Sportstech & Member News

Guy Bracher is leaving the Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) after working with Australia’s sportstech startups and scaleups in the early ASTN days and again for the last two years.

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.

Hang Media has completed a $9.2 million Series A funding round. HANG will use the proceeds to accelerate product development and audience growth, expanding its leadership position in the direct-to-consumer sports media category. HANG enables fans to mingle with their heroes on livestreams across YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.

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.

ECAL has announced its new collaboration with the Frost Bank Center, the home of the San Antonio Spurs, to bring a slick and sophisticated digital calendar experience to basketball fans and concert goers. This partnership is yet another significant integration for ECAL, the world’s leading calendar marketing platform, designed to boost ticket sales, enhance customer engagement, and elevate the event experience for venues and stadia.

AllTrails, the world's largest and most trusted outdoor platform, was awarded iPhone App of the Year by Apple, celebrating its outstanding approach to helping people explore the outdoors. The 2023 App Store Awards spotlight app and game developers who are providing users with meaningful experiences and inspiring cultural change. Out of nearly two million apps in the App Store, AllTrails is recognized as the iPhone App of the Year for its innovative experience, user-friendly design, and, according to Apple, "for helping the world find their way outside."

PMY Group (PMY) is proud to announce that its Founder and CEO, Paul Yeomans, has been recognised as a National Finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Australia awards. This prestigious nomination places him among an elite group of innovative entrepreneurs across the country. Under Paul's visionary leadership, PMY has emerged as a global leader in transforming major venues and events through cutting-edge technology.

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.

The world of sports and entertainment is about to witness a remarkable event, Global e-Cricket Premier League (GEPL) presented by JetSynthesys. GEPL will be streamed on JioCinema and Sports18, reaching millions of viewers daily. GEPL opens doors to cricket, video gaming and e-sports enthusiasts, offering a magnificent prize pool of INR 2.51 crore (US $300k).

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.

Diamond Kinetics and Marucci Sports have launched the The CATX Smart baseball bat. It's the first-ever fully-integrated Smart Bat approved by USSSA for in-game use. It features a Diamond Kinetics Gen-4 bat sensor built into the knob, that does not require charging. The CATX Smart seamlessly connects to the DK app on an iOS device via Bluetooth, providing hitters with real-time data on every swing - in-game or in the cage.

At a time when Artificial Intelligence is transforming the sports industry at an unprecedented pace, Founderz and GSIC (Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft) introduce their groundbreaking Online Program in AI in Sports. The program, to which you can already pre-enroll, is available from today to start learning in February 2024, is launching at a critical time: the global AI in sports market is expected to grow to $16 billion by 2030.

Following a competitive tender process, Sportsnet, Canada’s #1 sports network, has selected Sportradar to deliver innovative, data-driven content that creates a more immersive experience for sports fans in the North American region. Viewers can anticipate the seamless inclusion of real-time statistics, player information and advanced data sets into Sportsnet broadcasts, all made possible through Sportradar’s OnAir service. 

Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering services and solutions, announced it has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a sports cloud platform. The offering focuses on building next-generation digital capabilities for sports organizations, and delivering immersive and personalized experiences to sporting enthusiasts worldwide. 

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 team behind runna, the world’s #1 rated personalised running coaching app that launched in 2021, has closed its latest venture capital round having raised £5 million. The coaching app uses advanced technology combined with real-world running and strength and conditioning plans and workouts from top running coaches to personalise every user’s experience based on their ability, goals and schedule.

Strava is introducing a new feature called Flyover, which allows users to replay their activities via a 3D video map. Flyover is powered by Fatmap, a 3D mapping platform that Strava acquired earlier this year.

The Collective® – the women-focused practice within Wasserman, a global leader in sports, music, entertainment and culture – released today a new study substantiating the growing media representation and cultural impact of women’s sports in the context of the larger sports media ecosystem. A key figure revealed that women’s sports comprise on average 15% of total sports media coverage, with increased content notably driven by the growth of streaming and social media.

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

SportBusiness’ newly published Global Media Report 2023 reveals the combined worldwide media rights value of all sports properties has climbed to $US 55.986bn over the last 12 months, up 2.4 per cent from $US 54.698bn in 2022. The value is expected to pass $60bn for the first time in 2024 as the return of the Olympic Games and Uefa European Championship add weight to the total.

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.

Emerging from the collaboration of Dorilton Capital and Williams Racing, FanCapital plans to partner with premier athletes and teams to build the largest sports vertical audience and incremental monetization platform. FanCapital has announced that Formula 1 driver, Alex Albon, has joined as client #2 and will play a pivotal role on the company's advisory board.

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.

GameDay, powered by Stack Sports and in conjunction with Stack Team App, have partnered with Cricket Hong Kong, China to create a streamlined database and communication framework for their High-Performance Pathways division. The project is designed to ultimately enhance the digital experience of pathway players and track their engagement throughout their journey from developing to high performance athletes, while also providing a valuable cloud-based resource for cricket administrators across the pathway programmes.

The NFL today announced the HealthTECH Challenge I, a crowd-sourced challenge to accelerate innovations that can help make playing surfaces more consistent and safer for players. HealthTECH Challenge I will provide up to $100,000 to entrants with ideas that further improve the safety and consistency of playing surfaces. Submissions close 20 February 2024.

The NCAA's Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network today announced a groundbreaking partnership with Greenfly, the leading platform for short-from content capture, organization, and distribution, to power the flow of digital media assets for thousands of Big Ten student-athletes. The multi-year partnership will allow the conference to provide student-athletes across 14 member institutions sophisticated access to tailored content they can leverage to build their brands.

The Global Wellness Institute has valued the Physical Activity market at $US976 billion, and is expected to grow to $US1.4 trillion by 2027. Beyond gyms, the Global Wellness Institute breaks the industry into six sectors: fitness, mindful movement, recreational sports, tech, apparel, and equipment. Fitness tech (including wearables and workout apps) has grown most rapidly, becoming a $US64 billion market in its own right. Right behind, apparel/footwear and equipment have surpassed pre-pandemic values, worth $US372 billion and $US 137.5 billion, respectively.

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.

Announced in September 2023, Rosterfy will be working with not-for-profit organisation, Disability Sports Australia, to streamline and manage their impressive national network of volunteers and 70 come-and-try events. Disability Sports Australia (DSA) is one of Australia’s nine (9) National Sporting Organisations for people with disability with a focus on enabling more Australians with disability to be active more often. The platform officially went live in mid-November 2023 and volunteers can now register directly with DSA on the Rosterfy plaform.

Ahead CES 2024, NASDAQ-listed Vuzix, a supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technology announced the expansion of its Ultralite OEM Platform with its new Ultralite S AR smart glasses aimed at sports and fitness users. The Vuzix Ultralite S, has been named a CES® 2024 Innovation Awards winner in the Wearable Technologies and Sports & Fitness categories.

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.

For the first time at the UEFA European Football Championship, the Official Match Ball will feature adidas Connected Ball Technology - which sends precise ball data to video match officials in real time. Combining player position data with AI, the innovation contributes to UEFA’s semi-automated offside technology and will be key to supporting faster in match decisions.

Next Level Racing has unveiled the brand-new Next Level Racing GTRacer. The GTRacer simulator cockpit has been designed specifically to deliver an immersive GT-Style racing experience for racing enthusiasts.

New York City FC is planning on building the first fully electric stadium in Major League Soccer (MLS), with a number of sustainability features to be integrated into the design of the 25,000-seat venue. As well as becoming the first fully electric stadium in MLS, the facility would be the first fully electric professional sports stadium in New York City.

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. 

Genius Sports today announced an expanded agreement with FanDuel to deliver its transformative BetVision streaming solution. FanDuel, America’s #1 sportsbook will unveil BetVision as part of its premium NFL offering through Genius Sports. As the exclusive distributor of NFL Official League Data, Genius Sports will continue to provide FanDuel with access to the league’s proprietary Next Gen Stats (“NGS”) data as well as the official sports betting data feed. BetVision will allow FanDuel customers on mobile and tablet devices to take their live NFL viewing experience to the next level in the FanDuel sportsbook app.

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.

iNSPIRETEK is technology platform where athletes can input daily metrics including their mental health, sleep, fatigue, nutrition and stress, providing valuable insights, tools and education for sports coaches and officials to prioritise the wellbeing of athletes and the identification of potential athlete issues. The Queensland Government has now invested in iNSPIRETEK and its health technology so it can be piloted by athletes, coaches and club officials from nine state-level sporting organisations, including Basketball Queensland.

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.

China National Sports Group and Singapore’s White Group signed a strategic cooperation deal in Beijing focusing on acquiring the intellectual property of international sports events and establishing global or Asia-Pacific commercial rights. The agreement outlines cooperation in sports event investment, venue construction, sports technology, international sports funds, and sports derivatives. The agreement includes plans to build a China-Singapore International Sports City in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The NBA Future Analytics Stars Program (FAS) is designed to attract, develop, and pipeline top talent of future leaders in basketball, business, and marketing analytics. This virtual program provides participants with access to mentorship, networking, and development opportunities. The program will connect current executives in these fields with the next generation of leaders in data and analytics and is expected to run for approximately five months beginning in January 2024. Current undergraduate juniors, undergraduate seniors, graduate students, or those early in their careers in similar fields are encouraged to apply.

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.

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has partnered with etrainu, a leading provider of community education solutions, to launch the IFAF Academy. First-of-its-kind education platform will empower member federations worldwide to build capacity and support accelerated participation growth as flag football prepares to make its debut in the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028

ESPN will today launch its sports betting brand ESPNBet. EPSN is the largest sports media brand in the US, with over 100 million unique monthly digital visitors. Its social media presence tops 370 million followers, as well as boasting 25 million subscribers to its ESPN+ streaming service. ESPN is also the biggest brand on TikTok with more than 40 million followers worldwide.

The brand rolled out across 17 states. As well as heavyweights New Jersey and Pennsylvania, this will total every major US market (aside from New York).

Techstars New York City Accelerator is pleased to announce the 12 remarkable companies that have been selected for the Winter Class of 2023. On Demo Day, February 15th, 2024 the founders will present their companies and progress to the NYC tech ecosystem in person and virtually to VCs around the world.