Conference In 36 weeks
July
Thursday
13:00–18:00 2027 · Chicago time
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Cameras are scouting. AI is writing the hook. Every seat in the venue is a screen.
Emerging tech is rewriting how sports and entertainment are made, experienced and paid for. Most people will read about it later. This room gets there first.
Join the founders building it, the team, league, venue and entertainment leaders putting it to work and the investors backing it for one afternoon on what's changing now, what's coming next and who's building it.
What to expect
See what's coming before everyone else Hear from the leaders and founders reshaping how sports and entertainment are made, experienced and paid for, and debate the questions the industry can't stop asking. Past speakers: Jaime Faulkner, President, Chicago Blackhawks
Meet the startups building it Founders putting emerging technology to work on the game, the show, the venue and the fan, seed through Series A.
Learn from the people moving it forward Team, league, venue and entertainment leaders implementing it, investors funding it and the leagues and rights holders setting the rules on data, betting and who owns the content.
Leave with the right connections Corporate leaders, investors and founders in one room, with introductions made before, during and after the Lab.
Who you're around changes what you believe is possible.
Based in Chicago. Serving the world.
Agenda
11:30 AM · Invite-only pre-event Separate registration required
CorpInno Exchange - Sports & Entertainment For senior leaders from teams, leagues, venues, entertainment companies and brands. One leader walks through a real implementation: what they set out to do, what it took to get through the building, and where the plan changed. Then the room takes it apart.
Sports & Entertainment Investor Insider Seed-stage and Series A founders raising capital pitch for 60 seconds to a room full of sports and entertainment investors actively writing checks. Then the real conversations start.
12:30 PM · Startup Alley Expo: corporate and investor preview Invite-only Corporate leaders and investors get first access to the startups, before the doors open.
1:00 PM · Doors open · Startup Alley Expo opens to all
1:30 PM · Welcome from 1871
1:40 PM · Opening keynote One of sports and entertainment's most influential leaders on where emerging tech is taking the industry, and what to do about it now.
2:00 PM · Tech on the Edge Three to four rapid-fire 15-minute conversations with the people closest to the work.
Sample topics might include:
Will the next superstar be discovered by an algorithm before a scout ever sees them?
Robot umps are already here. Should AI call the whole game?
With a sportsbook in every pocket, is integrity the next big sports tech market?
When AI can write the song and generate the star, what is a live show worth?
Every venue is becoming a media company. Who owns the fan when the best seat is the screen in their pocket?
Will the biggest fan base of 2035 follow a league or an artist that doesn't exist yet?
3:00 PM · Networking and facilitated breakouts Pick a table, pick a topic, led by industry experts. Past tables: investing in the future of sports technology · stadium and arena innovation
3:50 PM · Founder pitch showcase The sports and entertainment startups to watch, pitching to the corporate leaders and investors who can move them forward.
4:30 PM · Emerging leaders keynote A founder who built one of sports and entertainment's fastest-growing companies, on the decisions behind the growth.
5:00 PM · Happy hour in Startup Alley Drinks with the startups, and the introductions we lined up for you.
Tickets: Pre-sale $150 · Free for 1871 members
Full text on Luma .
Founders pitch
Founders pitch
Investors in the room
Investors in the room
