Sportclubby: capital increase of €950,000 thanks to LigurCapital and Finpiemonte

From crowdfunding to regional funding, a boost to capital increases for the companies that operate in the world of sport. In fact, a total of $2 million (€1.67 million) has been raised by Sportclubby, the platform for booking camps and activities online, outdoors, and in the gym, which has grown at a rate of 200% during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

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The online booking platform

Finpiemonte and LigurCapital have injected $1.14 million (€950,000) into Sportclubby’s second capital increase. Specifically, the Piedmont Region’s finance company provided $600,000 (€500,000) through a non-repayable grant, while the Ligur Region’s “arm” contributed $540,000 (€ 450,000) thanks to a convertible loan.

The first capital increase, which began with a crowdfunding campaign on Mamacrowd, also involved, among others, the Oltre Venture fund and the sportech incubator Wylab. Thanks to the new resources, Sportclubby will consolidate its position on the Italian market, continuing to grow its user and club base, which today already numbers more than 500,000 sportsmen and women throughout Italy, distributed across a network of over 700 facilities, camps, federations, and personal trainers. To do this, it will focus on the development of new features for gyms and users and the integration of new complementary services related to sport and wellness, to offer an increasingly complete sports experience, from a single point of access.

The numbers of the booking app

With 6 million bookings in 2020 alone, Sportclubby has become the most downloaded sports app in Italy. Through its large multi-sport database – which is constantly expanding – it is able to perform predictive analysis on training habits, to improve and increase the practice of physical activity and multiple disciplines. During the lockdown months, thanks to the first platform to manage bookings, schedules, subscriptions, mobile payments, sports micro-insurance, promotions, and other digital services for sports, the startup has grown at a rate of 200%, allowing dozens of clubs to migrate their schedules online and outdoor and continue working safely.

By further enhancing its platform, Sportclubby will continue to drive the digitization of the sports industry. According to a recent study, in fact, the new hybrid offer generated by the health emergency will weigh up to 27% of the market in 2021 alone, permanently flanking indoor activity with online (in live streaming and on demand) and outdoor activity.

Sector operators

“We are particularly satisfied – ” commented Andrea Benveduti, Councillor for Economic Development of Regione Liguria – to have financially helped a reality of our territory that has been able, thanks to its innovative spirit, to combine the passion for sport with the endless opportunities of digitalization. Chiavari, which in the past has proven to be a land of avant-garde, has been able to seize the opportunities of the Ligurcapital fund dedicated to high-potential start-ups, with venture capital operations that have brought 1.5 million regional euros to the territory. We hope that the pandemic does not stop the traditional Ligurian desire to do business, because, even more than yesterday, we need to work as a team to study innovative solutions for our tomorrow”.

“In an industry that has been completely overturned in the last year,” said Biagio Bartoli, CEO and co-founder of Sportclubby, “we’ve been able to anticipate the growing role of digital in sports. While many clubs have already begun to redefine their business models in a hybrid and multi-service key, our platform has made it possible to simplify many aspects that today represent the new face of sport. Digital payments, community, online classes, safety regulations. The financing obtained will allow us to respond rapidly to a rapidly growing demand and consolidate the leadership that distinguishes us in the field of big data on sport.

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(Featured image by kinkate via Pixabay)

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First published in Il Sole 24 ORE, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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