{"id":647290,"date":"2013-03-18T17:23:04","date_gmt":"2013-03-18T21:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=621677"},"modified":"2013-03-18T17:23:04","modified_gmt":"2013-03-18T21:23:04","slug":"meet-the-10-digital-fitness-startups-in-the-new-nike-techstars-accelerator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/647290","title":{"rendered":"Meet the 10 digital fitness startups in the new Nike, TechStars accelerator"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sports giant Nike has picked its winners. Three months after announcing the launch of a new TechStars-powered accelerator f<\/a>or digital fitness startups, the company on Monday said it had chosen the 10 companies that will participate in its first class<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nike said the 10 startups, which were culled from \u201cthousands,\u201d kicked off the program today in Portland, Ore. and will focus on building their products on top of the Nike+ and NikeFuel platforms.<\/p>\n

During the program, the startups will be mentored by health and tech leaders, including Stefan Olander, Nike\u2019s VP of digital sport; David Cohen, founder and CEO of TechStars; Naveen Selvadurai, co-founder of Foursquare; and quantified-self expert Tim Ferriss. In addition to the mentorship, support and work space, they\u2019ll receive $20,000 each.<\/p>\n

Given the rising interest in quantified self<\/a>-type fitness and health tracking devices and apps (like Nike\u2019s own Fuel band), it\u2019s little wonder that the company spots an opportunity in supporting health startups and encouraging new ideas and applications of its platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited by the response to the Nike+ Accelerator and the high caliber of applicants to the program,\u201d Olander said in a statement. \u201cWe recently celebrated the first year of NikeFuel and the Accelerator program is a natural next step to broaden and enhance the Nike+ ecosystem \u2013 allowing Nike to offer richer experiences to athletes of all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are the 10 companies:<\/p>\n