From artificial intelligence to sustainability, encompassing performance analysis and fan engagement, innovation across the sport industry took center stage on the Innovation Stage at SFS 26, held at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. The stage hosted two competitions dedicated to pioneering ideas and technologies for the future of sports: the Gen Z Challenge followed by the Startup Competition.
Triumphing in the Gen Z Challenge was Sensia, a solution developed by the Politecnico di Milano that utilizes data collected through a wearable device to estimate athletes' stress and concentration levels—a project showcasing the immense potential of emerging technologies in monitoring athletic performance.
Next came the Startup Competition, which featured eight selected finalists chosen from over 50 applications originating across 12 countries. Four Italian and four international startups, hailing from Kenya, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, presented their solutions before a jury led by Marco Riva of Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, with the objective of proposing new business models for football and the wider sports industry.
Opening the competition was RISE, presented by Stefano Maneri, Head of Sustainability for Sport. The startup aims to turn sustainability into an economic opportunity through a digital platform capable of aggregating and analyzing ESG data. The goal is to help clubs and corporate partners monitor their environmental, social, and governance performance, identifying fresh opportunities for improvement and value creation.
From Kenya came Go4It, presented by founder Natalia Cubillos. The project stems from the need to offer greater opportunities to young sports talents, particularly in Africa. Through a digital platform, the startup analyzes athletic performance, supports competition organization, and connects players directly with clubs, generating a verified digital identity accessible to scouts and teams.
Next was Play2Match, founded by Jacopo Olivia, which aims to transform sport into a driver for socialization. Starting with beach volleyball, the app enables users to find local playing partners and join organized matches. The business model centers on selling a sporting experience, taking a platform commission while allocating the remaining funds to court management and activities.
Hailing from Japan, Smiral was presented by founder Hayato Chishaki with a project combining fan engagement, artificial intelligence, and social impact. The technology tracks the number of smiles detected on stadium screens during promotional activations, matching each smile with a one-yen donation to charitable causes. Operating strictly on aggregate smile counts without gathering personal data, the system generates overall well-being indicators beneficial to local communities.
Injury prevention sat at the heart of UMO Health, presented by co-founder Andrea Quattrocchi. The startup develops a wearable device paired with an application engineered to continuously monitor central nervous system activity. Unlike traditional devices focused primarily on cardiovascular metrics, UMO Health leverages neuromuscular analysis to actively support trauma prevention in athletes.
Next on stage was MoovOn Labs, founded by Andrea Rigobello, proposing an AI-driven platform to track youth football development and measure academy performance. By analyzing training sessions, physical conditions, and mental readiness, the system generates individual reports to support technical staff—a scalable model applicable across multiple sports, already operating across Italy, Switzerland, and Spain.
From the United Kingdom, CEO Karim Fawaz presented PlayBack, a solution designed to make sports video analysis universally accessible. Powered by automated cameras and artificial intelligence, the technology tracks the ball, identifies players, and analyzes performance metrics to highlight key match moments without requiring dedicated operators, providing advanced analytics tools even to clubs with limited financial resources.
Closing the presentations was Twinspire, a Danish startup led by CEO Pouya Nikoui. The project uses artificial intelligence and digital twin technology to create a digital replica of the athlete, integrating muscle and movement data into a single unified system. The solution assists physiotherapists and technical staff during rehabilitation, bringing measurable accuracy to recovery processes and reducing relapse risks.
Following the initial pitches, the competition entered its second phase inspired by the Shark Tank format. Each startup was given a single minute to convince the jury of their project's market value and investment potential.
The ultimate winner of the SFS ExtraTime Startup Competition—crowned within the magnificent House of Savoy backdrop at the Reggia di Venaria during the official SFS ExtraTime Awards 2026 ceremony—was UMO Health.