The Future of Sport Lab

What The Future of Sport Lab does

The Future of Sport Lab (FSL) is a not-for-profit sport technology accelerator operated by Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, formerly Ryerson University) in partnership with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), with additional support from the DMZ incubator and Relay Ventures as a foundational venture capital partner. Founded in 2015 as 'Next Big Idea in Sport' and formally established in 2018, FSL runs an 8-week incubator program that supports seed-stage sport tech startups in achieving product-market fit, with five cohorts completed through spring 2025 and a total of 24+ startups supported.

FSL's core offering combines dedicated mentorship from a network of 20+ senior sport industry advisors, agile curricular programming, pilot opportunities with MLSE professional teams (Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Argonauts) and venues (Scotiabank Arena), academic research support through the Ted Rogers School of Management, and a direct capital pathway via Relay Ventures. Supplementary programs include the FSLW female founders initiative launched in 2025, the Sport, Diversity & Race research project (a 14-month study of 32 participants), the FSL Advisor Network, and the FSL Summit/Demo Day at DMZ headquarters. The platform does not develop proprietary technology itself but rather curates and accelerates sport tech ventures across athlete performance, fan engagement, analytics, and esports verticals.

FSL's business model is non-commercial: the program takes no equity from participating startups, charges no fees, and does not require founder relocation. Operating funding comes from founding partners TMU and MLSE, with DMZ providing startup infrastructure. Relay Ventures independently invests in select cohort startups but does not provide revenue to FSL. No revenue figures are disclosed, consistent with its not-for-profit academic-industry initiative structure.

Name

The Future of Sport Lab

Legal name

Future of Sport Lab

Website

https://futuresportlab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Future of Sport Lab is a not-for-profit sport tech accelerator operated by Toronto Metropolitan University in partnership with MLSE, supporting seed-stage startups across AI, wearables, fan engagement, and athlete wellness with mentorship, pilot opportunities, and academic resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sport Technology Accelerator

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Sport technology accelerator
• Startup incubation services
• Venture mentorship programs
• Sport innovation research
• Sport business education

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Support: FSL operates as a non-profit collaborative initiative funded by founding partners Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). The program does not charge startups fees or take equity.
2. Portfolio Company Investment Returns: Relay Ventures invests in select cohort startups, creating potential returns through the broader FSL ecosystem rather than direct revenue to FSL. FSL facilitates connections but does not take carry or fees from these investments.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FSL operates an 8-week sport technology incubator program for seed-stage startups, providing mentorship from 20+ senior industry advisors, agile curricular programming, pilot project opportunities with MLSE professional sports teams, academic research support from Toronto Metropolitan University's Ted Rogers School of Management, and connections to venture capital via the Relay Ventures foundational partnership. The program takes no equity, charges no fees, and requires no relocation, and is supplemented by the FSLW female founders program and a Sport, Diversity & Race research initiative.

Product overview

The Future of Sport Lab (FSL) operates as a collaborative lab and accelerator for sport innovation, not a single unified product but rather a platform-plus-programs architecture. The core offering is the FSL Incubator Program—an 8-week intensive accelerator that provides mentorship, agile curricular programming, pilot project opportunities, and customized academic support to seed-stage sports technology startups. This is supplemented by the FSLW Female Founders Program for women entrepreneurs, an extensive Advisor Network of industry leaders, the Sport, Diversity & Race research initiative, and culminates in the FSL Summit/Pitch Demo Day. The organization has supported multiple cohorts of startups (Cohort 1 through Cohort 5) since its founding, with each cohort featuring distinct startup companies across AI, athlete training, fan engagement, wearable technology, and athlete wellness verticals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FSLW: A new accelerator program dedicated to supporting female founders in sport tech, launched in 2025.

Products and services

• FSL Incubator Program An 8-week intensive accelerator program for seed-stage sport technology startups that provides dedicated mentorship from 20+ senior industry advisors, agile curricular programming, pilot project opportunities with MLSE professional sports teams (Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Argonauts), customized academic support from Toronto Metropolitan University's Ted Rogers School of Management, and connections to venture capital via the Relay Ventures foundational partnership. The program takes no equity, charges no fees, and requires no relocation.
• FSLW Female Founders Program A dedicated accelerator track supporting female founders in the sport technology industry, addressing unique challenges in accessing capital and male-dominated networks. The program provides tailored mentorship, funding pathways, and network access designed for women entrepreneurs in sport tech.
• FSL Summit / Pitch Demo Day The culminating pitch event for each FSL incubator cohort, held at DMZ headquarters in downtown Toronto (previously Mattamy Athletic Centre), where cohort startups present to Canada's top sport tech leaders, advisors, and investors in a Dragon's Den-style pitch format.

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio startups have raised $100+ million in new financing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Carnegie InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Academic partnership to examine racial barriers in hockey. Part of FSL's broader commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in sport, including the Sport, Diversity & Race research project.
• DMZ (Digital Media Zone)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 November 2018DMZ is TMU's world-leading startup incubator that provides FSL with startup support infrastructure, programming, and connections. Startups can apply post-program to DMZ Sandbox and/or general cohort programs.
• Toronto Metropolitan UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2018TMU (formerly Ryerson University) serves as founding academic partner, providing the institutional home through the Ted Rogers School of Management. FSL is housed within the Ted Rogers School of Management and benefits from academic research resources, faculty, student talent, and MBA specialization in sport business. DMZ (Digital Media Zone) provides startup incubator support and programming.
• Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2018MLSE is the founding industry partner providing access to professional sports teams (Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Argonauts), venues (Scotiabank Arena), and industry expertise. MLSE's LaunchPad and Foundation also support FSL initiatives. FSL is MLSE's first large-scale academic collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Sports Innovation Lab: Sports tech insights and innovation advisory firm that works with leagues, brands, and startups. Overlaps with FSL in sport-tech ecosystem-building and research, but operates primarily as a data/advisory firm rather than an accelerator.
• Seedstars: Global emerging-markets-focused accelerator and venture fund. Comparable as an accelerator supporting early-stage startups with international corporate partnerships, but not exclusively sport-focused.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator network historically with sport-focused programs. Comparable as a multi-sector accelerator offering mentorship-driven cohorts, though Techstars is not exclusively sport-focused and takes equity in participating startups.
• Plug and Play Sports & Fitness: Silicon Valley-based global innovation platform with a dedicated Sports & Fitness vertical. Comparable as a broader tech accelerator with sport-specific programming, but not exclusively sport-focused.
• MassChallenge: Global non-equity startup accelerator with sport-tech programming and corporate partnerships. Closely comparable to FSL's non-equity model but operates across industries rather than exclusively in sport.

Regional players

• DMZ (Digital Media Zone): Toronto Metropolitan University's flagship startup incubator and direct operational partner of FSL. Comparable as a Toronto-based accelerator ecosystem builder, though not sport-specialized.
• Creative Destruction Lab: Toronto-based accelerator program for science- and technology-based startups. Comparable as a Canadian accelerator with academic-industry hybrid structure, but not sport-focused.

Others

• SportTechie: Leading sports technology media and events platform covering sport tech innovation. Comparable as a sport-tech ecosystem participant driving visibility and connections, but operates as media/events rather than an accelerator.

Direct peers

• HYPE Sports Innovation: Israel-based global sports innovation accelerator connecting sport tech startups with leading sports organizations, leagues, and brands. Closest direct peer to FSL given its dedicated sport-tech accelerator model and global corporate partnership network.
• leAD Sports Accelerator: Berlin-based leading European sports tech accelerator backed by adidas and other sport-industry partners. Comparable to FSL as a dedicated sport-tech accelerator combining startup mentorship with deep corporate sport-industry access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/futuresportlab
• Facebookfacebook.com/futuresportlab
• Instagraminstagram.com/futuresportlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments8 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Future of Sport Lab