The SFS 25 is an essential showcase for the future of football, successfully uniting sport with new technologies. At the heart of this forward-looking vision is SFS ExtraTime, realized in partnership with ALMAVIVA, the competition that annually shines a spotlight on the most promising entities in the football industry.
This year, the scope of innovation is more international than ever. For the first time, the competition has registered massive participation from abroad, confirming SFS’s role as a global reference point. The final selection highlighted seven exceptional projects, with startups hailing from Italy, Portugal, Belgium, the UK/UAE, and the United States. They are the protagonists who, with their cutting-edge solutions based on AI, No-Code, and neuroscience, will take the stage to demonstrate how they are shaping the football of tomorrow.
Let’s find out together who the finalists are, ready to compete for the title of the SFS 25’s most innovative startup.
PLAYBACK
(CEO & Founder: Karim Fawaz | UK, UAE) PLAYBACK positions itself as a solutions aggregator that is making premium sports software and equipment more accessible. Through exclusive partnerships with technology providers, it offers services including AI-detected highlights, auto-follow camera technology, live streaming, detailed player profiles, and AI-driven analysis tools.
PLUGGABLE AI
(CEO & Founder: Bruno Fernandes | Portugal) Fan of the Match (FOTM) is an AI-powered technology that transforms fan engagement into real value for clubs and sponsors. Integrated directly into official mobile apps, it detects natural fan reactions—such as cheering, clapping, or jumping—converting them into real-time insights and rewards, thereby improving the connection between the team and its fanbase.
POPUP
(CEO & Founder: Francesco Teodori | Italy) POPUP is a no-code SaaS platform that revolutionizes the stadium experience. By leveraging technologies like QR Code, NFC, Generative AI, and blockchain, it transforms stadiums into immersive digital experiences, enabling dynamic upselling, AI-powered assistance, and post-match engagement through certificates, quizzes, and exclusive content.
SPORTHYPE (Holytics)
(CEO & Founder: Andrea Filippo Rossi | Italy) Innovation meets neuroscience. Holytics is an advanced mental training app aimed at enhancing focus, resilience, and stress management. By integrating digital technology with EEG headbands for real-time monitoring, it translates cognitive data into personalized strategies to boost self-awareness and athletic performance.
SQUAD ASSIST
(CEO & Founder: Pauwels Wout | Belgium) Squad Assist is an AI-driven platform that aims to predict the real value a football player can generate for a club. It uses two proprietary AI models that independently assess the player’s sportive impact and market value evolution, uniquely combining data analytics, performance metrics, and predictive modeling.
ZONE 7 by SVEXA
(CEO & Founder: Mikael Mattsson | USA) Zone7 is an advanced AI system entirely dedicated to predicting and preventing player injuries. By integrating a wide range of data (training, GPS, match, and wellness), the system builds personalized injury risk profiles and provides specific, actionable recommendations for coaching and medical staff, maximizing player availability.
WOV LABS
(CEO & Founder: Americo Cacciapuoti | Italy) WoV Labs brings innovation to football merchandising with Authentica, the Digital Product Passport 2.0. This solution connects every physical product to its verified digital twin, ensuring supply chain transparency, facilitating fan interaction, and certifying the product’s digital ownership.
These seven entities represent the cutting edge of innovation in the football industry. From player health to fan connection, and from talent evaluation to the in-stadium experience, SFS ExtraTime is ready to uncover which solution will revolutionize the way we experience and manage football. Don’t miss the opportunity to see them in action and find out who will win the Startup Competition! We look forward to seeing you at SFS 25.
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