportBoost is a Madrid-based sportstech accelerator and co-investment platform founded in 2021 by Iker Casillas, serving sportstech startups, professional athletes, sports corporates and investors via acceleration, equity co-investment and corporate open-innovation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Startup Accelerator and Co-Investment Platform

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence) (MPAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship Sales, Valuation & Analytics Services (Rights Sales, Measurement, Consulting) (MPAKALAK), Sports Marketing, Sponsorship Sales & Activation (MPAKAKAB), Athlete Financial Management & Wealth Advisory (Tax, Accounting, Investment) (MPAKAMAG)

Keywords

• Sportstech accelerator
• Startup acceleration
• Sports venture capital
• Open innovation
• Corporate innovation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Startup Co-Investment (Equity): SportBoost invests its own capital in sportstech startups at Seed and Series A stages (typical tickets €20K–€250K), alongside athlete co-investors, business angels and VCs. Not structured as a fund; returns generated through equity upside. Cumulative co-investment of ~€2M and direct investment of ~€1.2M disclosed.
2. Corporate Open-Innovation Programs (Scouting & Challenge Management): Consulting/program fees paid by corporate sports partners (e.g., LALIGA, LaLiga Tech, UAE FA, Guardia Civil) for SportBoost to design challenges, run scouting, select startups and manage pilots (PoCs) — including the AREA12 platform.
3. Sponsored Challenges & Prize Money Programs: Sponsored challenge programs such as MEET LALIGA EA SPORTS award a €10,000 economic contribution to the winning startup; the program is co-funded/sponsored by LALIGA.
4. Acceleration Program Services: Acceleration program (Bootcamp with ESIC, strategic advice, network access, fundraising support) delivered to selected startups as part of the value proposition tied to investment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SportBoost is a sports startup accelerator and co-investment platform that runs a structured 5-stage acceleration program (Selección → Intro → Boost → Fundraising → Implementación) co-delivered with ESIC, deploys equity co-investment tickets of €20K–€250K (up to €700K via the Wayra joint vehicle) into sportstech startups at Seed and Series A, and provides corporate open-innovation services for sports clubs, leagues, federations and brands — designing challenges, scouting startups, selecting winners and managing proof-of-concept pilots.

Product overview

SportBoost operates as a single integrated sports-innovation platform centered on three core services — Acceleration (startup accelerator), Co-investment (capital alongside strategic partners such as Wayra and Gasol16 Ventures), and Innovation (open-innovation challenges and corporate innovation) — supported by a network of mentors, partners and portfolio companies. Built on top of this core, SportBoost runs a portfolio of named modules and joint programs: AREA12 (a joint innovation platform with World Football Summit for clubs and properties), LALIGA P.E.O. (a joint player-entrepreneurship office with LALIGA, ADESP, CSD/PROAD and AFE), GameChangers³ (a joint co-investment vehicle with Wayra and Gasol16 Ventures), and a series of themed open-innovation challenges (UAE FA Challenge, Fan Engagement Challenge with LaLiga Tech, Green Cybersport with Guardia Civil, MEET LALIGA EA SPORTS). The platform was founded in October 2021 by former goalkeeper Iker Casillas and is operated by the legal entity CASILLAS WORLD S.L.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SportBoost Accelerator (Aceleración)
• SportBoost Co-Investment (Inversión / Co-inversión)
• SportBoost Open Innovation (Innovación Abierta)
• AREA12 Corporate Innovation Platform
• LALIGA P.E.O. (Oficina de Emprendimiento del Jugador)
• GameChangers³ (GameChangers Cubed)
• MEET LALIGA EA SPORTS Challenge
• UAE FA Challenge
• Fan Engagement Challenge (LaLiga Tech)
• Green Cybersport Challenge

Quantifiable outcome

• +€2M co-invested and +€1.2M directly invested across portfolio startups
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / main partner, core / educational partner, core / strategic partner, major / international challenge partner, core / co-development partner, collaborator in p.e.o. program, international / strategic, secondary strategic alliance, secondary / international alliance (brazil), secondary / international alliance, secondary / international alliance (asia) and mentor partner.

• LALIGAflagship / main partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic alliance to foster innovation, technology and entrepreneurship in sport. Two main programs: P.E.O. (Oficina de Emprendimiento del Jugador — for athletes) and MEET LALIGA EA SPORTS (challenge for tech startups). The P.E.O. project is co-led with ADESP, PROAD and AFE. SportBoost has been an official LALIGA partner since 2022.
• ESIC Business & Marketing Schoolcore / educational partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducational partner that jointly fosters training in innovation and entrepreneurship. Co-delivers the SportBoost acceleration Bootcamp and provides incubation in the Green Cybersport program with Guardia Civil.
• South Summitcore / strategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic alliance to foster innovation, technology and entrepreneurship in sport; aligns with South Summit's role as a global open-innovation platform connecting startups, corporates and investors.
• Guardia Civilcore / strategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Green Cybersport program (open 24 December 2022 – 1 March 2023) for IV National Cyberleague semifinalists, focused on cybersecurity applied to sport. Provides incubation with ESIC, technical validation, and financing search.
• UAE FA (United Arab Emirates Football Association)major / international challenge partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNovember 2021 – March 2022 challenge to identify and cultivate young football talent in the UAE. 107 projects received, 3 finalists, 6-week pilot in Dubai, winner Scisport (Netherlands). Co-led with Dubai Future Foundation.
• World Football Summit (WFS)core / co-development partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leads AREA12, an exclusive corporate innovation platform for football clubs and sports properties. Includes participation in 4 WFS main events per year plus access to a network of 150+ sports business leaders, 200+ investors and 6,000+ startups.
• ADESPcollaborator in p.e.o. programOthersCollaborator in the P.E.O. (Oficina de Emprendimiento del Jugador) program alongside LALIGA, CSD (PROAD) and AFE, providing access to national-level athletes.
• CSD (PROAD)Others
• AFE (Asociación de Futbolistas Españoles)Others
• Dubai Future Foundation (DFF)international / strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-led the UAE FA Challenge with the UAE Football Association; supports the Dubai-based 6-week pilot residency and program for selected sportstech startups.
• 380amksecondary strategic allianceStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic alliance partner ("Alianzas estratégicas") alongside other ecosystem collaborators.
• Bendoni Consultingsecondary strategic allianceStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a strategic alliance partner in the ecosystem.
• Arena Hubsecondary / international alliance (brazil)Strategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian arena/sportstech hub listed as a strategic alliance partner; redirects to arenahub.com.br.
• Stadia Venturessecondary / international allianceStrategic or Co-development PartnerSportstech-focused venture accelerator listed as a strategic alliance partner.
• AST (Asia Sports Tech)secondary / international alliance (asia)Strategic or Co-development PartnerAsia Sports Tech network listed as a strategic alliance partner; redirects to asiasportstech.com.
• AquaBloom (ABSport Group)secondary / international allianceStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquaBloom by ABSport Group listed as a strategic alliance partner; redirects to absportgroup.com.
• SGIH (Global Sports Innovation Hub, powered by Microsoft)secondary / international allianceStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Sports Innovation Hub listed as a strategic alliance partner; redirects to globalsportsinnovationhub.com.
• Sporthink (Rayde Luis Báez)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — CEO of Sporthink, contributing expertise to the SportBoost mentor network.
• FIFA (Ornella Bellia)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Ornella Bellia, FIFA Head of Professional Football, part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• 2Playbook (Marc Menchén)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Marc Menchén, CEO & Founder of 2Playbook, part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• Red Bull (Jaíme Martínez)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Jaíme Martínez, CEO Vertical at Red Bull, part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• Kognia (Josep Ma Moyá)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Josep Ma Moyá, Founding shareholder & CBO of Kognia (also a portfolio startup), part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• BeSoccer (Enrique Salvatierra)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Enrique Salvatierra, Director de Producto at BeSoccer, part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• Playtomic & GBS Group (Pedro Clavería)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Pedro Clavería, Founder of Playtomic & GBS Group (also a portfolio startup), part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• Granada CF (Patricia Rodriguez)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Patricia Rodriguez, CEO E2E Operations at Granada CF, part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• Grupo Baskonia (Alberto Fernández)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Alberto Fernández, Communications Director at Grupo Baskonia, part of the SportBoost mentor network.
• Laffer Abogados (Rodrigo García)mentor partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness Mentor — Rodrigo García, Partner Sports Law Firm at Laffer Abogados, part of the SportBoost mentor network.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bar\u00e7a Innovation Hub (FC Barcelona): Bar\u00e7a Innovation Hub is the corporate innovation and venture arm of FC Barcelona, running sports-tech scouting, acceleration and open-innovation programs. Closely comparable to SportBoost as a club-affiliated sportstech hub competing for the same corporate open-innovation budgets in European football.
• World Football Summit (WFS): WFS is the leading global football industry conference and runs the AREA12 platform jointly with SportBoost. It is a direct peer in the football innovation and corporate deal-sourcing space, with overlapping audiences (clubs, properties, investors) and event-driven GTM.
• Plug and Play Sports: Plug and Play's Sports & Wellness vertical runs a sportstech accelerator program with corporate partners, providing startups with mentorship, deal-flow and pilots. Comparable to SportBoost in accelerator structure, corporate partner model, and sportstech vertical focus.
• HYPE Sports Innovation: HYPE Sports Innovation operates a global sportstech accelerator and innovation platform connecting startups with federations, leagues and brands. Directly comparable to SportBoost's three-pillar model (acceleration, corporate open-innovation, investment) and its challenge-based GTM.
• Gasol16 Ventures: Gasol16 Ventures is an athlete-led (Pau Gasol) early-stage fund focused on sport, health and wellness. Directly comparable to SportBoost as an athlete-founded sportstech investor and co-investment partner in GameChangers\u00b3, and as a competing channel for athlete-driven deal flow.
• Stadia Ventures: Stadia Ventures is a US-based sportstech-focused accelerator and venture fund, one of the most established players globally. It is directly comparable to SportBoost because both run sportstech-specific acceleration cohorts, deploy early-stage tickets into sports startups, and maintain corporates-as-LP relationships.

Broad incumbents

• LaLiga Tech: LaLiga Tech is LALIGA's in-house technology and innovation subsidiary. It is comparable to SportBoost because it runs fan engagement and open-innovation programs (including the joint Fan Engagement Challenge), and represents the in-house alternative corporates may choose over SportBoost's external accelerator.
• Wayra (Telef\u00f3nica): Wayra is Telef\u00f3nica's global corporate accelerator and CVC arm, with a dedicated sportstech track via the GameChangers\u00b3 partnership with SportBoost. It is both a partner and a broader incumbent, with larger ticket sizes, multi-sector reach and a global network of hubs.

Others

• 2Playbook: 2Playbook is a leading Spanish sports-business media outlet focused on the business of sport, clubs, and sportstech. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant covering the same sport-innovation market in Spain; its CEO is a SportBoost mentor, evidencing close ecosystem ties rather than direct competition.

Regional players

• Arena Hub: Arena Hub is a Brazilian sportstech hub and accelerator. It is comparable to SportBoost as a sportstech-specific ecosystem player and is listed as a SportBoost strategic alliance, but it primarily serves Brazil/LatAm rather than competing head-to-head in Spain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sportboosthub
• Xx.com/SportBoostHub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sportboost

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SportBoost