International Sportstech News

Lucia Ciric Bagaric became the first FANtium funded player to make a Grand Slam main draw, qualifying for the first round at Roland Garros.  This achievement comes with significant rewards including €69,000 in guaranteed earnings. As a side effect, her win triggered an immediate sell-out of her raise in less than 24 hours, raising $US 100k for her career. FANtium support some of the best next-generation tennis players, all carefully evaluated by a global network of tennis experts, offering athlete investment as a new asset class.

Kings League, a seven-a-side next generation football competition led by Gerard Piqué that brings together entertainment and sports, today announced a €60 million investment round. Kings League has connected with the Gen Z audience through digital channels and platforms, integrating gamified elements into traditional football to produce dynamic, high-scoring 40-minute matches.

The NCAA and the nation's five biggest conferences announced Thursday night that they have agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims, a monumental decision that sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester. They signal the end of the NCAA’s bedrock amateurism model that dates to its founding in 1906. The deal still must be approved by the federal judge overseeing the case. it will usher in the beginning of a new era in college sports where athletes are compensated more like professionals and schools can compete for talent using direct payments.

Life Time, the luxury athletic country club operator that’s in expansion mode, has made its app free to non-members, so anyone can access Life Time’s premium wellness offerings, including on-demand fitness classes. Life Time app users can access barre, boxing, cardio, cycle, dance, strength and yoga classes, training videos, nutrition and exercise coaching programs, meditation experiences, articles and podcasts. There is also an opportunity to shop for health and wellness products across apparel, nutrition and beauty products with exclusive in-app pricing.

The owner of Ticketmaster is being sued by the US government over claims it is running an illegal live event "monopoly" which is driving prices up for fans and pushing out smaller competition. The complaint says a break-up between Live Nation and Ticketmaster is on the table and experts claim this combined with other solutions could help fans and artists. Ticketmaster, which merged with Live Nation in 2010, is the world's largest ticket seller across live music, sports, theatre and more. The company said it distributed more than 620 million tickets in 2023.

The IIT Madras Centre of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) is planning to support nearly 200 sportstech startups over 5 years across the domain areas of computer vision, data analytics, AI, ML, and biomechanics. Going forward, IIT Madras is working on four areas in the sector, which include technology to enhance player performance, analytics, education, and supporting sports tech startups.

The New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS), a leading hub for sports innovation and research, and NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader, have entered a strategic technology partnership to leverage technologies and create new value propositions for NZCIS's sports and accommodation facilities. The partnership will realize the full potential of data-driven insights and innovation in the sports industry through joint activities and proof-of-concept projects.

Smart dumbbell maker, Kabata, secured $US 5m in a seed round led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from numerous athlete-investors, including NFLer Bradley Chubb. Building on a $US 2m raise two years ago, the company is preparing to ship its first units later this year. Kabata dumbbells use built-in sensors to support velocity-based training (VBT), measuring reps, time under tension, power, and calories. Its AI-driven software develops a training program based on users’ ability, automatically adjusting weight while adapting exercise based on form quality.

RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital are launching a college sports-specific investment fund, one that could lend as much as $2 billion to athletic departments across the US. Led by RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale, Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS) is hoping to cash in on a college sports industry in upheaval, with athletes on the verge of more robust compensation and schools seeking new funding sources to stay competitive.  The new venture plans to initially partner with five to 10 athletic departments, offering $50 million to $200 million to each.

BridgeAthletic, the premier provider of strength and conditioning software, announced today the closing of a strategic growth capital investment and the acquisition of Game Plan, the leading learning management system built to serve athletic organizations and teams. The combination of BridgeAthletic and Game Plan offers the industry's first integrated athlete development solution trusted by every major professional sports league and more than 10,000 sports teams and tactical groups globally.

Populous, the renowned global sports and entertainment venue and events design practice, announced today a strategic investment in OnePlan, the world’s leading event site and venue planning software company. OnePlan’s innovative GIS mapping collaboration platform is used by over 50,000 events in 110 countries, delivering up to 85% time-savings for its customers. The platform simplifies the planning of live events and venues through easy-to-use, collaborative mapping tools. 

Indian sports-tech firm Stupa Sports Analytics has raised ₹28 crore in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Centre Court Capital and Peer Capital. The funding happened at a post-money valuation of ₹98 crore. The firm has raised ₹7.5 crore so far in three separate rounds. The latest fund pool will be deployed to attract top AI/ML and engineering talent to build advanced solutions in the rapidly growing sports-tech industry. The fund will also power Stupa’s ambitions to expand globally into markets like the US, UK, Australia, and West Asia while deepening its existing presence in regions like Europe and Asia.

Netflix is no longer simply in the “sports-adjacent” business. On Wednesday, the streaming giant announced a three-season deal with the National Football League that will include showing two Christmas Day games on its service this year. It’s the first time Netflix has become partners with a major sports league.

Sharp Alpha Advisors has successfully closed its second venture capital fund, Sharp Alpha Fund II, surpassing its target with a $US 25 million raise to invest in early-stage companies within the sports, gaming, and entertainment sectors. Sharp Alpha Fund II focuses on seed investments between $1 million and $2 million. 

Garmin has reported a 40% revenue increase to $343 million in its fitness category during Q1 of 2024, setting a new first-quarter record that the tech company says was led by strong demand for advanced wearables. Notably, revenue from Garmin’s outdoor segment trended upwards. Earlier this year, Garmin released its 2023 Fitness Report, showing that users logged 19% more activities using fitness equipment in the year, with double-digit growth in strength training, stair climbing and elliptical activities. Although strength training has dominated fitness industry discourse, Garmin’s report showed that HIIT activities soared in 2023, with a 112% year-over-year increase. Outdoor activities, such as walking, trail running and cycling, also ramped up.

DraftKings has agreed a deal to acquire Sports IQ Analytics, a business that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide software solutions to the online sports betting market. Sports IQ supports companies with software for online sports betting. Solutions cover more than 12,000 events every year, offering access to hundreds of in-play markets.

Sports Tech HQ Inc., an initiative launched by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. in June 2022, has secured $US 4.5 million from the IEDC to fund its operations for the next two years. That amount is double the $2.25 million that the IEDC initially invested two years ago. The goal of Sports Tech HQ is to build Indiana’s sports technology sector, in part by luring startups here and helping them connect with the state’s existing sports ecosystem.

WHOOP, the human performance company, announced Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary football icon, as an official global ambassador and investor. This represents one of Ronaldo's most significant investments to date. Ronaldo joins the company’s growing roster of global ambassador investors, including Patrick Mahomes, Michael Phelps, Eli Manning, Rory McIlroy, and more. This partnership signifies the company’s global growth trajectory and commitment to revolutionizing the world of human performance.

The NBA Basketball Tech Expo is a private, invite-only event designed for basketball technology companies to meet with NBA team and league executives, partners, and investors. The Expo occurs during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and consists of ~40 best-in-class companies showcasing their products and services via interactive booths. Applications are open until 30th May, with the Expo on in Las Vegas on 15th July.

The connected rowing company Hydrow acquired a majority stake in SPEEDE, makers of smart strength equipment. Speede uses AI, sensors, and motors to deliver up to 2,000 pounds of resistance, without physical weights. Already delivering a full-body workout, Hydrow is leaning into demand for weight training, with plans to release a consumer strength product next year.

Recognized as the leading, international mark of excellence, The Sports Technology Awards celebrates tech-led innovation in sports, globally. The Winners of the 2024 Sports Technology Awards were announced on 9th May.

Winners of the various categories included; ai.io, Apple, Beyond Sports (Sony’s Sports Businesses), Dizplai, The Ryder Cup, Fifty, FootBalance System Ltd, FORM, DAIMANI, Halfspace Group, International Cricket Council, Major League Baseball (MLB), Pavegen, PERSONAR, PGA TOUR, Predictive Fitness, SimWin Sports, Sky, turfcoach, UEFA and Vizrt, Veo Technologies, Visual Vertigo and WSC Sports.

Disney+ will debut in the live sports space next Tuesday by airing Caitlin Clark's WNBA regular season debut. The Indiana Fever are slated to open their season against the Connecticut Sun, one of four games scheduled for the league's first day. A second matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces will also air on Disney+. These two games will be the first traditional live sporting events to air on Disney+, barring a pair of themed animated telecasts of NFL and NHL games.

New Zealand Football have partnered with sports video production company Sportway to broadcast more domestic football from the National League and cup competitions than ever before. The partnership will see New Zealand Football broadcast over 200 games in 2024, live and free for fans on FIFA+. Utilising a fixed AI-automated filming solution, 4K Sportway cameras have been installed at grounds around Aotearoa New Zealand allowing National League games to be broadcast live with match commentary added by club commentators. 

Stack Sports, a leading provider of youth sports software has launched a new rewards program delivering significant savings to youth sports families in the United States and North America. With Stack Rewards, families can earn cashback on everyday shopping and access special offers and deals to help pay for sports, resulting in projected savings of $100 million annually. Stack Rewards has launched through a ‘Shop & Earn’ tab within Stack Team App and later will appear in products like Sports Connect and CaptainU. In the first week of the program, over 10 thousand families have already signed up for Stack Rewards.

The NFL announced on Friday that players will be permitted to wear Guardian Caps during regular-season games in an effort to increase player health and safety and prevent head injuries. The league said when the Guardian Caps debuted in 2022 that they can reduce the force from head contact by 10% if one player is wearing it, and 20% if all players involved are wearing them. The NFL instituted Guardian Caps during training camps ahead of the 2022 season, and then they were mandated during the 2023 season at every preseason practice, as well as every regular-season and postseason practice with contact. 

2K has re-launched TopSpin® 2K25, a revival of the beloved tennis simulation video game series. Featuring competitive single-player and multiplayer modes, all four historic Grand Slam® Tournaments, 25 playable pros, TopSpin 2K25 is a re-launch after more than a decade since its last iteration. Since the launch on 26 April, the game has already amassed 10 million plus matches played.

APEX have opened applications for the 2nd session of their Impact Program (AIP). The AIP aims to empower passionate founders building innovative early-stage technologies, whose goal is to positively influence the future of Sports, Media, & Entertainment. The program provides knowledge, networks and capital to selected startups. Australian-founded Traits Insights was one of three startups selected in season 1 of the Program. APEX invests €250,000 in each startup selected. Applications close at the start of July 2024.

Sportable, a London-based sports technology business that specialises in game insights and analytics and advanced ball and player tracking technology across a number of sports, including football, Australian rules football, American football and rugby, proudly announces a £3 million investment from Guinness Ventures.

From soccer to the NFL, natural grass playing fields are increasingly becoming a point of contention between players and owners. With that backdrop, sports-focused private equity firm Bruin Capital is buying the majority of leading grass technology developer PlayGreen in a bet that high-level sports will continue the move toward grass surfaces. The deal values the company at more than $100 million. PlayGreen BV is a Dutch holding company better known for its two subsidiaries: Stadium Grow Lighting (SGL) and ALVA Technology. Altogether, the businesses are responsible for the development and maintenance of natural grass playing fields for some 600 teams worldwide including the Boston Red Sox, Dallas Cowboys and Tottenham Hotspur. 

After the inauguration of an Artificial Intelligence Olympic Agenda that seeks to empower athletes, the competition and the public, the IOC’s Director of Marketing and Digital Engagement, Leandro Larrosa, explains how the links between AI and networks will transform the imminent Olympic experience.

Barcelona Sports Hub have announced thei 6 finalist startups Sports Hub Competition. The final, where the winning startup will take home a prize valued at €50,000, will be held at the PRO Sportstech Congress on May 8th at the Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm in Barcelona. Each of these startups will deliver a 5-minute pitch presenting their innovative projects, demonstrating how their technology can transform sports, health, event organization, among other related fields. The finalists include Aktivity, Athlose Sports Travel, Beyond You, Bstadium, Lizcore and Lueira.

Sports-focused investment firm APEX Capital announced the second close of its €50 million Elite Performance Venture Capital Fund today. The Elite Performance Fund is dedicated to transforming the sports, media, and entertainment sectors by investing in innovative companies from Pre-Seed to Series A stages. APEX first launched its athlete-driven VC Fund in September 2023 which included early investors Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Miguel Oliveira, Raphael Varane, Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen, and others. APEX has closed 18 investments since its inception together with an athlete community of +100 athletes across multiple sports.

The European Platform for Sport Innovation has announced launch of their Sport Innovation Index. The Sport Innovation Index aims to assess the innovation level of sport organizations across Europe, helping them enhance governance, compare results, and achieve excellence in innovation. Drawing inspiration from renowned models like the European Innovation Scoreboard and the Dutch Sport Innovation Monitor, this index will be a game-changer in mapping and promoting innovation within the sports industry.

Plug and Play Frisco has announced the 11 Sportstech startups that were selected for the inaugural batch of the Sportstech accelerator programs. The startups will graduate and pitch their ideas at Expo which is scheduled to take place in Frisco, Texas on May 23, marking the culmination of the program.“Our Sportstech program will naturally place the city of Frisco on the international and national stage,” said David Steele, Director of Plug and Play Frisco. “The founding partnership with the Frisco Economic Development Corporation (EDC) shows the city’s commitment to showcasing Sports City USA’s position as a hub for sports organization, technology and innovation.

NBA Africa today announced the launch of “Triple-Double: NBA Africa Startup Accelerator,” a startup accelerator based on the continent focused on early-stage African startup companies. Triple-Double: NBA Africa Startup Accelerator will support Africa’s tech ecosystem and the next generation of African tech entrepreneurs by providing them with access to mentorship and capital that will help drive growth in the sports and creative industries.Operated by ALX Ventures,  Triple-Double: NBA Africa Startup Accelerator is open to early-stage startups in Africa that develop solutions in event management and ticketing, youth development, AI, and digital marketing in the sports and creative industries.  

Drone Racing League has entered an agreement to be acquired by Infinite Reality (iR), a leading global provider of cutting-edge virtual, AI-powered immersive experiences, for $US 250 million. Together with Infinite Reality, the Drone Racing League will accelerate the future of technology-driven media and entertainment with professional drone racing stadiums, a Formula One inspired global circuit of Championship DRL events, and AI-powered immersive experiences that bring partners, pilots and fans closer to the action.

Out2Win Sports have launched an AI-Powered algorithm aimed at revolutionizing the way brands and businesses evaluate their next athlete partner on social media. Our propriety algorithm analyzes hundreds of social media data points including performance on sponsored posts, posting frequency, engagement rate, and everything in between, giving brands an all-encompassing evaluation of an athlete’s social media marketability strength.

ASICS has announced the launch of its most recyclable running shoe. The NIMBUS MIRAI is a performance running shoe designed to be returned, recycled and remade – ready to run again. The knitted single-material upper has no overlays and is attached to the cushioned sole with a specially designed adhesive, meaning the shoe can be easily disassembled for recycling at the end of its life.

FitOn, one of the world’s biggest digital fitness platforms, was born to solve the nation’s health crisis with tech. It's using the ubiquity of smartphones, helping 15 million members get healthier with engaging fitness and wellness content streamed to their mobile devices. The brand offers a wide range of digital and in-person experiences. Along with traditional fitness offerings, FitOn features mental health resources, nutrition, rehab classes and chronic health condition management support systems.

Olympic organizers unveiled their strategy to use artificial intelligence in sports, joining the global rush to capitalize on the rapidly advancing technology. The International Olympic Committee outlined its agenda for taking advantage of AI. Officials said it could be used to help identify promising athletes, personalize training methods and make the games fairer by improving judging.