In this episode of the Sports Tech AllStars Podcast, we present Juan Fuentes Fernandez, Director at GSIC Valencia and Co-Chair of EBAN Sports, the sports vertical at the European Business Angel Network.
The conversation explores why European sports tech investment remains fragmented, why industry insiders and experienced investors rarely occupy the same room, and what Juan is building across two organisations to close that gap from a testing lab in Valencia certifying pre-market technologies to a pan-European angel network connecting deal flow across borders.
Takeaways
Sports tech has two separate worlds - industry insiders who understand the market and experienced investors who have done exits
GSIC Valencia is a testing lab that certifies sports technologies across up to 60 metrics in cooperation with 58 Valencian sports federations
The GSIC certification carries real commercial value - it helps startups raise capital and sell to sports organisations that already trust the brand
Most business angels invest locally by default - EBAN Sports exists to break down the regulatory and knowledge barriers that prevent cross-border early-stage investment in Europe
There are not yet enough sports tech unicorn exits to attract experienced investors organically - EBAN Sports is accelerating that by bringing seasoned angels into the space
Athletes are an underutilised capital source - GSIC is developing bootcamps to help athletes become investors and entrepreneurs
Juan's investment thesis centres on B2C emerging sports like CrossFit and running, founders with an international mindset, and companies with product-market fit that need help expanding globally
A founder who gets on a plane to raise money in foreign markets is already demonstrating the mentality needed to scale internationally
To learn more about GSIC:https://sport-gsic.com/
To learn more about EBAN Sports:http://www.eban.org
Get in touch with Juan Fuentes Fernandez at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanfuentesfernandez
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:31 Who Is Juan Fuentes Fernandez - Executive, Investor, Ecosystem Builder
04:02 What GSIC Valencia Is and Why It Was Launched
05:51 GSIC's Three Chapters
06:33 How the GSIC Testing Lab Works and What Certification Means
07:27 Who Can Apply
09:39 How Much Does GSIC Certification Cost and What Is the Process
10:49 Upcoming GSIC Initiatives
11:57 What EBAN Sports Is and Why Juan Co-Founded It
12:45 The Fragmentation Problem in European Sports Tech Investment
17:34 Two Worlds That Don't Meet: Industry Insiders vs Experienced Investors
18:20 Why Sports Tech Needs Both to Grow
20:20 A Year of EBAN Sports
21:07 How Investors and Startups Can Join EBAN Sports
23:04 What Is Coming Up on the EBAN Sports Event Calendar
23:54 Juan's Personal Investment Thesis
26:00 Nine Portfolio Companies and What Juan Looks for in Founders
27:33 How to Connect With Juan on LinkedIn
28:09 Favourite Sporting Moment
