Springboard program open for San Diego sports, active lifestyle entrepreneurs

While taking an international entrepreneur class at San Diego State University, Jenny Amaraneni uncovered two statistics that struck her: About 1 billion people globally do not have access to eye care, and nearly 80 percent of the world’s blindness is preventable.

Those numbers sparked the idea for SOLO Eyewear, which Amaraneni and fellow student Dana Holliday founded shortly after graduating. The company makes sunglasses from recycled materials, then funnels some of the proceeds toward vision care for people in need. About 13,000 have been helped so far.

In 2015, Amaraneni and Holliday went through the Springboard program from San Diego Sports Innovators, a non-profit accelerator group for the region’s sports and lifestyle companies.

They met with five mentors weekly for four months to work on the business and learn how to pitch the company to investors. They were offered funding at the end of the program.

San Diego Sport Innovators is taking applications for another round of the 20-week Springboard program, which is sponsored by K2 Insurance Services. Mentors from local companies such as Callaway Golf, Road Runner Sports, Active.com, Competitor Group are available to help young entrepreneurs with their businesses. To date, 70 companies have graduated from the program.

“Over the years, 87 percent of our Springboard graduates are still in business,” said former NBA star Bill Walton, executive chairman of San Diego Sports Innovators. “We have helped to build 70 different companies. Those companies have raised more than $50 million in business-building capital and have created nearly 450 real jobs - jobs that are the bedrock foundation of our community.”

The Springboard program is open to sports and active lifestyle companies that are facing significant milestones, such as launching a new product, starting a new business, shifting their business model, preparing to raise capital or working through a significant growth phase.

Interested entrepreneurs can apply at https://www.sdsportinnovators.org/springboard-application/ through July 31. Membership is required upon acceptance into the program. San Diego Sports Innovators currently has 105 member companies in golf, yoga, surf, skate, cycling, retail, nutrition and other sports and technology sectors.

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

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