For many, the first things that come to mind when they think of Brazil are Christ the Redeemer and football, and for good reason.
Of course, Christ the Redeemer has become emblematic of not only Rio De Janiro, the country’s capital, but Brazil more generally.
Football, however, is something that has become part of Brazil’s culture in a deeper way. Not only has the national team won the Fifa World Cup five times, but it’s also the nation’s most popular sport, among both amateurs and professionals of all age groups.
Indeed, the country’s passion for football is representative of its greater affinity to sports in general, and data collected and analysed by Statista shows that Brazil’s sports industry is on the rise. In fact, it’s seen growth year in and year out since 2017, with the industry’s annual revenue growing from 8.3% to 33.93% over the seven year period.
And this growth doesn’t seem likely, with projections showing continued increases in revenue over the next few years, with an expected 39.5% in 2029.
Naturally, along with the rise in popularity of sport and the growing industry within the national economy comes increased innovations in technology.
How Can Sports Tech Improve the Industry
In the most obvious sense, advanced technology can help improve athletes’ ability to perform, making the sports more competitive and also more enjoyable to watch.
This may come in the form of fancy smartwatches and other devices, as well as new-age sports apparel and high-tech footwear.
But another major way in which sports technology can improve the industry is by means of improving the overall experience for fans and spectators, not only by making the sports better, but by providing them with new and exciting ways to get involved.
This can be achieved by means of news platforms, fantasy apps and so much more.
At the end of the day, while the athletes are the stars of the industry, football and other sports would be nothing on the world stage without the support and engagement of loyal and passionate fans.
Top 6 Sports Tech Startups in Brazil
Startups in Brazil are using technology to improve sport from every angle, from amateur and professional participation to spectator value and fan engagement.
1. Easy Cup
Founded in Meceio in 2018, Easy Cup is an advanced league management platform that enables league administrators to organise and manage teams and different leagues in sports including soccer, volleyball, handball, basketball and table tennis.
Available for download from both the Play Store and the Apple iStore, Easy Cup includes features that allow managers to create player and team rankings, add photographs and videos, receive comments on games and add player polls, among other things.
While this startup is still in its early stages of funding, the idea and innovative technology are providing a holistic solution to sports management in Brazil.
2. Treinus
Treinus is a virtual coaching platform that aims to make sports training more accessible to both athletes and coaching.
On the app, athletes can browse through coaches’ profiles and reach out to the ones that suit their needs and preferences, making the process of finding a suitable coach easier than ever before while simultaneously working as a useful tool for coaches to find new clients.
The Treinus platform is also able to integrate with third-party analysis tools that can allow coaches to send players feedback on their performance, along with detailed reports and advice which is especially for professional and aspiring athletes.
Available for download by means of the iStore and the Google Play store, one of the primary motivations of Treinus is to democratise access to high-quality training.
Treinous was founded by Gutenberg Dias and Pedro Alvaresin 2008 and is currently going through a seed funding phase.
3. Dreamstock
Dreamstock is an online recruitment platform for soccer players, creating a space for players to create profiles for themselves and scouts to browse through their profiles from anywhere in the world.
Founded in Sao Jose Dos Campos in 2017, Dreamstock is making professional sport more accessible, as well as increasing players’ opportunities to be seen by top-notch recruiters.
Dreamstock was founded by Marcelo Matsunag in 2017, and the company received $1.48 million in their latest funding round.
4. Brasileirão Pro
Founded as recently as 2020, Brasileirão Pro was launched in Araguari, Brazil, and they’ve developed an application made by football fans, for football fans.
The intention behind the app is to create a one-stop-shop for passionate fans to be able to find any and all football-related news as well as keep track of their favourite teams and players. This includes notifications that can be set to send out alerts regarding fam results, player changes and more.
Brasileirão Pro is available on both Android and iOS devices.
5. Fut Fanatics
Fut Fanatics is an online sportswear retailer making apparel suited to a broad variety of sports, including football, volleyball, auto racing, basketball, baseball, swimming and tennis.
Launched in Alvares Machado, Brazil in 2012, Fut Fanatics is ideal for showcasing apparel including club kit, sports jerseys, balls, cleats, protective gear and goalkeeper gloves. It also includes various accessories for coaches, referees/umpires and more.
Fut Fanatics has grown significantly since its launch more than a decade ago, with its software having developed to be able to represent more products than ever before, now selling apparel representing some of the best sports (mostly football) teams in the world.
6. King of Pitaco
For some, sport is all about playing and spectating, but participants in Brazil’s ever-growing sporting industry have identified a need for further fan engagement, and that’s exactly what King of Pitaco has done.
Launched in 2019, King of Pitaco is a fantasy application for all sports, allowing users to select the league they’re interested in, create a team and then see how their side does as match results start to roll in. For some, it’s just a fun pastime, while others may choose to wager bets on specific players and teams.
The company was started in Sao Paulo and it’s received a total of $38 million to date, having received significant capital injections from the likes of major names such as Spectra Investments and Bullpen Capital.
