SXSW Startups: DashTag Tracks Soccer
The Forrest Four-Cast: January 31, 2018
At the 2018 SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event, 50 diverse startups will face off before a panel of industry experts. Half will pitch on Saturday, March 10, and the remaining 25 will pitch on Sunday, March 11. Winners in 10 categories will be honored at the Accelerator Award Ceremony at 7 pm on Sunday, March 11, at the Hilton Austin. The SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event takes place within the Startup & Tech Sectors track of programming.
Leveraging technology and the online nature of GenZ soccer players, DashTag introduces the Dash Soccer League, a sport experience that doesn’t feel outdated. The Dash wearable sensor turns field performance into FIFA-like stats to participate at competitions, challenges and paves the way to global recognition. Based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, DashTag will show off its own stats at 12:30 pm Sunday, March 11, along with the other finalists in Sports and Performance Data Technology, at the Hilton Austin, Salon AB. Or meet them on March 12 at the SXSW Accelerator Demo Day.
Answering questions on behalf of the Dashtag is Dirk van den Berg, the CMO and co-founder of this startup. He is pictured above on left (in blue shirt).
What does DashTag hope to accomplish in 2018?
We want to bring a new experience to U.S. soccer players to capture, train and show their performance with technology. In summer of 2018, we’ll be rolling out to selected cities throughout the U.S., starting in the Bay Area. We just got back from a big soccer convention in Philadelphia where we spoke with a lot of players. And they just loved it — being able to be connected on a personal level to other players (not just on their teams) is key. For the first time, they can compete with other players — other than their direct opponents.
What is your competitive advantage?
We know the GenZ soccer player, both boys and girls. We understand that sharing personal info immediately after a training or a match is crucial. Measuring your own stats is one thing, giving value to it another. When players wear the Dash during a match or training, their stats including Pace, Agility, Stamina and Sprint, are pushed to the iPhone.
How long has the DashTag team been together?
The first idea started at the end of 2014, but we incorporated DashTag in October 2015. We started with three: Epco Berger, CEO, Cliff de Roode, CTO, and myself (Dirk van den Berg, CMO). After the first full year, we started to grow as a company.
What inspired your team to apply for SXSW Accelerator?
Being at SXSW has been a goal since the very beginning. The possibility to be part of an inspiring and impactful environment with top-notch innovations is a great challenge for us. The diversity, the innovation and the network are just few of the many aspects that inspired us to apply.
What are DashTag’s goals for SXSW 2018?
To deliver an awesome pitch. We want to present DashTag to the audience and tell our story in the best possible way. We’re also looking for new employees, good marketers and interns, for Team DashTag in the U.S.
Who is your team looking to meet at SXSW 2018?
We want to meet people who believe in our vision and have experience in media, film and arts in general that could be applied to strengthen our vision for the sport. We’d love to connect with sport-minded investors and advisors and possible influencers for our community.
DashTag is based in Rotterdam. Tell us about the tech/startup ecosystem in the Netherlands.
Here are a few reasons to start a business in Rotterdam:
• Rotterdam is located in the heart of the Netherlands, 30 minutes south of Amsterdam, and close to other European hubs including London, Paris and Cologne.
• 90% of the Dutch population is fluent in English. After the U.K., this makes the Netherlands the most English-speaking country in Europe.
• Rotterdam is a melting pot of different cultures. The city is young, dynamic, extremely international and fast moving.
• We’ve got students! With more than 50.000 students, the city offers a big pool of young, talented, enthusiastic, job-seeking employees and co-founders.
• Living expenses and office rents are 15% lower compared to its big sister Amsterdam.
What trend does your team think is most underrated?
We really believe that the value of data, sports data in particular, is underrated. Dry stats are not enough, at least not for the GenZ athletes. You have to make sure the data adds value to their everyday life. Otherwise, it won’t stick.
What has the startup experience taught you about life?
Do what you love to do most. The rest is distraction.
For what you do on a day-to-day basis at DashTag, what does work-life balance look like?
The reason we get out of bed every single day (and go bed really late) is to bring this extra layer of experience to players, using new technology. Every day we work on our product and think about our users: “why would they be using this every single day?” We’ve also learned that quality time with our kids, families and friends is really important. Stepping out the crazy startup environment gives us the extra energy to go for maximum results every day.
Other than DashTag, what is world’s the most exciting startup?
We just can’t stop playing HQ Trivia. The simplicity of the app, in combination with live hosts, makes it an excellent example for the belief that often the best ideas and executions are the ones that seem the most straightforward.
You can invite any three living people in the world to dinner. Who do you invite and why?
Michelle Obama, the greatest advocate of kids playing sports in her role for Aspen Project Play, would be a huge inspiration to meet. To talk about the outdated pay-to-play system in sports in the U.S. for example. I would also invite the Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot. She knows Krav Maga, and was “taught to take the ball and go outside and play with the neighbors,” according to a 2017 ESPN interview. Gadot knows the value of physical exercises, challenges and staying fit. She’d be a great ambassador for our company values. My third guest would be Richard Branson, because his entrepreneurial energy is almost touchable. And with Virgin Sports he “makes challenge fun.” So there are definitely some topics we could have a glass of Virgin Water over to brainstorm about.
What do you know now that you wish you had known before you began the startup journey with DashTag?
If we had known what we were up against, we might not have started in the first place! So sometimes it’s good not to know which obstacles will come on your future path. But if there’s one thing, it’s the learnings of finding good employees, who have the right attitude, skills and DNA. With the learnings we now have, we can scout, track and faster know if someone is top for the job.
Look for interviews with other SXSW Accelerator finalists in this space between now and March. Startups already profiled as part of this series include 70MillionJobs, Bluefield, Cambridge Cancer Genomics, HealthTensor, Instreamatic, PolyPort, Sceenic, and UPGRADED.
Or, click here to browse the full lineup of startups for SXSW Accelerator 2018.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
