Sports, Media & Gaming accelerators
Accelerators for Sports, Media & Gaming founders
Sports, media, and gaming accelerators mostly run on one currency: access to leagues, networks, and audiences that startups cannot buy their way into. The Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator takes equity in exchange for pilots and business development with partners like NBC Sports, the Premier League, PGA TOUR, and NASCAR, though it does not publish a cash amount or equity percentage. NBA Launchpad is a six month R&D program inside the league's own priority areas, with financial terms unpublished. The one program here with a published check is Betaworks Camp, currently themed around AI and the agent economy: up to $500,000 per team, with Betaworks and its syndicate partners each investing up to $250,000, equity percentage unpublished. Stadia Ventures, the sports-specific accelerator veteran, appears dormant, with no cohort news since roughly 2022, and its page says so plainly. Every figure here is the program's own published number; where a program does not publish a figure, we say so instead of guessing.
Showing 4 of 4 programs
| Check size | Equity | Terms | Format | Next window | Signal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betaworks Campthematic AI/media camps (current theme: 'AI Camp: The New Agent Economy') | Up to $500,000 (Betaworks and syndicate partners each invest up to $250,000 per team) | Not publishedEquity percentage / instrument not published, hence null; no participation fee. 12 weeks in-residence at Betaworks' NYC Meatpacking District office; in-person required for first and final two weeks, hybrid options available. Two camps per year (Spring: Mar-May, apps Dec-Jan; Fall: Aug-Nov, apps Jun-Jul). As of July 2026 the application for the Fall 2026 'New Agent Economy' camp is open but no exact deadline date is published, so next_deadline is null (Spring '26 camp's extended deadline was Jan 9, 2026). | Equity for cash | NY | Hybrid | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Acceleratorsports technology and sports media | Not publishedProgram site confirms 10 startups selected annually 'exchanging equity in return for customized strategies'; cash investment amount and equity percentage are not publicly disclosed, hence nulls. Hybrid with three in-person events (secondary source). Atlanta HQ is widely reported but not stated on the fetched program page. 2026 class application deadline was Aug 16, 2025 (secondary source); 2027 class window not yet announced as of July 2026, so next_deadline is null. | Not publishedProgram site confirms 10 startups selected annually 'exchanging equity in return for customized strategies'; cash investment amount and equity percentage are not publicly disclosed, hence nulls. Hybrid with three in-person events (secondary source). Atlanta HQ is widely reported but not stated on the fetched program page. 2026 class application deadline was Aug 16, 2025 (secondary source); 2027 class window not yet announced as of July 2026, so next_deadline is null. | Equity for cash | GA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| NBA Launchpadbasketball technology pilots (officiating, youth basketball, player health, media, fan connection) | Not publishedStructured as a six-month R&D/pilot program within NBA ecosystem properties rather than a classic equity accelerator; financial terms (equity, pilot payments) are not disclosed on the program site, hence nulls. NBA HQ is New York; pilot work location varies and format not specified. Fifth cohort (5 companies) announced January 2026. 2026 application window ran Sept 15 - Oct 17, 2025; the 2027 window had not been announced as of July 2026, so next_deadline is null. | Not publishedStructured as a six-month R&D/pilot program within NBA ecosystem properties rather than a classic equity accelerator; financial terms (equity, pilot payments) are not disclosed on the program site, hence nulls. NBA HQ is New York; pilot work location varies and format not specified. Fifth cohort (5 companies) announced January 2026. 2026 application window ran Sept 15 - Oct 17, 2025; the 2027 window had not been announced as of July 2026, so next_deadline is null. | Not publishedStructured as a six-month R&D/pilot program within NBA ecosystem properties rather than a classic equity accelerator; financial terms (equity, pilot payments) are not disclosed on the program site, hence nulls. NBA HQ is New York; pilot work location varies and format not specified. Fifth cohort (5 companies) announced January 2026. 2026 application window ran Sept 15 - Oct 17, 2025; the 2027 window had not been announced as of July 2026, so next_deadline is null. | NY | Not published | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| Stadia Ventures Acceleratorsports tech and esports | Not publishedHistorically an equity-investment accelerator (16 cohorts, 76 portfolio companies, cohorts held in St. Louis and Frisco, TX), but current check size/equity are not published on the site. Homepage's most recent cohort news ('Cohort 15 recently wrapped in Frisco') dates to roughly Fall 2022 and no 2024-2026 cohort announcements were found, so status is possibly_inactive; the firm may have shifted toward its fund/venture-studio activities. | Not publishedHistorically an equity-investment accelerator (16 cohorts, 76 portfolio companies, cohorts held in St. Louis and Frisco, TX), but current check size/equity are not published on the site. Homepage's most recent cohort news ('Cohort 15 recently wrapped in Frisco') dates to roughly Fall 2022 and no 2024-2026 cohort announcements were found, so status is possibly_inactive; the firm may have shifted toward its fund/venture-studio activities. | Equity for cash | MO | In person | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | VerifiedPossibly dormantWe could not confirm a recent or upcoming cohort. It may have paused or wound down. Verify before applying. |
Guides for Sports, Media & Gaming founders
Plain-English mechanics for the terms these programs use.
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