Bridging the Gap Between Sports Industry and Smart Capital - Juan Fuentes Fernandez, GSIC & EBAN Sports #261

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.TakeawaysSports tech has two separate worlds - industry insiders who understand the market and experienced investors who have done exitsGSIC Valencia is a testing lab that certifies sports technologies across up to 60 metrics in cooperation with 58 Valencian sports federationsThe GSIC certification carries real commercial value - it helps startups raise capital and sell to sports organisations that already trust the brandMost 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 EuropeThere are not yet enough sports tech unicorn exits to attract experienced investors organically - EBAN Sports is accelerating that by bringing seasoned angels into the spaceAthletes are an underutilised capital source - GSIC is developing bootcamps to help athletes become investors and entrepreneursJuan'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 globallyA founder who gets on a plane to raise money in foreign markets is already demonstrating the mentality needed to scale internationallyTo 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/juanfuentesfernandezHosted by ⁠Rohn Malhotra⁠ from ⁠SportsTechX⁠ - Leading source of Investment and Innovation insights in sports. As promised, here's your small surprise:Unlock your 30-day growth plan (worth €49) on the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub for free!Simply verify your company details and you get access to 1,500+ investors, programmes, initiatives and events in the sportstech ecosystem.Here's how to get set up and if you'd like a walkthrough of the platform, feel free to book a call here.More from SportsTechX:Explore the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub, an interactive database of over 8,000 sports tech companies, 8,000+ deals, 1,000+ investors, programs and events - HEREDownload the latest Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report - HERESign Up for the Sports Tech Weekly Newsletter for more news, features & insights on Sports Tech - HERE Stay Connected and follow for more:LinkedInYouTubeSpotifyApple PodcastChapters00:00 Introduction02:31 Who Is Juan Fuentes Fernandez - Executive, Investor, Ecosystem Builder04:02 What GSIC Valencia Is and Why It Was Launched05:51 GSIC's Three Chapters 06:33 How the GSIC Testing Lab Works and What Certification Means07:27 Who Can Apply 09:39 How Much Does GSIC Certification Cost and What Is the Process10:49 Upcoming GSIC Initiatives11:57 What EBAN Sports Is and Why Juan Co-Founded It12:45 The Fragmentation Problem in European Sports Tech Investment17:34 Two Worlds That Don't Meet: Industry Insiders vs Experienced Investors18:20 Why Sports Tech Needs Both to Grow20:20 A Year of EBAN Sports 21:07 How Investors and Startups Can Join EBAN Sports23:04 What Is Coming Up on the EBAN Sports Event Calendar23:54 Juan's Personal Investment Thesis 26:00 Nine Portfolio Companies and What Juan Looks for in Founders27:33 How to Connect With Juan on LinkedIn28:09 Favourite Sporting Moment