Juventus Forward: Introducing the 2026-27 Squad for Sport Performance & Corporate Innovation

Juventus continues to drive innovation

The announcement was made during Wave, an internationally prominent conference dedicated to technology and innovation, organised by Vento, a venture capital firm backed by Exor. And so everything comes together: roots, family, ambitions for growth and a commitment to innovation.

Indeed, everything really does come together. The Forward Squad project is, at the same time, a symbol of what Juventus has been, what it wants to be and what it will become in the near future. From the office desk to the pitch, the connection is closer than you might imagine.

After all, the programme starts with the simplest of questions: what does the club need? What are the requirements of each department, and how can everyone's work be improved?

The answer is as multifaceted as it is effective: a team of startups. Selected following a scouting phase - a kind of corporate transfer market - each startup is chosen to address a specific need within Juventus. This might relate to athletic performance and the sporting side of the business, or to corporate management.

Then there are the people, an aspect that should not be underestimated and one that was emphasised several times during the presentation. Some took part in the first squad and have plenty of praise for the experience; others will be joining the second and are enthusiastic about the collaboration ahead.

The captain - as he was described, and it is not difficult to understand why - is Giorgio Chiellini, Juventus Chief Club Affairs Officer. Also involved are Carolina Chiappero, Juventus Innovation Manager, and Duccio Ferrari Bravo, Head of Sport Science & R&D. Chiappero primarily oversees startups in the Corporate Innovation category, while Ferrari Bravo focuses on those working in Sport Performance.

The first Juventus Forward Squad

The first Juventus Forward Squad was officially unveiled on February 11, 2026 at the Allianz Stadium, during the Forward event 'In Play - Innovation Takes the Field'.

The eleven selected startups were Ochy, KineMo, Valor Vision, SportHype, i-BrainTech, Soccerment, Penguinpass, Lingopal, YouDub Studio, Profound and DHTA Sports.

Each made a contribution, whether in sport or corporate operations, by expanding the range of data available for analysis or by streamlining and speeding up certain internal processes.

Here is a detail that might seem obvious but is nevertheless worth emphasising: saving time means being able to use it more effectively and rationalise work. In a world moving at a pace that is increasingly difficult to keep up with, this can make all the difference.

More specifically, the eleven companies operate in different fields, ranging from athletic training to digital communications. Ochy, KineMo and Valor Vision use artificial intelligence to analyse athletes' movements and help prevent injuries. SportHype and i-BrainTech focus on mental and cognitive performance, while Soccerment develops advanced football analytics tools.

On the corporate side, Penguinpass handles event and guest management; Lingopal and YouDub Studio specialise in multilingual translation and dubbing; Profound focuses on brand visibility across artificial intelligence systems; and DHTA Sports works on creating and enhancing athletes' digital identities.

Giorgio Chiellini spoke about this first experience: "This first season has really impressed me. Forward was a project we had envisioned, and seeing it become a reality has been incredibly rewarding. What impressed me most about the startups was their determination to keep improving, their enthusiasm for working with us and their ability to turn every challenge into an opportunity for growth. That is precisely the spirit we want to carry forward with the new Forward Squad."

He also highlighted the tangible benefits: "The startups are able to solve everyday problems - things that may seem like small but significant details - and, thanks to innovation, help us make things work as effectively as possible. We will continue working with some of them."

Juventus

The second Forward Squad

Let's return to the present: October 9, 2026, the date of the presentation of the second Juventus Forward Squad.

Twenty-four hours earlier, the startups from the previous year had met those joining the programme this year. The team-building session culminated in a visit to Juventus' facilities at Continassa.

It was a chance for the incoming team to visit and familiarise themselves with the facilities they are expected to have a real impact on. Once again, it reinforces the idea that everything is connected, and that the distance between startups, football pitches and tangible results can be considerably shorter than we might expect.

The challenge set at OGR is to keep moving in this direction - and, indeed, to do even better.

The presentation of the eleven startups selected for the 2026-27 season was preceded by a round-table discussion moderated by Carolina Chiappero. It brought together representatives from the previous and current editions of the Forward Squad: Julia Nasi, Strategic Partnership Advisor at Veevi (Forward Squad 2025-26); Verena Papik, Chief Emotion Officer at Talkalytics, and Roma van der Walt, CEO and Founder of Vitelle (both part of the Forward Squad 2026-27); and Flora Bell, Managing Director of TPF Labs at The Players Fund.

The discussion provided an opportunity to reflect on the previous year's experience and consider what the new participants could bring to the programme.

Among the many topics raised, one key concept stood out: competitive advantage. Through innovation, Juventus can build an advantage over other football clubs. Innovation, therefore, is not simply a fashionable extra, but a continuous pursuit of excellence and a determination to be a pioneer.

The startups for the 2026-27 season

Here, finally, is the list of the eleven startups that will make up the Juventus Forward Squad 2026-27.

Sport Performance

• ForceTeck: A spin-off from the University of Bath that uses artificial intelligence to analyse footballers' biomechanics through simple videos recorded on a smartphone. It will help Juventus improve performance and reduce the risk of injuries.

• NUHPRO: An Italian FoodTech company developing personalised nutritional solutions. For Juventus, it will create a pre-training protein formulation designed to improve athletic performance and recovery while ensuring good digestive tolerance.

• Vitelle: Vitelle's project is particularly interesting. The startup was founded by Roma van der Walt, a former professional modern pentathlete who represented Germany in the discipline for seven years and is now an entrepreneur and expert in exercise physiology. Vitelle will work with Juventus Women to improve the monitoring of players' health and performance, with particular attention to hormonal factors. The aim is to move beyond generic assessments based on the phases of the menstrual cycle. Instead, the company will analyse each athlete's physiological data over time to build individual profiles and give medical and coaching staff more precise tools to support their decisions.

• Vokalo: Vokalo introduces voice communication into football analytics. Using wearable devices, it records conversations between players on the pitch and synchronises them with video footage to analyse team organisation and dynamics.

Juventus

Corporate Innovation

• CrowdIQ: CrowdIQ uses high-resolution images and artificial intelligence to analyse spectator attendance and behaviour inside the stadium, gathering data that can help improve the fan experience and identify commercial opportunities.

• Kanoa Solutions: Kanoa Solutions develops technologies designed to reduce water and energy consumption in buildings. For Juventus, it will test high-efficiency tap filters, with the aim of reducing water consumption by up to 35%.

• SuperQuickQuestion: A platform that allows fans to take part in 60-second video calls with athletes through promotional campaigns and loyalty programmes. Juventus will test its potential to engage supporters around the world.

• Talkalytics: Talkalytics replaces traditional questionnaires with voice-based surveys, using artificial intelligence to analyse the emotions people express. Juventus will use the platform to collect feedback on matchday experiences, membership schemes and commercial initiatives. Verena Papik, an entrepreneur and digital marketing expert, is the founder and CEO of Talkalytics. She was one of the early executives at Musical.ly, joining the company as its first European employee and leading its expansion into the European market. She helped drive the platform's international growth. Musical.ly was acquired by ByteDance in 2017 for approximately $1 billion and subsequently integrated into TikTok in 2018.

• Vivilo: An artificial intelligence-powered platform that recognises people appearing in event photographs and videos, creating personalised galleries and simplifying the distribution of digital content.

• WisyPlan: An AI platform that integrates documents, projects, data and communications relating to the management of buildings and infrastructure. It will help Juventus speed up decision-making and facilities management processes.

• Zaro: Zaro develops AI-powered corporate infrastructure. For Juventus, it will build an intelligent Media Desk capable of collecting and organising mentions of the club, simplifying the press office's day-to-day work.

Building the future, on and off the pitch

And so we return to where it all began: OGR.

Where locomotives were once repaired, work is now underway to build the future. The tools, skills and ambitions have changed. What remains is the determination to improve and the refusal to settle for what already works.

Juventus Forward was born out of this very philosophy: the belief that innovation is not merely an exercise in style, but an everyday journey built around practical needs, solutions to be tested and new opportunities to seize - both on and off the pitch.