Tim Hayden from Stadia Ventures on startups, sports and innovation

Most of our friends have all risen through the ranks and the common thread underneath is they all want to give back and they really want to help the next generation just like people help them. So that was the genesis of the accelerator program for Stadia.

Tim Hayden, Stadia Ventures

Tim Hayden is the Co-Founder & Managing Director at Stadia Ventures.

Prior to Stadia Ventures, Tim has always been involved in strategic planning, digital media and marketing. He started out with the United Parcel Services (UPS) which introduced him to sports business as they were engaged more in the sports sponsorship side. After realising he was better suited in startups and small businesses, Tim joined and helped a startup sports marketing agency. Luckily, the agency got tied in with the St. Louis Cardinals which opened a lot of opportunities for both the agency and Tim. He then went on and started his own business called Vivid Sky and SkyBOX to create a mobile application for sports fans anywhere in the world. This went to lead Tim to building Stadia Ventures.

Stadia Ventures is a sports-and esports-focused venture firm with a sports business accelerator. Stadia Accelerator helps establish sports startups get to the next level through the combination of a $100K equity investment, intensive mentoring, and connecting founders to the top sports business executives in the country. They currently have 36 companies in their portfolio.

Aside from Stadia Ventures, Tim also pursues his passion in helping the next generation of students as a Senior Adjunct Professor at Saint Louis University.

• Connect with Tim Hayden on Twitter @timhayden and LinkedIn
• Learn more about Stadia Ventures on Twitter @stadiaventures, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
• Some related articles about Stadia Ventures you might want to read:
  • Stadia Ventures Becomes SportsEngine Marketplace Partner
  • SA’s Fancam wins industry validation, $100k with Stadia Ventures sports accelerator
• Some Sports Geek episodes you might be interested in:
  • Tinus le Roux from FanCam on knowing your fans in the stands
  • Changing the sports commentary game with Ben Reynolds from Spalk
• Loved the podcast? Leave us a review on sportsgeekhq.com/itunes
• Need help with your team or athlete's digital? Go to Sports Geek Social Media Athlete Training
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6:08 Tim Hayden on how he started in the sports business industry

8:05 How Stadia Ventures started

10:58 What should the startups coming in to the accelerator program start to look for

13:54 How cohorts are working together to achieve success

17:34 The accelerator application process for Stadia Ventures

23:09 What does the accelerator program look like

26:22 What do finalists get from the Stadia Accelerator program

31:00 How the businesses are transformed over the three-month program

32:56 What happens in the Stadia Accelerator program demo day

37:47 Sports Geek Closing Five

48:29 Want Sean to look at your sponsorship or ticketing campaigns? Book in a Pick my Brain session. A two-hour GoToMeeting session where you can get Sean’s insights

Good to catch Tim at #SEATDALLAS. Great insights!

Another partnership coming along

Cool to see how Stadia keeps supporting startups like Spalk