Fastbreak AI Appoints Serge Babenko as VP of Partnerships for Sports Tourism

Fastbreak AI, an AI-driven sports operations software company, has announced the appointment of Serge Babenko as its vice president of partnerships for sports tourism.

Babenko will lead partnership expansion across Fastbreak Pulse and Fastbreak Travel, working with sports commissions, destination marketing organizations, event operators and hospitality partners to support destination-focused growth.

As a co-founder and executive vice president of EventConnect, a platform connecting youth sports events, hotels and destinations, he helped shape the company’s growth strategy, built national partnerships with major hotel brands including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt and Wyndham, and worked directly with tournament directors and rights holders across North America. During his tenure, the company scaled from concept to more than 50 employees and supported over 250,000 hotel room nights annually.

“Fastbreak is building the system of record for sports tourism and event-driven economic impact,” Babenko said. “Fastbreak Pulse addresses a real need for destinations and event operators to better understand visitor behavior, economic outcomes and partner value. I’m excited to help expand existing partnerships, form new ones, and bring stronger data and insight to the sports tourism ecosystem.”

At Fastbreak AI, Babenko will focus on expanding Pulse’s sports tourism partnerships while advising the continued growth of Fastbreak Travel. He will bring longstanding relationships with sports tourism leaders, event operators and destination partners, and will introduce them to a platform that Fastbreak customers say is “years ahead of existing solutions.”

“Serge is a true pioneer in sports travel and tourism,” Fastbreak AI Co-Founder and CEO John Stewart said. “He knows this space better than anyone and has built strong relationships with the people who make it work. We already have the platform in place with Pulse to measure the local impact of sports tourism. Serge’s experience scaling events and guiding destinations on economic impact will rapidly accelerate adoption.”

Tourism Insights and Infrastructure

Pulse offers sports tourism insights, economic impact measurement and partner activation, while Fastbreak Travel is setting out to be a key infrastructure for destination-driven event operations.

In November, the company announced that it had secured $40 million in Series A funding. Investors in the round included Greycroft and GTMfund, with participation from the NBA, NHL and TMRW Sports, as well as professional athletes including PGA Tour golfers Patrick Cantlay and Kurt Kitayama, and former NFL players Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and Luke Kuechly.

From professional leagues to amateur sports organizations and youth tournament operators, Fastbreak software is designed to streamline scheduling and operations to increase revenue, efficiency and improve the experience for everyone involved in sport. Founded in 2022, Fastbreak is a private company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with customers around the world.