Hashtag Sports

What Hashtag Sports does

Hashtag Sports, operated by Activ8Social, LLC (a Maryland LLC headquartered at 4701 Sangamore Rd, Suite N100 #2312, Bethesda, MD), is a privately held, founder-led media and recognition platform serving the converging sports, media, and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 2014 by co-founders Steve Cobb and Anthony Caponiti and operates with a 1-10 person team. Its core proposition is the annual Hashtag Sports Awards ("Hashies"), currently in its eighth year (2026), which recognizes excellence in fan and consumer engagement across eight category groups: Brand & Partnership, Campaign & Marketing, Content, Design & Creative, Fan Experience, Impact, Podcast & Audio, and Video. Sub-brands include the Engagement Academy of Sports x Entertainment (a peer-nominated judging and continuing-education body), Creators of Color (an annual career-enablement program selecting 30 honorees ages 21-33 across nine creative specialties), and the Sports Engagement Talent Platform (SETP), a recruitment CRM for diverse creative talent.

The underlying technology is a digital platform handling awards submissions, judging management, event registration, and trophy fulfillment, supplemented by a content publishing arm (articles, newsletters, social channels on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and YouTube) that generates editorial case studies (e.g., House of Highlights' 50 million Instagram fans). The technology layer is described as functional rather than proprietary; no patents, APIs, or AI/ML components are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through five streams: (1) transactional awards entry fees tiered by deadline ($525 USD early, $625 USD regular, $725 USD late, with a 5% multi-entry discount and a $100 non-profit discount); (2) conference and festival ticket sales (including BOGO promotions for Hashtag Sports 2027); (3) corporate sponsorships from a tier-1 brand roster including the NFL, WNBA, Verizon, Hulu, Visa, Red Bull, WWE, TikTok, and adidas; (4) trophy and merchandise sales; and (5) Creators of Color program-related services. GTM is event-driven, anchored by the annual awards show, the multi-day festival/conference, and the Creators of Color summit, with editorial content marketing as the primary demand-generation channel.

Name

Hashtag Sports

Legal name

Activ8Social, LLC

Website

https://hashtagsports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hashtag Sports is a privately held, founder-led media platform that runs annual awards, a conference, and the Creators of Color program to recognize and develop engagement excellence across the sports, media, and entertainment industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Marketing Awards and Events

NAICS

Spectator Sports (7112), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Public Relations, Communications & Reputation Management (MPAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hospitality, VIP & Experiential Sponsorship (Suites, Fan Zones, On-Site Activations) (MPAKALAH), Reputation Measurement, Auditing & Sentiment Analytics (MPAAAOAO)

Keywords

• Sports marketing awards
• Fan engagement events
• Sports entertainment industry
• Content creator community
• Diversity talent recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Awards Entry Fees: Organizations pay entry fees to submit work for consideration in the Hashtag Sports Awards. Fees range from $525-$725 USD depending on entry deadline, with a 5% discount applied to each successive entry after the first.
2. Conference/Festival Tickets: Revenue generated from ticket sales to attend the annual Hashtag Sports festival and awards show events.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the awards and conference events, with partners including WNBA, Verizon, Hulu, NFL, Visa, Red Bull, WWE, TikTok, and adidas.
4. Trophy Sales: Winners and participants can purchase trophies through the Trophy Store.
5. Creators of Color Program: Career enablement platform and creative community for sports entertainment creators, with cohort-based programming including mentorship and career acceleration opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hashtag Sports is a recognition and continuing education platform for the sports entertainment industry. It operates the annual Hashtag Sports Awards honoring excellence in fan engagement across content, campaigns, brand partnerships, fan experience, and podcast/audio/video categories. It also runs an annual conference/festival, the Creators of Color career enablement program for diverse sports creatives, the Engagement Academy judging community, and a recruitment CRM product (SETP) for hiring diverse creative talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Engagement Academy: A program focused on continuing education and professional development for engagement experts in sports and entertainment.
• Creators of Color
• Sports Engagement Talent Platform (SETP)

Products and services

• Hashtag Sports Awards Flagship annual awards program recognizing excellence in fan and consumer engagement across sports, media, and entertainment. Features multiple award categories including Brand & Partnership, Campaign & Marketing, Content, Design & Creative, Fan Experience, Impact, Podcast & Audio, and Video. Judged by the Engagement Academy of Sports x Entertainment. Open to entries from brands, agencies, teams, leagues, and creators.
• Hashtag Sports Conference Premier annual multi-day event for content creators, creatives, and marketers behind the most engaging fan experiences and entertainment in sports. Features keynotes, workshops, and networking for the sports entertainment industry.
• Creators of Color Career enablement platform and creative community spotlighting and empowering sports creatives ages 21-33 who identify as Black, Latino, Asian, and People of Color. A cohort of 30 honorees is selected across nine creative specialties; honorees attend a multiday summit, receive spotlights across Hashtag Sports channels, and are empowered year-round through mentorship and career acceleration opportunities.
• Sports Engagement Talent Platform (SETP) Recruitment candidate relationship management (CRM) software for discovering and hiring diverse creative talent in the sports, media, and entertainment industries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 million+ fans reached by featured case study (House of Highlights)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WNBAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• VerizoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• HulucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• NFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• VisacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• Red BullcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• WWEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• TikTokcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• adidascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in the 'In Good Company' section of Hashtag Sports website, indicating collaboration and mutual promotion within the sports entertainment ecosystem.
• The Engagement Academy of Sports x EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe judging panel for Hashtag Sports Awards, comprised of diverse industry leaders and engagement experts across the global sports media, marketing, and entertainment ecosystem. Members are peer-nominated based on demonstrated expertise in engagement and specific subject matter expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Digiday: Major advertising, media, and marketing trade publication running the Digiday Awards and content serving brand marketers. Operates in the same sponsor/agency buyer universe as Hashtag Sports with broader industry scope.
• Shorty Awards: Industry awards program with dedicated sports and entertainment categories recognizing digital and social content excellence. Adjacent recognition platform with comparable entry-fee and category model.
• Adweek: Large advertising and media trade brand running industry awards (including brand-marketing categories) and serving the same Fortune-500 CMO and agency buyer base that sponsors Hashtag Sports.
• Cannes Lions (Sports segment): The flagship global advertising awards festival with a Sports Lions category. Represents the pinnacle of industry recognition in sports marketing where Hashtag Sports operates at a more specialized, mid-tier level.
• The Drum (Drum Awards for the Creative Industries): Global creative-industry media brand running awards events and editorial coverage of brand marketing. Overlaps Hashtag Sports in chasing sports marketing agency and brand-side recognition budgets.
• Campaign Magazine (Campaign US): Global advertising trade title running Campaign Awards and serving agency and brand-side marketers. Competes for the same sports-engagement narrative and sponsor attention as Hashtag Sports, though broader in industry coverage.

Direct peers

• Cynopsis: Runs Cynopsis Sports Awards and sports media industry newsletters covering the same marketing/engagement buyer Hashtag Sports targets. Highly comparable business model combining awards, editorial, and newsletters.
• Sports Business Journal: Operates the Sports Business Awards and is the dominant trade media brand in sports business. Closest direct competitor to Hashtag Sports in serving sports marketing executives with recognition and editorial content.
• Clio Entertainment (Clio Sports): Operates the Clio Sports Awards recognizing excellence in sports marketing and advertising. Directly competes for the same entrant pool and sponsor dollars in sports creative recognition.

Emerging players

• Front Office Sports: Digital-first sports business media brand covering the converging sports, media, and entertainment industries. Comparable audience and content cadence but newer and primarily editorial without a flagship awards franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hashtagsports
• YouTubeyoutube.com/hashtagsports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hashtag-sports
• Instagraminstagram.com/hashtagsports
• Facebookfacebook.com/hashtagsportsofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Hashtag Sports