We want to innovate; to challenge the status quo; to make all sport, health and entertainment experiences as compelling as possible. One of the catalysts to make that happen is to connect with high-calibre early-stage founders with an exceptional product. AO Startups is our way to fast-track the impact you can have in our world (and beyond). It also allows us to actively work with founders from a very early stage with the intent of cultivating a relationship and investment over the long term.

We will consider technologies at all stages, however, your company must be incorporated to take part. We want to add value to your startup's trajectory, so if you are pre-product, that could be assisting with product development and testing. If you have a product in market, it could be a pilot or proof of concept at the AO or any other part of our Tennis Australia ecosystem.

We will accept applications from any country around the world and just like the athletes that grace our courts, we believe champion founders can be born anywhere.

Applying to AO Startups is straightforward. Simply click on the Apply button and that will take you through the process. You will be asked to set up an account to start your application.

Applications will be evaluated across a range of factors including the quality of your team, the market opportunity, your level of ambition, the product and technology itself, and the impact we both can have on each other’s trajectory.

AO Startups has been designed to remove friction for founders and TA. It allows founders to cut through; to get access to the type of support, brand awareness and exposure that can often be hard to come by when dealing with big corporates. The AO is one of the highest profile annual sporting events in the world, with an ever-expanding entertainment footprint (think music concerts, esports like Fortnite, NFT drops etc). Tennis is also among the most popular sports on the planet, with Tennis Australia a leading federation internationally. This provides startups with a really unique and vast pipeline of opportunities to access and springboard their business to sustained success.

AO Startups isn’t an off-the-shelf startup program or accelerator. Each startup can consult similar networks for advice but the pilot or proof of concept experience will be individually tailored to each company. For some startups, this may involve a pilot of their technology at the AO while for others still in the product development phase, testing directly with athletes or coaches may be best. Ultimately it’s all about where the most value can be extracted for the startup. In exchange, Tennis Australia will have the option to invest in your company through its venture capital fund, Wildcard Ventures.

No, we are looking for technologies with application in tennis, but ideally well beyond.