Dutch Sport Tech Fund
invests in a broad
portfolio of companies
with growth potential

Mariska van IJzerloo advises startups and scale-ups in the field of leadership and HR. She recently became a member of the Innovation Committee. In this interview, Van IJzerloo talks about her role in the fund and the opportunities she sees for the future. “Dutch Sport Tech Fund invests in a broad portfolio of companies, and with each company I think: it’s great that these companies exist and they have so much growth potential.”

“Tech companies grow in stages, for example from 20 to 75 employees, and then on to 200, and each stage presents certain challenges for the leadership team and the people. I have discovered how to optimize growth in each phase in terms of HR and leadership. With my company Meaningfuldot, we advise international companies in these areas. I am also active at a Venture Fund in the field of hardware tech and have recently joined the Innovation Committee at Dutch Sport Tech Fund.”

“I have a background as an athlete – I played tennis at a high level – so I was immediately interested when I heard about Dutch Sport Tech Fund. I decided to get in touch and we quickly connected. We concluded that I could contribute more to the fund with my experience and knowledge. Since then, I have been a member of the Innovation Committee.”

“I analyze startups based on their founders or management team. The hallmark of tech startups is that they can grow at a rapid pace. Can the management team enable that growth, can they learn and reflect quickly enough? Do they understand their market well enough? Is the product ‘tech’ enough? Using a number of proven indicators, I can assess whether the team can scale the company to a much larger level.”

“Many startups initially focus on the product, and I advise startups to let go of that focus again if possible. They should ask themselves: What is the impact that only this company can make? That is essential for attracting good people, and that talent is in turn essential for further growth. After all, the tight labor market also affects startups; in that respect, talent is scarcer than capital.”

“It is a special group of very inspiring people because it is a mix of athletes, financial experts, and tech specialists. As a result, the team is well equipped to assess what is happening in the sports technology market. There is a lot of ambition and drive, which makes it a great environment to work in. I also consider it an honor to work with so many (former) top athletes.”

“Make no mistake: there are many niches and specializations in our market, from eSports (which is related to gaming) to fan engagement and branding (which is related to marketing) to Urban Sport and, of course, Tech that supports sports performance. It is a broad market that requires many specialists. Fortunately, all of these are represented in the Dutch Sport Tech Fund, which means we have expertise across the full spectrum of sports technology.”

“The athlete in me is drawn to innovations that enhance athletes’ performance. I also enjoy Over The Top Content (OTT), such as videos where you can closely analyze athletes’ movements. My son wants to become a goalkeeper and can spend hours watching enlarged goalkeeper actions. That’s inspiring content; it increases the entertainment value of sports and gives role models a platform.”

“The digitalization of contact with the fan base is also interesting. How does a club like Real Madrid maintain emotional contact with millions of fans? And how do you give those fans a voice? Through technology, you can come up with smart solutions for this. There’s a lot of money involved for a reason, and I have high expectations for it.”

“Where well-being and technology come together, interesting initiatives also arise. Think of apps that track how much you cycle or apps that keep athletes engaged in other ways. These applications have a larger scale, more market potential, but also more competition. Sports technology for the general public has a lot of potential.”

“I think Link My Ride is a wonderful investment in the cycling sector. I personally love going on beautiful bike rides; for example, two years ago, my family and I (including my children aged 9 and 13) cycled from our home to Berlin. ‘Link My Ride’ makes it easy to find other cyclists to ride with. You can also organize rides for others yourself, and the adventures can be shared as well. So it’s social, sporty, and creative. The founders themselves are also famous cyclists. We see this quite often in our investments, that the founders also come from the world of top-level sports.” 

“Horizm, one of our current investments, is also very promising. This company digitizes the advertising channels of sports clubs. They are a ‘new school’, ultra-modern facilitator for sponsorship and already work for leading football clubs such as Real Madrid and Chelsea. The sports world is still particularly old-fashioned in this area; all Champions League viewers see the same advertisements, especially in the stadium. Horizm helps all top clubs and players in the world (including Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Inter Milan) to get more out of online channels, with much more targeted advertising.”

“The Netherlands is a frontrunner in sports: our top athletes, for example, win many medals at the Games and other tournaments. In that respect, we surpass ourselves. The Netherlands is also leading in technology: we have a well-functioning tech ecosystem in which startups can flourish. In that regard, we are among the international top as well. The fact that these two areas come together in the Dutch Sport Tech Fund bodes well for the future.”

“In addition, Dutch Sport Tech Fund invests in a broad portfolio of companies, and with each company I think: how great that these companies exist and how much growth potential they have. I am an idealist and prefer to invest in companies that are good for society. I find that type of company at Dutch Sport Tech Fund, because these companies make the Netherlands healthier and therefore better. I hope and expect that with the fund we are getting involved early in the next Dutch tech success stories. It is fun to be involved with these kinds of companies early on and to help them grow with knowledge and network. After all, investing is about more than just financing; it is also about sharing expertise.”

“The market for sports technology has a lot of potential. Many predictions are being made and everyone expects growth in all branches of the market. You can see this, for example, in consumer behavior: we are increasingly measuring our performance when we run or cycle. We are using sports technology more and more, and that will only increase in the coming years. The investors in Dutch Sport Tech Fund benefit from this.”