Building a global sports league around speed, technology, and spectacle requires immense ambition, as Tim Krieglstein, CEO of the Germany SailGP team, and Christian Teichmann, CEO of Burda Principal Investments, discuss in their high-energy conversation at DLD Sports in Valencia.
Together, they explore how SailGP combines elite sailing with a Formula 1-style marketing strategy to create a competitive platform that transcends traditional sailing.
“I think SailGP is one of the most complex sports there is in the world to master”, Krieglstein says. Teams race against each other on identical F50 catamarans, have very limited time for training and must deal with a limited budget, he explains.
Being a part of it can feel like launching a company. “I always call it a startup on steroids”, Krieglsein says. “It is this very ambitious goal to build a global platform for emerging sports, but also make it commercially viable [and] invest the funds that it needs.”
Beyond traditional sailing circles, the league successfully attracts mainstream fans and high-profile investors, including Sebastian Vettel, Kylian Mbappé, and Hugh Jackman.
Watch the video to explore this exciting session in detail.
