POWWOW Sports

What POWWOW Sports does

POWWOW Sports (legal entity POW WOW GmbH) is a Düsseldorf-based sports events and community brand founded in 2022 by a consortium of seven former elite athletes and sports-business operators. Its flagship product is the annual POWWOW Sports Festival (PWSF), held in Düsseldorf (PWSF '24 at Rheinterrasse; PWSF '25 at Rheinterrasse; PWSF '26 moving to the larger Arena-Sportpark on November 13, 2026), which convenes Olympic and World Champion athletes alongside sports marketing executives, investors, club and federation officials, and sports enthusiasts for on-stage storytelling, business matchmaking, startup pitches, and trend-sport and lifestyle experiences in the POWWOW Village. The format is complemented by regional Community Events across Germany (Football Challenges, Padel Tennis, HYROX events) and the POWWOW Masters golf tournament series held in Mallorca and Hamburg.

The company's product portfolio extends to a content layer — the bi-weekly POWWOW Podcast hosted by Matthias Killing on Spotify and the "Alleine ist schwer" podcast with co-founder Jonas Hummels — and a direct-to-consumer merchandise line (POWWOW Merch) designed and produced with Stanno, including hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, caps, and college jackets priced from €19.99 to €149.99. There is no proprietary technology platform: the stack consists of vivenu (ticketing), Shopify (e-commerce), Brevo (email), and Instagram (social).

Revenue is generated across four streams: event ticket sales (€39–€99), merchandise sales (€19.99–€149.99 with proceeds earmarked for athlete development), podcast/content monetization, and a growing sponsorship pillar anchored by Deutsche Bank, DVAG, PwC, HYROX, Sporthilfe, Laureus, OKTAGON MMA, and other partners. The customer base spans three segments: active and former athletes seeking visibility and cross-sport networking; sports business decision-makers seeking authentic athlete access and partnership opportunities; and general sports enthusiasts consuming culture and lifestyle content. POWWOW Sports is privately held with no disclosed external funding, headquartered at Graf-Recke-Straße 231, Düsseldorf, and operates with a core team of approximately 8–10 people.

Name

POWWOW Sports

Legal name

POW WOW GmbH

Website

https://powwow-sports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

POWOW Sports is a Düsseldorf-based sports events and community brand that organizes the annual POWWOW Sports Festival in Düsseldorf, regional community events across Germany, two podcasts, and a DTC merchandise line, connecting Olympic and World Champion athletes with sports business decision-makers and sports enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Events and Community Festivals

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Multi-Sport Games & Festival Organizers (MPAKADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Event Promotion & Tournament Operations (MPAKAKAC), Meet & Invitational Organizers (MPAKADAC), Outdoor, Sportsman & Recreation Shows (MPAGAFAM)

Keywords

• Sports festival events
• Athlete community platform
• Sports networking experiences
• Branded sports merchandise
• Sports podcast media

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Tickets: Revenue generated from ticket sales for POWWOW Sports Festival events (annual flagship event) and community events. Festival tickets range from €39-€99 depending on event.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded POWWOW Sports merchandise including apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, caps, shorts, college jackets) produced in partnership with Stanno. Each sale includes a portion supporting athlete development.
3. Podcast Content: Content marketing through POWWOW Podcast and 'Alleine ist schwer' podcast hosted on Spotify, driving brand awareness and community engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

POWWOW Sports organizes large-scale sports festival events (POWOW Sports Festival PWSF) and smaller regional community events that bring together elite athletes, sports business decision-makers and sports enthusiasts for inspirational talks, networking, sports challenges and cultural experiences. The company also sells branded apparel and accessories merchandise through its own online store and publishes podcast content featuring athlete stories and sports business insights.

Product overview

POWWOW Sports is a sports festival and event brand that operates a multi-product portfolio centered around its flagship POWWOW Sports Festival (PWSF) — an annual gathering connecting elite athletes with sports business decision-makers through inspirational talks, networking, and sports experiences. The offering extends to regional Community Events and the POWWOW Masters golf tournament, creating a year-round engagement platform. Supporting the brand are two podcast programs (the POWWOW Podcast hosted by Matthias Killing and 'Alleine ist schwer' by Jonas Hummels) and an e-commerce merchandise line (POWWOW Merch) featuring apparel and accessories produced in partnership with Stanno.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• POWWOW Sports Festival (PWSF) Annual flagship festival bringing together elite athletes, sports business decision-makers and sports enthusiasts for inspirational talks across Athlete Stories and Business Deep Dives stages, networking formats such as Matchmaking and Start-Up Pitch, sport challenges in the POWWOW Village and cultural experiences, with subsequent editions held in 2025 and 2026.
• Community Events Regional community events held throughout Germany (including Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Mallorca) where world champions, Olympians, sports enthusiasts and business decision-makers come together for sports activities, insights and networking.
• POWWOW Masters Annual golf tournament bringing together influential figures from the German sports world for competition and networking, branded as the 'class reunion of German sports'.
• POWWOW Podcast Bi-weekly podcast hosted by Matthias Killing featuring elite athletes and sports business personalities discussing successes, defeats and sports business insights, complemented by the 'Alleine ist schwer' podcast with Co-Founder Jonas Hummels, distributed on Spotify.
• POWWOW Merch (Apparel and Accessories) Official branded merchandise collection including apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, college jackets) and accessories (caps) designed and produced in partnership with Stanno, with a portion of proceeds supporting athlete development programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Proceeds from merchandise sales support athlete development programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• HYROXcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025HYROX, co-founded by POWWOW Co-Founder Moritz Fürste, has a strategic partnership with POWWOW Sports. For PWSF '26, HYROX holds races at Arena-Sportpark Düsseldorf (November 11-15) and festival ticket holders receive exclusive access to HYROX races. This partnership elevates both brands and creates a combined sports festival experience.
• StannocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerStanno is the official production partner for POWWOW Sports merchandise. They design and manufacture the branded apparel collection (hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, caps, college jackets) with high-quality embroidered logos. POWWOW brand identity appears alongside Stanno co-branding on all products.
• Deutsche BankmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeutsche Bank is a festival partner for POWWOW Sports events, supporting the platform that connects athletes with sports business decision makers. The partnership aligns with Deutsche Bank's sports sponsorship strategy focusing on performance and achievement.
• DVAG (Deutsche Vermögensberatung)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerDVAG is a festival partner providing support for POWWOW Sports events. As a major financial services company, DVAG benefits from brand visibility among athletes and sports business professionals.
• SporthilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSporthilfe is a charity partner of POWWOW Sports, hosting the Sport-Stipendiat des Jahres (Sport Scholarship of the Year) award ceremony at PWSF events. The award recognizes outstanding performance in sport and studies, previously won by athletes like Malaika Mihambo and Thomas Röhler.
• Laureus Sport for GoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaureus Sport for Good is a charity partner of POWWOW Sports. At PWSF '24, they co-hosted the 'Like Father Like Son - The Next Generation of Windsurfers' session with Bjørn and Liam Dunkerbeck, supporting Laureus's mission to use sports for social change.
• OKTAGON MMAmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerOKTAGON MMA is a business partner and promoter featured at PWSF events. At PWSF '24, they hosted the 'OKTAGON - The Biggest MMA Event in Europe' session, and Co-Founder Pavol Neruda appeared at PWSF '25.
• PwCmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPwC is a business partner at POWWOW Sports events, with speakers like Pascal Roller (Corporate Communication) and Dr. Michael Bennet (Director of Player Wellbeing at Professional Footballers' Association) contributing to discussions.
• vivenucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorvivenu GmbH is the ticket service provider for POWWOW Sports events, operating the ticketing platform at tickets.powwow-sports.com. They handle online ticket sales, secondary market resale, and event management technology.
• IST HochschuleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIST Hochschule für Management is a festival partner supporting POWWOW Sports events with educational and sports management content.
• Athletic Sport SponsoringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAthletic Sport Sponsoring is a festival partner supporting POWWOW Sports events.
• CARL GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCARL Group is a festival partner supporting POWWOW Sports events.
• SigmaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSigma is a festival partner supporting POWWOW Sports events.
• GeneraliminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGenerali is a supporters club member providing support for POWWOW Sports events.
• WarsteinerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWarsteiner is a supporters club member providing support for POWWOW Sports events.
• Anytime FitnessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnytime Fitness is a supporters club member supporting POWWOW Sports events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HYROX: Global fitness-racing event series co-founded by POWWOW co-founder Moritz Fürste. Comparable sports-event business model and audience overlap, with a formal cross-promotion already in place for PWSF '26.
• Leaders in Sport: International sports business events and membership network connecting governing bodies, clubs, and commercial partners. Comparable as a curated sports-business networking platform targeting senior decision makers.
• World Football Summit: International football-industry conference bringing together clubs, federations, brands, and investors. Comparable as a sport-specific business event monetizing networking and storytelling formats, though narrower in sport.
• SPOBIS: Germany's flagship sports business conference connecting clubs, leagues, brands, and athletes. Directly comparable as a DACH sports-business event targeting the same athlete + decision-maker audience as POWWOW Sports Festival.
• SPORTBÜNZ: German-language sports-business networking platform and event series covering clubs, leagues, and brands. Comparable DACH sports-business community targeting the same marketing, sponsorship, and decision-maker audience as POWWOW.

Emerging players

• OMR: Large-scale digital-marketing and business festival with growing sports-business and athlete-founder programming. Comparable as a multi-stage festival connecting business decision makers with founder/creator stories — adjacent audience overlap.

Broad incumbents

• FIBO: Global fitness industry trade show combining exhibitions, congress content, and consumer experiences. Comparable as a large-scale fitness/sports festival incumbent, though with a broader fitness rather than elite-athlete focus.
• ISPO Munich: Established global sports business trade fair spanning equipment, retail, and sports-business programming. Comparable as a broad sports-business event incumbent, though oriented to industry trade rather than athlete storytelling.

Others

• Laureus Sport for Good: Global sports charity using sport for social change and operating sport-for-good storytelling events. POWWOW is already a partner; comparable as an event-driven athlete storytelling platform with a mission overlay.
• Sporthilfe: German elite-athlete support foundation hosting the Sport-Stipendiat des Jahres award ceremony at PWSF. Comparable as an athlete-supporting organization activating the same athlete network and award-driven event formats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/powwow_sports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/powwow-sports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 POWWOW Sports