Australian Sportstech News

Leading global sportstech investor, APEX (which invests with 100+ elite athletes), has announced their inaugural investments as part of their Impact Program, a key component of the firm’s Elite Performance VC Fund.

Following the programme, APEX has invested in three companies: Hexis, a personalised nutrition platform; VRTL, a virtual fan engagement platform, and ASTN Accelerator-alumni, Traits Insights, an athlete profiling solution.

See Traits Insights Press Release at https://www.traitsinsights.com/articles/traits-insights-apex-partnership

See the ASTN Case Study on Traits Insights at https://www.astn.com.au/case-study/traits-insights-translating-complex-sports-data-into-meaningful-player-insights.

Sportway has unveiled a landmark collaboration with Hockey Australia, solidifying its role as the exclusive broadcast production partner for National Championships for the next three years. This alliance will introduce cutting-edge technology and AI-driven cameras to create an unparalleled LiveHockey.com.au experience for fans nationwide.

Fans can experience BatFast’s new dynamic tennis simulator at #AO2024 with the innovative technology showcased as part of the AO StartUps program.

The UK startup uses data, augmented reality technology, machine learning and robotics to re-engineer how sports are played, helping drive participation and access to sport globally.
 

Brisbane Roar have partnered with AQUAME to provide A-League Men and A-League Women high-tech water bottles, delivering them the best day-to-day hydration as professional footballers. AQUAME is a tech-integrated water bottle, offering UVC sanitation, drink reminders, and real-time tracking, all guided by an AI-enhanced app for optimal hydration.  

KORE has announced that they have partnered with with Tennis Australia and the flagship Australian Open. Tennis Australia will use KORE's AI-powered Evaluate Social tool which will be pivotal in optimizing their social media impact, enabling smarter content decisions, and quantifying the value of owned and earned posts across the Summer of Tennis.

ProtectedSeas Navigator, the world’s most comprehensive database of marine life protections and their boundaries, has announced a new partnership with Deckee to make its environmental information freely available to boaters in an easy-to-use mobile app for the first time. Used by over a quarter of a million boaters so far, Deckee helps deliver the best possible boating experience by providing every boater – whether beginner or experienced – with the tools, insights and products they need to be smarter, safer, and enjoy themselves on the water.  

Racing and Sports is pleased to announce it has signed a multi-year contract with Playbook Engineering to supply pre-race data and pricing services across Playbook’s platform brands. The three-year contract is to be the exclusive supplier of RAS’s best-in-class wagering technology solution, racing data and editorial content.

The founders of real-time gym analytics platform, Barbell Mate, have just launched an affordable timing gate platform called Timing Mate for the high performance sports market.

Sport tech enterprise Crionet has acquired a majority stake in LIGR, a company offering cloud-based graphics, streaming and highlights solutions for sports at all levels. Founded in 2016 in Sydney, Australia, LIGR is renowned for providing cloud-based live graphics solutions for sports broadcasts. The company already delivers solutions across a diverse spectrum of sports around the world, including American football, soccer, rugby, basketball and tennis.

Global gaming marketing leader Livewire is today launching Gameview, a new adtech platform providing a one-stop access point for marketers wanting to reach gamers. The new platform combines exclusive gaming media, sophisticated targeting and real-time effectiveness metrics with a creative studio.

Online sports betting operator Picklebet has secured $AUD 15m in a Series A funding round. DraftKings’ multi-stage venture capital firm Drive by DraftKings took part in the round. Last year, Picklebet entered into a two-year deal with Racing and Sports (RAS). The deal saw RAS provide its risk managed trading service to Picklebet’s racing offering.

South Australian entrepreneurs Kayla Itsines and Tobi Pearce will once again lead the SWEAT fitness empire they founded, after buying back the company they sold to US firm iFIT in 2021. Itsines, who has been the face of the brand since she and Pearce founded the company in 2015, said on Tuesday the decision to take back control is about “ensuring the best future for Sweat”. The price of the acquisition has not been disclosed.

The MyVenue POS solution's impact on the global sports and entertainment venue sector was recognized last night, with MyVenue winning a national category at the Australian Export Awards. “In just over 18 months, 75+ stadiums, arenas, and other major hospitality venues have deployed MyVenue’s point of sale solution in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia,” said CEO Tim Stollznow.

Australia’s most popular destination for sporting goods, rebel, is opening the doors to its new flagship store at Emporium Melbourne on Thursday, 30 November. The flagship store has been designed to be a hyper-immersive sporting and fitness experience, boasting a NBA-sized ‘Stephen Curry Rooftop Court’ half-court, a dedicated Yoga and Wellness zone and the ‘rebel FIT LAB’; with 3D scanning and pressure plate technology to help customers find their perfect fit. The space also includes interactive digital games in a Football Zone, including AFL game ‘Take The Mark and soccer games ‘Top Bins’ and ‘Match the Footy.’

HITIQ has extended its relationship with the Western Australian Football Commission (WAFC), further cementing HITIQ's leadership in the Australian Football community. WAFC acknowledges that the precision and reliability of the data collected by HITIQ mouthguards has been instrumental in their approach to player performance and welfare. 

PlayerMaker have announced the University of Wollongong will be using their boot sensor technology in enhancing both undergraduate and postgraduate programs in exercise and sports science.

The Peach Belt Conference today announced that the league has entered into a partnership with Linius Technologies Limited to provide Linius Whizzard, an automated video highlights, content curation, and video personalization solution, to its 10 member institutions.  The partnership is the first in the United States for Linius which is based in Melbourne, Australia.

The Brisbane 2032 infrastructure program will be funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Intergovernmental Agreement. The $7 billion-plus infrastructure program will reshape some of Queensland’s most significant venues and precincts, leaving a legacy for the community well after 2032. On 24 November 2023, it was announced that the Project Validation Report (PVR) Summary ( 1.3 MB), and design and construction procurement will now begin

In the competitive world of health and fitness technology, cutting-edge body composition technology innovator Evolt 360 is fast-tracking its global expansion via significant new partnerships with Goodlife Fitness Canada, Matrix Fitness and Jetts Australia. GoodLife Fitness Canada is a behemoth of the Canadian fitness scene and the fourth largest globally with 650,000 members across 200 clubs and a team of over 13,000 associates. Evolt 360 is set to play a pivotal role in enhancing GoodLife’s offering with its innovative body composition monitoring technology to be used as a personal training assessment tool to inform customised training plans for GoodLife members.

Olympic legend, Cathy Freeman OAM, has today officially opened the Blacktown City Council’s new Blacktown Exercise, Sports and Technology (BEST) Hub. The newly constructed $100 million facility was fully-funded by Council and sits within the Blacktown International Sports Park – venue for the Sydney 2000 Olympics softball and baseball competitions.

Sports social media monitor, Shunt, has today released its latest measures of Australia's sports social media landscape.  A total of 150 leagues across eight sports or codes including the AFL, AFLW, NRL, Netball, Basketball, Football, Rugby and Cricket. Where the NSW NPL has built a massive audience in excess of 100K, NBL1 is punching out a staggering 7 plus posts per day so far in 2023. Checkout what league, association and geographic region from eight sports around the country was the Facebook Audience Allstar, Publishing Pro, Fan Favourite and Performance Powerhouse from Jan-Oct 2023.

With an innovative approach towards increasing member engagement, gym brand World Gym Australia has joined forces with the Australian health tech innovator Coach Welly. The alliance promises to personalise member experiences using AI, aimed at strengthening customer loyalty and satisfaction.

The A-Leagues and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) today announced their partnership with GoBubble Community to prevent social media abuse, first established in April 2022, would continue through to 2027. GoBubble’s own artificial intelligence monitors social media accounts in order to identify and block abusive, derogatory, harmful or offensive content. 

Lumin Sports has underlined its commitment to supporting S&C coaches at every level of athlete development by partnering with the National High School Strength Coaches Association in the US. The agreement brings together two organizations that share a commitment to educate, equip, and empower coaches to make positive impacts on the lives of student athletes.

Adelaide-founded, Active Pathways (Pickstar and Vlast), has expanded its offering with the addition of leading talent agency W Sports & Media (WSM). Active Pathways is known for its existing talent activation technology platforms, (Pickstar and Vlast) and the announcement reconfirms he Company’s move to transform the sports and entertainment ecosystem. The deal will see Active Pathways combine Pickstar’s technology with WSM’s talent management agency, which represents some of the world’s best athletes, media personalities and musicians.

News Corp Australia’s SuperCoach, Australia’s most popular and prominent fantasy franchise, has been selected by Cricket Australia to be an official fantasy sport game of the KFC Big Bash League. The free and fun fantasy game will provide Aussies with the opportunity to win plenty of awards, including weekly cash prizes and vouchers as well as the chance to gain bragging rights over family, friends and colleagues within mini-league competitions.

A running app called Femmi, designed specifically for females has been launched today. Femmi offers personalized running guidance to help women reach new milestones and fall in love with running. The training is made to align with the unique physiology of each user, whether they are building, maintaining or just starting out on their running journey.

ACHPER Victoria has announced a pioneering initiative stemming from a partnership with Readiness, a proven local wellbeing provider, to develop a scientifically-based curriculum to equip physical education teachers across the state to deliver a complete wellbeing curriculum to primary school students. What sets this curriculum apart is its meticulously crafted learning pathways tailored for every primary level, fully aligning with both the Australian and Victorian curriculum.

Geelong-based high-performance wheel manufacturer Carbon Revolution announced an initial investment of USD 70 million (AUD 108.7 million), which will be used to continue expanding the company’s global footprint. It also coincides with the closure of a business combination and the company’s listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Readiness have announced the launch of the groundbreaking Wellbeing App in collaboration with the Victoria Jockeys Association. The App is designed to provide a range of resources and support tailored specifically for jockeys, ensuring they have the tools they need to thrive both on and off the track.

ActiveXchange, the leading data intelligence provider for the sport and active recreation industry, is excited to announce the launch of their Social Value of Sports platform module. Following the success of the Social Value for Leisure service, enabled through a research partnership with KPMG, this newly launched service will revolutionise the way sports organisations and local governments understand current and potential community savings and benefits generated through participation at sporting clubs, facilities and across priority local areas.

Australian cycling apparel company MAAP has announced the release of the new Atmos Pertex® Jacket & Vest. Designed in Melbourne, where riders frequently encounter up to four seasons on any given day, MAAP set out to create a jacket that performs in the most varied possible set of conditions. 

Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC) has announced a recent investment in Hapana, a full-stack fitness software solution servicing fitness businesses looking to streamline operations and elevate member engagement.

Vald Performance have announced the launch of ForceFrame Max, the new addition to the ForceFrame line (with existing ForceFrame model being rebadged to ForceFrame Fold). ForceFrame Max is the outcome of over six years of feedback from clients who have cumulatively performed over 1.2 million ForceFrame tests on over 200,000 athletes and patients.