Three Local Innovators Selected to Tackle Sport’s Biggest Challenges in Gold Coast Sportstech Open Innovation Challenge
The challenge provides early-stage companies with the rare opportunity to validate and refine their solutions inside a live high-performance sporting environment, working directly with the Southport Sharks on key priorities such as player wellbeing, performance, innovation, and community engagement.
The successful companies for the 2025 Challenge are:
Pursuit Academies – A digital athlete development platform that brings high-performance expertise to clubs of all sizes through tailored programming, tracking tools, and virtual coaching support. Designed by physiotherapists and S&C specialists, it gives clubs the tools to build resilient athletes, reduce injury rates, and retain players through structured development pathways.
Gatho – A world-first virtual meeting and live-streaming platform that transforms the way sporting clubs connect with fans and manage their operations. Gatho creates interactive digital fan zones and hybrid match-day experiences while offering scalable tools for remote staff and volunteer collaboration—unlocking new revenue streams and deeper community engagement.
Imagine Realities – A cutting-edge immersive technology company specialising in augmented reality fan activations and 3D digital twins. Their AR Magic Mirror, recently featured at the NRL Magic Round, creates gamified, motion-tracked agility challenges, while their Digital Twin platform offers remote exploration of club facilities, enhancing access, inclusion, and storytelling.
“This is about embedding innovation where it matters most—on the ground, inside the club,” said Nikita Vogel, QLD State Manager at ASTN. “Each of these companies brings a bold vision and a practical solution that aligns with real challenges in community and professional sport. Southport Sharks offers the ideal testbed to validate, refine, and grow these technologies.”
The Open Innovation Challenge runs from 23 May to 27 June 2025, culminating in a showcase event where participants will present outcomes, impact, and next steps to a panel of sports and innovation leaders.
This initiative is part of a broader strategy to position the Gold Coast as a national leader in sportstech in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.