Today, The Financial Times, in partnership with Statista, officially published the Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs 2026 ranking — and we are proud to share that the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) has been included among this year’s recognized hubs.
This recognition positions GSIC within a select group of innovation platforms across Europe acknowledged for their impact, ecosystem strength, and contribution to entrepreneurial growth.
A Unique Position in Sportstech
While the ranking spans multiple industries and innovation verticals, GSIC stands out for a distinctive reason:
We are the only organization in the ranking fully specialized in sportstech.
In a list dominated by broad multi-sector innovation hubs and generalist accelerators, GSIC’s inclusion reflects the maturity and relevance of the sports innovation ecosystem — and the growing global importance of sport as a driver of technology, data, sustainability, and economic development.
What This Recognition Represents
Being included in the Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs 2026 ranking reflects:
The strength of our international community of startups, sports entities, corporates, and public institutions
The impact of our validation and piloting model through GSIC Testing Lab
The credibility built through strategic collaborations with industry leaders
Our commitment to connecting innovation with real sports organizations and real challenges
Over the past years, GSIC has worked to bridge startups and sports organizations, facilitating meaningful collaboration that accelerates adoption of technologies across performance, fan engagement, venue management, data analytics, AI, sustainability, and beyond.
This recognition reinforces that mission.
Sport as a Strategic Innovation Vertical
Sport is no longer a niche industry. It is a global economic sector intersecting with:
Artificial Intelligence
Data & Analytics
Smart Venues & Infrastructure
Sustainability & ESG
Media & Fan Engagement
Health & Performance
The inclusion of GSIC in this European ranking signals that sportstech is a specialized and structured innovation vertical.
A Collective Achievement
This milestone belongs to our entire ecosystem:
Our Members
Our strategic partners
The startups that trust us to scale their solutions
The sports organizations that open their doors to innovation
Our global ambassadors and collaborators
Recognition at European level is not the end goal — it is confirmation that we are building a focused, specialized, and globally connected sportstech platform with long-term impact.
We thank The Financial Times and Statista for the acknowledgment, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen Europe’s sport innovation ecosystem.
The work continues.
