Dutch Sport Tech Fund
closes it's first fund

When you lead from the front, you are often the first to face the headwinds. When we began fundraising for Dutch Sport Tech Fund 1 (DSTF1) four years ago, we entered a market that was still in its infancy in Europe. While investors in the United States had already been confidently investing in the dynamic world of sports and technology for years, European investors were initially more cautious.

As true front runners, we had to do more than simply market our fund: we had to pioneer an entirely new investment category. It required vision, perseverance and conviction to demonstrate the value and growth potential at the intersection of sports, data and technology.

In the first quarter of 2025, we reached the milestone we had been working towards for four years: DSTF1 officially closed.

What began with caution in the market has grown into a strong and committed community of no fewer than 225 investors. Together, they committed €18 million. As Dutch Sport Tech Fund, we have demonstrated that sports technology is not merely a niche, but a highly promising and potentially profitable investment category.

With the fund now closed, we have built a strong and diverse foundation comprising 15 portfolio companies. The portfolio represents a unique mix of startups and companies that are transforming not only the sports industry, but markets far beyond it:

• The Binary Holdings: A prime example of the adaptability and scalability of our technologies. Having started as a sportstech pioneer focused on fan engagement, the company has evolved into a leading engagement platform for the telecom sector. Its infrastructure now enables telecom giants to activate hundreds of millions of users through rewards and interactive experiences.
• Scorito: The undisputed number one in Fantasy Sports, actively engaging millions of fans with sporting events through virtual competitions.
• Scala Sports: A fast-growing platform that is quietly transforming the infrastructure of international racket sports through a network of more than 200,000 players.
• CityLegends: An innovative community app built specifically for street and urban athletes.
• Seyu: A smart fan engagement solution that transforms fan selfies into a new commercial engine for clubs and sports organisations.

The success of a fund is not only determined by how much capital it raises, but also by how effectively that capital is deployed. Not all of the €18 million had been invested by the time the fund closed. Capital has deliberately been reserved for follow-on investments.

This enables us to maintain the financial capacity required to support our 15 portfolio companies through their next stages of growth. When they achieve genuine international breakthroughs and begin scaling rapidly, follow-on capital will be available to accelerate that growth. The objective is to help these companies mature further and ultimately work towards successful exits.

The closing of our first fund does not mark the end of the journey. Instead, it provides the foundation for the logical next step. While DSTF1 represented the pioneering phase and set the flywheel in motion, a new and more mature market is now emerging: the transition from early-stage startups to established scale-ups.

Behind the scenes, we are laying the foundations for Dutch Sport Tech Fund 2 (DSTF2), a fund that will operate at a fundamentally different level.

With DSTF2, we are shifting our focus towards Series A rounds and proven scale-ups: companies that have already demonstrated clear market validation, predictable revenue streams and scalable business models ready for aggressive international expansion. The risk profile changes, while the financial capacity and potential returns increase significantly.

The question is no longer whether sports and technology represent the future, but which established scale-ups will go on to dominate the global market.

Preparations for DSTF2 are well underway. Would you like to be among the first to gain insight into DSTF2’s strategy, risk profile and unique Series A pipeline? Contact us to discover how you can become part of this next chapter.