Sport is more than just a hobby. Sport stands for passion, community and identity. However, amateur athletes and clubs often do not receive the attention and support they deserve. Staige wants to change that. The Essen-based start-up has developed a platform that streams amateur sporting events with 180-degree cameras and artificial intelligence (AI). Staige wants to use this to bring amateur sport to the big screen and give athletes and clubs more visibility and support.
From university to success: the story of Staige
Staige was founded in 2019 by Jan Taube and Marvin Baudewig, two former students at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
The beginnings can be explained by a look back at personal, family experiences: The father and grandfather of one of the founders were unable to be at the pitch on some match days - and missed valuable games for them as a result. The thought: this has to be broadcast digitally.
Initial experiments were still based on manual control of the cameras using a joystick - a short time later, the business case was made. It quickly became apparent that the approach could be transferred to many types of sport.
Innovative AI technology from the Ruhr region: how Staige works
Technology from Staige
Staige's technology is based on a combination of hardware and software. The hardware consists of a 180-degree camera that can be easily installed on any sports field, pitch or gym. The camera captures all the action and sends it to the cloud, where Staige's software processes the video with AI. The AI analyzes the video and automatically generates highlights, statistics and graphics. The AI allows viewers to interact with the stream, choose camera angles and network.
Innovation and knowledge transfer in the Ruhr region
Before its foundation, Staige benefited from the EXIST start-up grant in 2016, a funding program of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). In its early days, the company was part of the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) – and is therefore an example of successful innovation and knowledge transfer from one of the 22 universities in the Ruhr region. The founders initially called their start-up Soccerwatch, as they focused on soccer, and then changed their name to Staige to reflect the variety of sports they cover today.
New horizons through investments and partnerships
Staige received a further boost from an investment by Prof. Dr. Volker Gruhn, who is not only a well-known face in the Ruhr metropolis and beyond as the founder of today's adesso SE. As Professor of Practical Computer Science at the UDE, he provided practical support as the initial requirements of the coaching tool were developed together with the Lower Rhine Football Association. This provides coaches with comprehensive analysis options, which Staige is now developing further together with Borussia Dortmund (BVB). BVB has since followed suit and invested specifically in Staige.
With the help of varied marketing strategies, rounded off by a competition with BVB star Marco Reus, the still young Staige became increasingly well-known.
Staige with around 80 IT jobs and its own production in Essen
Staige's platform is not only interesting from an audience perspective. There are also benefits for athletes and clubs: Staige supports them in terms of reach, engagement and monetization. Staige provides clubs with valuable data and insights via a feedback channel - for example on the number of viewers and demographics.
Staige CEO Jan Taube explains in an interview with Business Metropole Ruhr: "Yes, the classic cameraman is being replaced. New jobs are being created elsewhere." He refers to Staige as a technology company that hires the majority of its 80 or so employees for the user interface and IT.
The company is now the market leader with the most streams in the DACH region and in Luxembourg. A total of 120,000 games have already been broadcast, with around 1,200 games streamed every day. There is still enormous potential here, and the first steps have already been taken in the Netherlands, Italy and the USA, explains Taube. The IPO in 2023 will open up new opportunities for growth – eight million euros in capital is expected to be raised through the sale of shares in October alone.
The company is pursuing two central approaches:
- Clubs can purchase the required hardware themselves via an online store, which is primarily intended to reach the amateur sports target group. "Anyone who can create an account with Lieferando must be able to register with us - that was our aim," explains Taube.
- At the same time, Staige's B2B sales team provides support in the search for local sponsors to secure funding for clubs.
BVB has invested in Staige, uses it itself and continues to develop the systems together with the start-up.
Staige's production also uses 3D printing.
The two Staige CEO Jan Taube and Marvin Baudewig.
The Essen-based start-up builds its system precisely and on its own.
Staige assembles the hardware for its camera platform in Essen.Metropole Ruhr as home: Where Staige wants to go – and what is shared
- Staige cooperates with more than 200 clubs and associations in Germany alone – and has long since extended its antennas in the Ruhr region: Around 30 cameras are located in Dortmund and Essen, with others in Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.
- The pandemic-related lockdown brought amateur sport to a standstill, but Taube emphasizes: "As soon as the first easing of restrictions made sport possible again, we experienced high demand. We met this with heavy investment in production and materials - and developed from on-demand production to a large warehouse."
- Up to 50 cameras per week are currently manufactured on 700 square meters at Hafenstraße in Essen. The quality requirements and the complexity of the interaction between hardware and software quickly led to the realization that in-house programming in Essen would be an advantage.
"Our mission is to make popular sport fit for the future. We do this from the heart of the Ruhr region."
CEO, Staige GmbHImages are the basis for professional work, says Taube. Staige captures these with his camera system. In future, the material will also support referees in their training and further education. Images offer a decisive advantage for the social media world: "If there is video material from my local club, then I might want to show it to the outside world. Social sharing therefore increases the visibility of amateur sport," says Taube.
Learnings when founding: How a shitstorm can help you gain momentum
Even in ball sports, things don't always run smoothly: the biggest learning was during a test match of FC Schalke 04, which over 40,000 viewers wanted to watch live. The onslaught brought the server capacities to their knees. "This was followed by a huge shitstorm and poor ratings from Google rankings to Facebook," says Taube.
The scalability was then fine-tuned: "But you simply need time for something like this, you have to gain experience and persevere. After the huge wave of euphoria, you often face challenges in terms of technology, set-up and bureaucracy. You then have to withstand the pressure of financing rounds."
Staige from Essen is one of many examples of how excellent knowledge can lead to success in just a few years. The Ruhr metropolis with its diverse and dynamic university landscape offers the ideal breeding ground for this. Ideal for Staige: sports culture and research are strengths of the Ruhr region.
Making of (in German)
With his global vision of making sport accessible and shareable for everyone, Staige has hit a nerve - and is putting amateur sport in the spotlight on the one hand, while on the other, new analysis tools are creating added value in professionalization.
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