Latest news with #sportsinnovation
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Ethara champions sports innovation and investment with landmark pitch in Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI: Ethara has launched its inaugural E1H Pitch, during which eight business founders presented their startup projects to investors at an event held at the Yas Conference Centre in Abu Dhabi. The management company, which organizes some of the region's biggest sporting events such as the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, UFC and the NBA games. The event brought together more than 100 key stakeholders from sport, entertainment, government, and investment sectors to witness the unveiling of the regional startups hoping to secure funding for their development. As the UAE's first dedicated sports ecosystem and incubator, the Ethara 1TW Innovation Hub (E1H) was established to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in the UAE and the wider region by providing startups with access to expertise, commerce and capital. The first E1H pitch was the culmination of a six-week program in which the eight early-stage ventures received strategic guidance and venture capital support to fast-track their development. The event opened with keynote addresses from Mike Shapiro, head of ventures at City Football Group, and Mohamed Berrada, partner at Portas. Their insights into global sports investment and the future of digital fan engagement highlighted the UAE's growing influence as a strategic base for sports tech and entertainment ventures. The session was hosted by sports broadcaster Chris McHardy. 'Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Ethara,' said Saif Rashid Al-Noaimi, CEO of Ethara. 'That's why we created E1H with our partners at OneToWatch. We want to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to build new ventures that add value not just to Ethara but to Abu Dhabi's global vision for sport and entertainment.' The eight presentations attracted immediate interest from investors and highlighted strong potential for UAE-based growth. Jamie Cunningham, founder of OneToWatch, added: 'The UAE is no longer just hosting world-class events it's now building the companies that will power them. E1H is unlocking entrepreneurial potential and connecting it directly to capital and opportunity. We're proud to partner with Ethara and Abu Dhabi to help shape the next generation of global sports and entertainment ventures.' E1H Cohort 1 startups ArabsMMA – Zahi Ephrem A marketer and martial artist, Zahi founded ArabsMMA, the first media platform dedicated to combat sports in the Middle East. Athlyn – Ahmed Cheikh Omar With 15-plus years' experience in the UAE sports and corporate sectors, Omar's platform bridges sport and corporate engagement. Esportian – Ivan Kerkoc A Spanish university professor and former NCAA recruiter, Kerkoc founded Esportian to merge traditional sports and esports education. Icosium Technologies – Billel Boudouma and Mohamed Ali This venture blends robotics, artificial intelligence, and human experience to deliver real-world micro-automation solutions. MyParkBuddy – Daniel Hachem Daniel aims to revolutionize urban mobility through smart parking solutions, drawing on his engineering and entrepreneurship expertise. Neoma – Francois Chabaudie With a background in private equity and consulting, Chabaudie created Neoma to improve human interactions through smart environments. The Mettleset – Dawn Barnable A seasoned communicator and endurance athlete, Dawn founded The Mettleset to tell meaningful stories through the lens of sport. E1H Venture Studio, Greenlight Abu Dhabi Branding (GADB) – Robert Angelieri An event operations expert, Robert drives innovation in sustainable events through branding, logistics, and venue strategy.
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Ethara Launches UAE's First Sports Entrepreneurship Incubator in Abu Dhabi; Eight Startups Unveiled
By bridging ideas with investors and corporations, E1H offers a fast-track for entrepreneurs looking to scale regionally and globally. You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Ethara, an Abu Dhabi-based live events and venue management firm, has launched the inaugural Ethara 1TW Innovation Hub (E1H) Pitch- the UAE's first dedicated sports ecosystem and incubator. The launch event, which took place at the Yas Conference Centre on June 3, 2025, brought together more than 100 key stakeholders from sport, entertainment, government, and investment sectors to witness the unveiling of startups shaping the region's sports and entertainment economy. Image source: Ethara The E1H Pitch marked the culmination of a six-week program in which eight early-stage ventures received expert mentorship, strategic guidance, and venture capital support to fast-track their development. By providing startups with unique access to expertise, commerce, and capital, E1H thus aims to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and the wider region. The event opened with keynote addresses from Mike Shapiro, Head of Ventures at City Football Group, and Mohamed Berrada, Partner at Portas. Their insights into global sports investment and the future of digital fan engagement highlighted the UAE's rising prominence as a strategic base for sports tech and entertainment ventures. The session was hosted by sports broadcaster Chris McHardy. Image source: Ethara "Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Ethara- that's why we created E1H with our partners at OneToWatch [a sports investment advisory firm based in Abu Dhabi Global Market]," Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, Chief Executive Officer of Ethara, stated. "We want to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to build new ventures that add value not just to Ethara but to Abu Dhabi's global vision for sport and entertainment." The event then highlighted how the eight founders from E1H's inaugural cohort address a wide spectrum of areas including technology, content, services, and sustainability. E1H Cohort 1 startups: • ArabsMMA founded by Zahi Ephrem: The first media platform dedicated to combat sports in the Middle East. • Athlyn founded by Ahmed Cheikh Omar: A platform that bridges sport and corporate engagement. • Esportian founded by Ivan Kerkoc: Merges traditional sports and esports education. • Icosium Technologies founded by Billel Boudouma and Mohamed Ali: This venture blends robotics, AI, and human experience to deliver real-world micro-automation solutions. • MyParkBuddy founded by Daniel Hachem: Aims to revolutionize urban mobility through smart parking solutions. • Neoma founded by Francois Chabaudie: Aims to improve human interactions through smart environments. • The Mettleset founded by Dawn Barnable: A platform to tell meaningful stories through the lens of sport. • E1H Venture Studio, Greenlight Abu Dhabi Branding (GADB) founded by Robert Angelieri: Drives innovation in sustainable events through branding, logistics, and venue strategy.
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Enhanced Games: $1m cheques, Trump Jr and a threat to the Olympics
Featuring prominently on the slick website of a concept called the Enhanced Games is a particularly eye-catching message from Donald Trump Jr. 'The Enhanced Games represent the future – real competition, real freedom and real records being smashed,' says the quote from the US president's son, which sits beneath a video of the president himself that proclaims: ' The impossible is what we do best.' The message from Trump Jr, whose 1789 Capital firm has made a multi-million-dollar investment, goes on: 'This is about excellence, innovation and American dominance on the world stage – something the Maga movement is all about. The Enhanced Games are going to be huge, and I couldn't be prouder to support this movement that is changing sports forever.' Trump Sr has not himself provided a personal endorsement but, with just over three years until the United States will actually host the Olympic Games, complete with its oath that explicitly commits 'to sport without doping', it is still a fairly extraordinary juxtaposition. The Enhanced Games, if you did not know, is a concept founded on allowing its athletes to use performance-enhancing substances. It is paying $1 million for every 'world record' and, alongside the release of an hour-long documentary following certain athletes on their chemically enhanced journey, has just announced that the inaugural Enhanced Games will be held next May in Las Vegas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Enhanced Games (@enhanced_games) The documentary largely details the training of the Australian former world swimming champion James Magnussen, complete with footage of him injecting himself. 'The base of it was testosterone and then peptides… we used BPC-157, CJC-1295, ipamorelin and thymosin,' he later explained, speaking as if the audience had a biochemistry PhD. The headline moment, however, was provided elsewhere. Wearing an aerodynamic swimsuit that is also outlawed in regular competition, the Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was timed breaking the existing 50m freestyle world swimming record. Gkolomeev finished fifth at last year's Olympics Games and the 50m freestyle is one of four swimming disciplines (alongside the 100m freestyle and 50m and 100m butterfly) that will make up the swimming events at the first Enhanced Games next year. There will also be sprint events in athletics as well as weightlifting. News of Gkolomeev's feat provoked a predictably fierce backlash from sport's established governing bodies. 'Like clowns juggling knives, sadly, these athletes will get hurt performing in this circus,' said World Aquatics. 'History has shown us time and time again the grave dangers of doping to human health. This is a sideshow to those who compete honestly, fairly, and respect the true spirit of sport.' Travis Tygart, the influential chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency, called it a 'dangerous clown show that puts profit over principle', while Lord Coe, the president of World Athletics, has previously dismissed the concept as 'b-------'. The International Olympic Committee has not publicly commented and, as members gathered in February to elect Kirsty Coventry as the new IOC president, there was apparently no thought of the Enhanced Games. 'I did not hear it mentioned once all week – the mood was very upbeat after the success of Paris,' said one IOC insider. FASTEST SWIMMER IN HISTORY Kristian Gkolomeev breaks the 50m Freestyle World Record with a time of 20.89 seconds, earning a $1,000,000 prize. Breaks Cesar Cielo's 2009 record (20.91). Watch Documentary — Enhanced Games (@enhanced_games) May 22, 2025 The IOC, though, has some very obvious points of vulnerability. There was dismay last summer among many athletes over the handling of an anti-doping investigation that cleared Chinese swimmers to compete. Faith in the authorities' ability to enforce current rules is, to put it politely, limited. And then there is the issue of money and the rewards for Olympic athletes who dedicate their lives to a multi-billion-pound show but are frequently left with no more than memories and huge financial debts for the honour. 'I think the business model that is going right now is very outdated for the athletes,' the swimmer Adam Peaty told me last year. 'We need to encourage the next generation to come through – have a fair compensation; it should be coming from the IOC and trickling back down to the athletes who put on the show.' It is a sentiment widely shared, including among promoters in sports where not paying prize money or even appearance fees to athletes would be utterly unthinkable. 'The day after a medal, no one says: 'Who is going to put food on your table?' You try eating a medal – you'll lose your teeth,' says Barry Hearn, whose Professional Darts Corporation has a £1 million first prize for its next world champion. For those Olympic athletes who already dope, or who believe that doping is so prevalent that they cannot win cleanly, you could imagine some might become drawn to a concept where chemical enhancement is out in the open and the potential financial rewards are huge. The Enhanced Games themselves have been emphasising the involvement of medics in the preparation of their athletes – there is a 14-strong 'independent medical and scientific commission' – even if claims of 'safety' have been strongly disputed elsewhere within the profession. 'We live in a world transformed by science,' said Enhanced Games founder Aron D'Souza. 'But sport has stood still. We are not updating the rulebook – we are rewriting it. And we're doing it safely, ethically, and boldly.' Magnussen has also been emphasising the financial point. 'The most common response I hear from current athletes is, if this all goes ahead the way we believe it will in the first year, then we're very interested to join,' he said. 'Because the opportunity to set yourself up for life just isn't there at the moment. But it's very clear that opportunity is available with the Enhanced Games.' As well as Trump's 1789 Capital firm, other known investors include the billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel. The big immediate challenge, though, will surely be finding enough world-class athletes over the next 12 months to stage meaningful competition. The Enhanced Games website includes a form for potential participants to register their interest – and it is striking that the list of signed-up athletes currently numbers just four: Magnussen, Gkolomeev and two more swimmers, Josif Miladinov of Bulgaria and Ukranian Andrii Govorov. Of the four, only Miladinov is below the age of 30. It rather suggests that this particular concept has too many ethical and reputational barriers to seriously impact on conventional sporting structures, certainly in the immediate future. But, as it basks in the afterglow of Paris and the election of a continuity president in Coventry, the IOC would be wise to address some of the very legitimate grievances that still fester.
Arab News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Is the world of sports ready for the Enhanced Games?
In modern parlance, it is what techies would call a 'disruptor,' to say the least. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport It will take a lot more, however, for sporting fans of earlier generations to get their heads around the concept of the Enhanced Games, which were officially announced on Wednesday and will take place next year in Las Vegas. Saudi Arabia's Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al-Saud, founder and CEO of KBW Ventures and chairman of the Kingdom's Sports For All Federation, is the region's first, and to date only, investor in the tournament that allows athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without being subjected to testing. Prince Khaled — nicknamed the 'Tech Prince' for his investments in startups, among many other fields — is bullish about the potential of the Enhanced Games when asked if the sports world is ready for such a controversial step. 'Look, I like to think of myself as a progressive investor, venture capital typically backs very nascent ideas,' he told Arab News. 'You are always looking for the big idea, the society-changing concept. Then, you attempt to predict and really visualize how and where and when that big idea will prove relevant to the wider world. 'As someone who is pretty involved in sports on both personal and business levels, I think there is a segment of the world who would like to push the limits of human potential,' Prince Khaled said. 'How fast? How far? How long? All questions in sport that someone like me is curious about, and very eager to see. I want to see real-world application, and a competitive approach.' He accepts that this idea, with all the ethical points and counterpoints it evokes, might take a long time to be accepted in mainstream sports. 'Is the world ready? The world wasn't ready for most fresh concepts. At the most basic level people weren't even ready for ride-hailing, now it is considered a must for many all over the world, he said. 'So, whether it is transportation or AI or art or biotechnology or in this case, sport and biohacking, the world is usually not ready for things that have not been done before. That doesn't mean they should never be done. 'Elite athletes who have never been granted the opportunity to experiment with body autonomy and enhancement exploration can now sign up if they so choose,' said Prince Khaled. 'If you want to talk sports in specific, I also think the world wasn't ready for MMA, but it's now one of the biggest crowd draws out there.' The reaction from the sports community at large has, unsurprisingly, been a negative one. In February of last year, a joint statement issued by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency condemning the games was supported by The International Fair Play Committee. 'Well, it is voluntary, and it's like for like. The Games is for those who choose to enroll and compete with enhancements. It is ethical; the ethics rests in equality, safety and transparency. 'There is a disclosure protocol, and everyone knows that everyone else is applying the same types of enhancements and experimenting with biohacking. 'I don't think I have to justify investing in what I see as a form of competitive sport,' he added. 'As long as everyone involved is aware, then it is fair and transparent.' Prince Khaled is known to be the Middle East North Africa face of venture capital, with investments across artificial intelligence, biotechnology, agricultural and food technology, as well as in the sports-adjacent sector, robotics and broadcast technologies. One of his biotechnology bets, Colossal Biosciences, recently made headlines with its reported $10.2 billion valuation. 'I met the co-founder of Enhanced Games (Aron D'Souza) at a private conclave staged by FII (Future Investment Initiative) last year in Riyadh. This was my first exposure to the idea of the Enhanced Games. 'It was a closed-door working group held to discuss democratizing access to healthy aging solutions. Some of the foremost figures were present; from stakeholders from the Saudi Health in All Policies committee, to scientists, to entrepreneurs and investors.' 'I do think the Enhanced Games can play an important role here; how better to analyze the effects of enhancement than on elite athletes? People who are in the best possible shape physically that they can be naturally, and then build on that,' he said. 'When your baseline is elite athlete level, then we can really see what biohacking and these enhancements can do. 'I do think it is ethical, because there is no subjectivity and no varying board rules, and because it is upfront and clear about the idea that everyone is competing with their own approach to enhancement.' Certainly the games seem to appeal to athletes either coming to the end of their careers or ones for whom Olympic and international success remain out of reach. Established figures, including Australian swimming coach Brett Hawke, have backed the idea. At the age of 31, four-time Olympic Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev will take part in the Enhanced Games, having received a $1 million prize for breaking the long-standing 50-meter freestyle world record with a time of 20.89 seconds. 'Being the first to break a world record at the Enhanced Games means a lot to me. I'm proud to lead the way,' said the athlete who specialized in sprint and butterfly events, and earned a silver in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championship in South Korea. However, having not consistently been at the top of the sport, he sees these Games as an opportunity to make up for missed opportunities. 'One year at the Enhanced Games could earn me more than six Olympic cycles combined,' Gkolomeev told Arab News. 'I've never had this kind of support; doctors, nutritionists, therapists, all working to make me better.' Prince Khaled accepts that participation will depend entirely on the choices of the individual athletes and their particular circumstances. 'There are athletes who are not going to want to join, and then there are those who will be the early adopters,' he said. 'At launch, there is already a record-breaker, who just won a million dollars. 'Is this going to make everyone rush to sign up? No, but this will definitely spark some honest and much-needed discussions about the irregularities between sporting rules and different governing bodies, and the allegations of unfair treatment levied against some athletes over others.' 'Democratizing access to aging solutions is what first interested me in the Games, and then I began to think of the implications on sport. 'I'm sure you know about the politics involved when deciding which athletes were accused of using enhancements, in several instances countries felt their athletes were unfairly targeted. 'At the Enhanced Games, this political maneuvering is completely removed from the equation. I bet if you ask the athletes that felt they were wrongly maligned, they would be pretty quick to agree that politics played a role.' In its statement last year, the International Fair Play Committee said the Games 'represent a potentially catastrophic healthcare risk' to the athletes. The Enhanced Games' website meanwhile promises medical vigilance and safe participation for the athletes. Critics will rightly question just where the line is drawn in terms of the use of performance-enhancing substances. 'To my knowledge, there are two cohorts, one is enhanced with their own resources and medical guidance, and one cohort that is officially under the Enhanced Games,' said Prince Khaled. 'For the second cohort, there is a full treatment protocol lined up for athletes. 'They will definitely have better medical guidance and access to the latest in monitoring methodologies and technologies with the Enhanced Games than they have ever had in their professional sporting careers.' 'Everyone knows one of the biggest barriers to elite athletics is cost,' he added. 'The Enhanced Games is bringing the best medical and scientific protocols and giving the athletes access to that. 'To bring this conversation full circle, this is something enabled by funding, and in venture capital, funding is, most of the time, allocated to groundbreaking entities and ideas.' Prince Khaled said he is a 'cautious believer in biohacking' which is, simply stated, the optimization of nutrition to enhance energy, cognitive function, and overall health and well-being. 'I think longevity medicine and healthspan and various other biotechnology sectors are burgeoning for a reason. 'KBW Ventures is invested in biotechnology, health tech, medtech, and with the Enhanced Games, I consider it kind of an ultimate biohacking opportunity for elite athletes,' he said. 'I expect that so much valuable scientific data on reversing biological age, and repair and so much more is going to come out of the Enhanced Games,' Prince Khaled added. 'On a separate note, the athletes that participate in the Games have to undergo what is termed health testing, ensuring that they are fit to compete. They also need to disclose everything that they are using to enhance their performance.' At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, the world of athletics was shaken to its core when Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold medal he had won with a world record time of 9.79 seconds. Author Richard Moore's 'The Dirtiest Race in History' remains a seminal read on the events of Sept. 24, 1988. Since then, many other athletes have been banned from participating, or stripped of medals, for similar offences with increasingly less fanfare and shock. But is the world ready now to consign such considerations to history? The clock is now ticking toward the first Enhanced Game. It remains a tough, if not almost impossible sell, for a sporting community brought up on the concepts of fair play and the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs. Whether the world is ready for these Games, and how the future will judge these developments, remain open questions.
