Volume 16 already. Thanks so much for all of the support. As feedback trickles in, No Huddle is evolving, now shifting its focus to the trends shaping the future of sports, media, entertainment, wellness and CPG, and placing an even bigger spotlight on the companies emerging in these spaces.

Going forward, No Huddle will open with a new section, In the Pocket - my shorter-form thoughts on a specific theme, trend or idea - then jump right into the stars of tomorrow with the The Watch List.

If you want to be featured, connect with founders in the No Huddle family, or have suggestions to help No Huddle grow, just reply to this email or reach out directly to me at [email protected].

Let’s keep it rollin’! 🤘

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How I am seeing the field across sports, media, entertainment, wellness and CPG

One of the core beliefs of the No Huddle thesis is the needed move back to in-real-life connections, moments and activities. We’ve already covered a lot in a short time - from improving the fan experience with Jump, to reshaping live events with VOW, to the layer powering new social competition in Lucra. For the past 20+ years, the internet has shaped our lives around getting us, as consumers, to look at things and interact with them.

I believe the next 20 years will be shaped around getting us to live.

Adjacent spaces deserve and will get their own thought pieces here, but take wellness for example. People are more focused on optimizing their health than ever before. Whether that be through a wearable (I am a 5+ year Whoop user myself), lifestyle changes, or simply having the awareness to not do something because it’s not healthy. That’s a major paradigm shift from the days of Bud heavies and cigarettes at halftime of the Super Bowl, and a key reason why I am so bullish on IRL events.

With that being said, some things about humans never change. Humans innately like to move, be together and compete. And while we have seen communities grow online (another huge market on its own to be covered), IRL still wins. As we emerge from the post-COVID world, weeknights and weekends are shifting back into the events that bring us together in person - recreational leagues, workout classes, happy hours and more. In the environments where competition feels organic, consumers are showing an outsized interest to do so and we are seeing companies build to enhance that experience across the board.

From scheduling to bracket-making to score tracking, the broader skill-based (or no skill for some folks like me and ice skating) gaming ecosystem is changing.

A core question I am constantly coming back to is: How can we, as a collective group of humans, spend more time together and off our phones/computers?

Alumni Ventures is doing great work in this space, recently announcing their “Humans First” thesis (more information, and to join the syndicate can be found here). I share Alumni’s Vision, and love how they have laid out 5 pillars within this thesis: Movement, Entertainment, Community, Growth and Leisure.

We are also seeing emerging stars like Schoolyard Social bring this thesis to life. SYS built its business off a consumer AND business need: managing and operating competitions for regular folks like you and me, delivering the best experience possible and giving them a reason to come back for more. I strongly believe that IRL touchpoints are back to being one of the most defensible ways to build community, data moats and long-term consumer relationships.

Let me know if you are building in this space - would love to hear from you and see where we can partner.

A mini investment memo on the most innovative sports tech companies

The Company: Schoolyard Social

The Business in a tweet: Schoolyard Social is an all-in-one platform that Country Clubs, College Clubs, Social Sports Clubs and pickup players can use to easily throw competitive, skill-based tournaments. With Schoolyard Social, organizers can easily choose from multiple competition formats, collect signups, take pay ins, run tournaments, leagues and ladders, with live leaderboards and cash prize payout capabilities.

🚨🚨SYS is excited to announce their B2B contract with Hudson River Tennis Club and Executive Director of Tennis Noah Rubin. Through a recurring monthly subscription, HRTC can instantly build and grow their IRL communities by throwing more competitive events, for more players, more often. 

Before you know it, your local tennis, pickle, padel, squash and country club will be integrated with Schoolyard Social, making it easier than ever to get players to come out to compete.🚨🚨

The 101: 

📶The Signal (No Huddle’s Take):

SYS is built off the idea that people want to be together and competing with one another. The pendulum is swinging back (finally!) to IRL opportunities and games, SYS is poised to be the layer that connects all stakeholders. We love that SYS spent its early days actually learning and getting feedback from its core customers, and then partnered with ISBX - a top mobile and web application agency to build from the ground up. When you use (or work with) SYS, you can tell they did it the right way. In speaking with customers for feedback, they strike the same tone: a relentless pursuit of creating a seamless experience for all users. 

SYS’s early partnerships stick around and want to work with them more. No Huddle sees the early traction in the B2B space - like the Hudson River Tennis Club as a clear signal for even more to come. SYS is the epitome of No Huddle’s core thesis around IRL events and social competition. Humans innately want to compete, and SYS brings it to life in a simple way for all stakeholders involved. As we think about SYS and its growth from an investment lens, SYS is really a staple B2B2C play at its core. It is capital-light with strong unit economics. What are we looking for next? More sponsorships, more volume, and an expansion across the US. We see a world where SYS is entrenched in the scheduling and competition layer of every college rec league, country club, padel/pickleball court around. 

If you are interested in learning more about SYS or want to speak directly with the management team, please respond to this email or reach out directly to [email protected].