Weaver Labs Named Finalist for Product Innovation at TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2025

By Dafne Mendoza, Head of Marketing


We’re excited to share that Weaver Labs has been shortlisted for the Product Innovation Award at TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2025, a global celebration of innovation in sports and entertainment venues.

This recognition celebrates the innovation behind Cell-Stack, our software platform that redefines stadium connectivity, transforming it from a cost centre into a powerful revenue-generating asset. Unlike traditional DAS and static infrastructure, Cell-Stack enables venues to run applications directly on the network, delivering tailored digital services that elevate the fan experience and increase per-visitor spend resulting in Stadiums unlocking over 35% growth in Net Present Value (NPV) within just a few years.

The use case for Cell-Stack in stadiums was born from Project ARANa, a groundbreaking initiative supported by Innovate UK under the SBRI Future Telecoms Challenge. Led by Weaver Labs, the project brought together a powerful consortium including Samsung, Capgemini, Madevo, the University of Bristol, Satellite Applications Catapult, and end-users like Stadium MK and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

The aim was to accelerate the adoption of software-based telecom platforms by building a “Network as a Service” model with Cell-Stack at its core. By leveraging AI, open architectures, and multiple network types — including 5G, fibre, and satellite — the project demonstrated how venues can offer differentiated services and improved user experiences through a decentralised and intelligent network.

As part of this initiative, we hosted three live demos at Stadium MK, allowing fans and football club stakeholders to experience a range of next-generation applications in action. These included 3D venue navigation, real-time multi-angle live streaming, and an AI-powered chatbot delivering live game insights and interactive conversations about the teams on the pitch. Each demo showcased the power of a network capable of seamlessly supporting multiple high-performance use cases, all running on the same infrastructure with Cell-Stack at the centre.

We’re honoured to be recognised alongside global innovators at TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2025, hosted this June at the iconic Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. As TheStadiumBusiness founder Ian Nuttall put it: “The world’s venues are the ‘memory factories’ of humanity.” With Cell-Stack, we’re helping venues make those memories even more immersive, engaging, and rewarding for fans and operators alike.

See you in Manchester on June 24–26!

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