IBM Names LivXP Winner of Sports Tech Startup Prize Challenge at Web Summit Lisbon
IBM announced on November 12 at Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, that LivXP has won the IBM Sports Tech Startup Prize Challenge, recognized for its innovative use of agentic super intelligence (SI) to transform how fans engage with their favorite teams, organizations and leagues.
The prize challenge caps the year-long IBM Sports Tech Startup Challenge, launched at Web Summit Lisbon 2025 to identify growth-stage startups building enterprise-ready technologies for sports organizations, teams, media companies and fans. IBM engaged founders through showcases at Web Summits in Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro and Lisbon, a16z Tech Weeks in New York and San Francisco, and virtual forums. Seven finalists pitched before a judging panel that included Sarah Meron, IBM's chief communications and brand officer; Marc Gené, Ferrari ambassador for Scuderia Ferrari HP; Brad Smith, headlines anchor at CNN; and Frederico Gil, founder and CEO of FREDGIL Academy.
LivXP, a Swiss-American company accelerated at the Harvard Innovation Labs, is an SI-powered impulse commerce infrastructure for sports: auctions, experiences and sponsor activations that land at the fan's emotional high. Federations, clubs, international events and U.S. college sports programs, from the Tour de Suisse to Boston College Athletics, use its white-label platform to reach fans in 150 countries.
"We were incredibly impressed by both the technical innovation and practical application of LivXP's solution," said Sarah Meron. LivXP CEO and co-founder Ashima Saxena said every emotional moment in sport revenue is waiting to happen, and SI finally lets sports organizations capture it at scale without adding staff, adding that the company looks forward to working with IBM's Sports and Entertainment Partnerships team.
The grand prize includes up to $100,000 to support an eligible proof-of-concept project with IBM's Sports and Entertainment Partnership Team, subject to separate review and agreement requirements, up to $20,000 in IBM credits toward services and technology, mentorship opportunities and evaluation opportunities described in the official rules. The other six finalists were Fanory, Neuron Systems, PressBox, NTangible, Proximity Works Inc. and Noiz.
IBM has partnered with sports organizations including Wimbledon, the US Open, the Masters Tournament, Scuderia Ferrari HP and UFC for more than 30 years. IBM Ventures, its corporate venture arm, invests in startups across enterprise SI and quantum software.
(Source: IBM)
Source: IBM
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：葡萄牙里斯本 Web Summit 创业公司展区（资料图）。Sam Barnes / Web Summit via Sportsfile 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Startup booths at Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal (file photo). Photo by Sam Barnes / Web Summit via Sportsfile, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.