Later this week, a free event for sports industry professionals, leaders, and investors will be held at Yards Brewing Co. in Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 14. Sports Business Leaders, a local company, is the biggest and most active community for sports innovators in the Northeast Corridor.
Co-founders Justin Titchenell and Jake Voorhees began the project last year after experiencing the same pain point in connecting investors interested in sports products. They started with a virtual event that inspired them to hold their first in-person event last August at Yards Brewing Co. “We rent the whole upstairs space out,” Titchenell told Metro Philadelphia in a phone interview last week. “It’s been a great partnership.”
Since last summer, the business has expanded to hosting events up and down the Eastern seaboard, including South Florida later this month and Baltimore, Maryland, in late June. “The goal is to be able to give,” Titchenell said. “How can we create an environment where they can easily meet people (who) can help them, and whatever their endeavors are? Whether that be a founder, or someone who’s looking to get a job on a sports team. There’s so many different avenues and routes that people can go about to get that done, but I think a good starting point (is) definitely to be able to come out to an event like this.”
Titchenell encourages “anyone interested” to attend the event this Wednesday. “We have people from the West Coast, Texas, Florida, and the Midwest. So, it’s all across the board.” The event is free by design to allow individuals with interests in the sports industry to connect and network in a friendly setting. “Being that we have experience being sort of those founders ourselves,” Titchenell explained. ‘It’s better to do it that way. There are a lot of events that typically charge.”
Interested attendees can RSVP on the Sports Business Leaders website and fill out a form under the VIP tab on the Sports Business Leaders website. This will help the owners understand the attendees’ goals and needs. “That way we know exactly what people are looking for,” Titchenell said. “They’re looking for a specific need, (and) then that’s when we can connect them with the resources that would help them.”
From startup funding to networking, Sports Business Leaders has created a platform to connect people in the sports industry. The sports industry networking opportunity will start at 6 PM EST at Yards Brewing Company, at 500 Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia, PA. If you cannot attend this event, another opportunity will be available on July 8 at the same venue.
Image Credit: Philadelphia Union
