Sportstech & Member News

HITIQ, a leader in concussion management, has announced an exclusive three‑year partnership with Hockey Australia, commencing in 2026. The agreement designates HITIQ as the organisation’s Official Player Safety Partner and integrates PROTEQT™ across Australia’s entire hockey pathway, from grassroots participation through to elite high‑performance programs. Hockey Australia strongly endorses mouthguards as essential safety equipment. This partnership elevates that standard by embedding a technology‑enabled safety framework supported by education, monitoring tools, and player‑welfare resources.

ESG Perform has launched a game-changing platform to help companies benchmark their reporting of Environmental, Social and Governance performance. ESG Perform have built a platform comprised of 23 measurable elements as a benchmark for companies to measure performance.

Genius Sports has struck a deal to acquire Legend's sports and gaming media network worth up to $US1.2 billion, which the sports technology company plans to combine with its FanHub platform. Legend offers marketing technology for owned and operated digital properties while syndicating sports and betting content for the likes of Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated. Genius said the company helped generate 320 million visits from 118 million unique visits in 2025.

With $US 200 billion in total announced deal value across more than 1,000 deals, 2025 was an unprecedented deal making year in sports Tech with a wave of mega-mergers, according to Drake Star's latest Sportstech Report. The year featured five $US 1 billion-plus acquisitions, 23 private financings exceeding $US 100 million, and $US 12 billion of new funds being raised for sports acquisitions and investments. Notable M&A deals included Netflix’s $US 82.7 billion acquisition offer for the streaming and studios division of Warner Bros Discovery, and Saudi PIF and Silver Lake’s $US 55 billion acquisition of EA. Some of the large private placements included DAZN's $US 2.4 billion financing, Oura ($US 900 million), NEP Group ($US 700 million) and Teamworks ($US 235 million).

LiveHeats, a leading scoring and competition management software platform for action sports, has launched AthleteiQ. AthleteiQ utilises a decade of Liveheats event data to provide surfers with pro-level statistics previously reserved for the top surfers on the World Surf League Championship Tour. This includes predictive match-up analysis, longitudinal performance tracking and outcome analytics.

PBR Australia, in partnership with SportsAI, has announced the official launch of the Watch PBR Australia LIVE app for the 2026 Monster Energy Tour season. This platform builds on traditional livestream viewing and redefines how fans connect and engage with live sport and its athletes, delivering a fully immersive 360° virtual reality experience, live from inside the arena. The app blends live sport, immersive technology and interactive viewing.

Melbourne-based allied health tech companyStrength By Numbers (SBN) has acquired Mate Sports Tech, the creators of Timing Mate and Barbell Mate. Mate Sports Tech has built highly trusted tools for speed, agility, and power measurement. Their products have earned a strong reputation worldwide, and complement the Strength By Numbers ecosystem.

Volleyball WA has announced a new partnership with FrogBox, an Australian sports technology company that connects sporting communities through accessible and shareable video. FrogBox will introduce its live-streaming technology to the sport, allowing matches to be easily broadcast, shared and accessed by athletes, officials, supporters and the wider community. The partnership will be piloted at the Alcohol. Think Again Beach Tour (ATABT) WA Open 2026.

Full body VR movement platform Virtuix has listed on the US-based Nasdaq, and secured $US 11 million investment from Chicago Venture Partners. Tcompany said the proceeds are expected to support several initiatives, including the sales and marketing of Omni One, its at-home gaming system that features a treadmill-like platform and lets players enjoy 360-degree movement within a virtual world. Players wear a VR headset and can walk or run safely in any direction, as well as crouch and jump, secured by an adjustable support vest attached to a metal arm.

The Japan Australian Sports & Health Innovation Exchange (JASHIE), which is hosting a series of events in Queensland from 16-20 March, is offering Australian sportstech and healthtech startups the opportunities to pitch to one of Japan's leading sports businesses, Mizuno Corporation. Mizuno is actively seeking partners developing technologies in two interest areas including mental training, running, smart arenas, exercise performance visualisation, body temperature, sleep and body odour. ASTN is a partner in the JASHIE program, and is promoting the program to its member-base.  

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić today announced the launch of 77X, a company he built to create original entertainment, collectibles, merchandise, and live experiences for his fans, and Fan Pass, a free membership platform available now at 77x.world. He is the first athlete to bring everything he creates – from content and products to events and community – into a single direct-to-fan universe, giving members early access to limited drops, exclusive content, and a voice in what gets made.

Nominees for the fourth Sports Business Tech Awards have been announced, with South Australian company, MyVenue nominated in the category for Venue and Franchise Operations Technology. Spanning eight different categories, the 46 finalists were selected by the Sport Business Journal (SBJ) in-house judging committees for their innovation, creativity, organizational excellence, industry influence, and leadership over the past year. External judging panels will now determine the winners, who will be revealed on May 18 at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City. 

Melbourne-based sports technology company PlayHQ has entered a binding agreement to be acquired by Alpine Software Group (ASG), marking a significant cross-border transaction in the global sports and recreation technology sector. The acquisition will see PlayHQ become part of ASG’s growing portfolio of vertical SaaS businesses. ASG has acquired more than 45 software companies since 2016, focusing on scalable platforms serving highly specific industry sectors. The PlayHQ platform manages registrations, payments, competition administration and game-day operations, having processed more than 11 million registrations and scheduled 3.1 million games.

Manchester City has today launched CityCoach, a new coaching content platform designed to support coaches across the world with access to high-quality learning material based on the Club’s coaching methodology. Available through the coachbetter.com app, CityCoach brings together elements of Manchester City’s coaching expertise and modern digital innovation to deliver a rich, structured learning experience for coaches across the world.

The start-ups for the 2026 edition of UEFA's Champions Innovate, which will focus on grassroots football, have now been chosen. CoachMate, a sports education content delivery platform, has been selected as one of four startups for this year's program. Champions Innovate is a programme created to address modern, meaningful, and relevant challenges identified by UEFA and the host national association of the UEFA Champions League final. In 2026, the UEFA Champions League final will take place in Budapest, and the Champions Innovate programme will shine a spotlight on the beating heart of the game: grassroots football. ASTN member 

Layercake, an Australian digital engineering company and Oracle partner, announced that its media orchestration and automation platform, Streamcake, can now run on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This provides Layercake’s customers with greater choice to help them drive innovation and digital excellence. Streamcake enables media companies, broadcasters, sports organisations, and other live event producers to unify broadcast production, digital streaming, and operations automation on a single, highly scalable cloud platform. 

PlayHQ and Cricket Scotland have announced a new partnership that will transform how club and community cricket operates across Scotland. The collaboration will see the existing player registration and live scoring data systems merge, streamlining domestic cricket operations with a unified competition and membership management platform.

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has today been announced as a member of the newly activated Trade Diversification Network (TDN), a national initiative bringing government and industry closer together to support Australian exporters to diversify and grow into new international markets. The announcement was made by Senator the Hon. Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism, and is being delivered as part of the $AUD 50 million Accessing New Markets Initiative, led by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade). Following a competitive application process, 40 national peak industry bodies from across Australia have been selected to participate in the Network.

Bruin Capital, in collaboration with affiliates of 26North Private Equity, TJC LP and select other partners, has launched a new investment platform capitalized with $US 1 billion. The platform will target high-growth businesses that provide technology, data, media and commercial services—referred to as “second-level enablers”—to sports teams, leagues, federations and rights owners. This marks a significant expansion of Bruin’s specialist strategy focused on infrastructure critical to the global sports industry.

Sportable has announced that its premier Portable LPS tracking product has been officially certified within the FIFA Quality Programme for Electronic Performance & Tracking Systems (EPTS), marking a major milestone for the company and further validating its position as a global leader in sports tracking and connected ball innovation. The FIFA Quality Programme for EPTS is the global benchmark for tracking accuracy and reliability in football. Systems are independently assessed against strict criteria including positional accuracy, consistency, latency, and robustness.

An inbound sports and health delegation will visit Queensland from 16-20 March led by the Japan–Australia Sports & Health Innovation Exchange (JASHIE). JASHIE aims to connect, grow, and sustain an innovation ecosystem between both countries—accelerating technology development, fostering partnerships, and driving economic and social impact. The delegation is powered by Mizuno and Nakanoshima Qross, and supported by the ASTN and Invest Gold Coast. Expressions-of-interest are open to both Australian and Japanese companies to participate in the delegation in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

KKR has agreed to acquire sports-focused investment firm Arctos Partners in a transaction valuing the business at approximately US$1 billion, according to Bloomberg. With more than $US 700 billion in assets under management, KKR has previously invested in sports and entertainment assets including FanDuel and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The acquisition would further deepen its presence in the sector. Arctos holds stakes in more than 20 professional sports franchises across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS, making it the only private investment firm approved to own equity across all five major North American men’s professional leagues. It is also the largest institutional owner of North American sports equity globally.

Fastbreak AI has teamed up with XV as its exclusive partner in Australia and New Zealand. Fastbreak’s AI-powered platform is already trusted by the AFL, NRL and 60+ major global leagues including the NBA and NHL. The partnership expands Fastbreak AI’s presence in the Australia and NZ region with a strong professional sports footprint, an exciting roadmap of major and annual events, and a fast-growing youth sports market.

USA Cycling has announced a four-year partnership with GymAware, a global leader in velocity-based training technology. GymAware’s products are widely regarded as the gold standard, backed by over 23 years of legacy in the field. As part of this collaboration, GymAware has recently provided weight room performance monitoring equipment to support the USA Cycling track sprint team in Carson, California. The partnership will give track sprint athletes and coaches access to real-time data and insights to inform daily training and support individualized programs designed to optimize performance.

Indian-based Centre Court Capital has closed its maiden fund at NR 410 crore ($US 40 million) supported by domestic institutional investors and sports and media personalities. The fund will leverage off the wave of convergence across sports, fitness, wellness and social gaming in India. 

Sports investment firm APEX has announced the launch of a of a high-growth private equity fund with plans to raise 300 million euros, or about $US 350 million. APEX, which is based just west of Lisbon in Oeiras, Portugal, intends to use that newfound scale to pursue minority stakes ranging from 20% to 49% in teams, leagues and other sports assets. Over the life of the ten-year fund, Caçorino expects to strike 10 to 20 deals, with ticket sizes falling between $US 15 million and $US 50 million.

Australian-founded VueMotion is transforming athlete care and performance through accessible, AI-powered movement intelligence. As part of AO StartUps, VueMotion will pilot their cutting-edge biomechanics platform with Tennis Australia’s National Academy to elevate the performance of the next generation of stars.

Advance Queensland have acknowledged the outstanding achievement of Queensland Government-supported businesses at the Australian and New Zealand Sports Technology Awards (ANZSTA) and the 2025 Australia Sports Tech Conference in October. Three Queensland companies were category winners at the ANZSTA Awards - GravityFit, BoostAR and Anti Ordinary. Another five Queensland companies were finalists including Fempro Armour, tagSpace, Talk All Sport, Valor Esports and SportsAI.

ASTN members, Bodd (3D body scanning company) and Pitch Up (Facility booking tool), have been selected to take part in the Australian Sports Commission’s (ASC) virtual innovation hub, The Park, which is setting out to explore cutting-edge solutions to some of the sector’s biggest challenges. A total of five companies have been selected including previous ASTN Pre-Accelerator participant, Safeguarding You as well as HITIQ and Sports Velocity Systems.

Champion Data has announced a new partnership with the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia as the official broadcast graphics provider for the PGA Tour of Australasia. The Champion Data team is delivering a purpose-built, elevated broadcast graphics package crafted exclusively for Golf Australia, rolling out across 20 Golf tournaments throughout the 2025/2026 schedule.

Female protective wear company FemPro Armour has won the 2025 QSport Innovation of the Year Award. The protective wear is designed to make women and girls feel safe, confident, and protected when they step onto the field. Fempro Armour is a Queensland-based innovation company, redefining protective gear for female and male athletes through science and smart design. Growing from a slow start in motorcycling Fempro Armour is now a multi-sport brand trusted in AFLW, NRLW, rugby union, roller bergy, mountain biking, defence and healthcare.

Golf New Zealand (Golf NZ) has re-signed with CoachMate - the sports education platform that transforms volunteer-led coaching and team management into insightful, easy, and fun experiences. This renewal marks a particularly special milestone: Golf NZ was CoachMate’s very first foundation client and the partnership now enters a new phase of growth and impact.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has faced an unexpected broadcasting crisis just two months before the impending T20 World Cup 2026, after JioStar formally informed the body that it cannot fulfil the remaining two years of its four-year India media rights deal. The broadcaster cited mounting financial losses as the primary cause for pursuing a premature exit from the $US 3 billion agreement.

Globant, a company dedicated to reinventing businesses through innovative technology solutions, and LALIGA, Europe's most successful football league, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that marks a milestone in the transformation of the operations of one of the world's leading sports organizations through the large-scale adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Through Sportian, the joint venture between Globant and LALIGA, AI agents will be created in key organizational areas such as talent development, operations, and technology to improve sports performance analysis, personalized content creation, and workflow automation, all within a coordinated and centralized system. These new agents will join Sportian's current offering of technological solutions.

Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media workflow platform Streamcake, announced the integration of Norsk into its ecosystem. The integration allows organisations to unify live and on-demand video workflows using a combination of Norsk’s real-time media processing tools and Streamcake’s automation, orchestration and provisioning features. Streamcake, enables broadcasters, sports organisations and enterprises to streamline complex workflows, automate infrastructure deployment and scale content delivery across platforms. 

QSport is proud to announce a landmark two-year partnership with Griffith University, continuing through to June 2027. This strategic collaboration will deepen both organisations’ commitment to advancing gender equity, leadership and participation in sport across Queensland. The partnership will focus on the establishment of Women in Sport Leadership Series, a research program hat collates data and insights regarding the lived experiences of women in sport as well as Griffith University being the Naming Sponsor of the Queensland Sport Awards, Athlete of the Year Award.

Spectatr.ai, a Sequoia-backed innovator in AI-powered sports technology, is partnering with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) to deliver real-time highlight clips during the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Spectatr.ai unlocks the full potential of sports content with AI Agents that power smart highlights, content tagging, management, and distribution.

In a landmark achievement that cements its position among the global leaders in sports innovation, Spectatr.ai has been named the winner of the prestigious “Sports Technology of the Year” award at The Sports Business Awards 2025. The accolade recognises organisations that are redefining the future of sports through innovation, impact, and transformative technology. For Spectatr.ai, the honour marks a significant milestone in a journey that began with a bold vision to democratise sports media creation through AI-powered solutions.

SportBox, the new sports locker concept that makes sports equipment more accessible, has now two live locations in Victoria in partnership with the Glenelg Shire Council. Free access to basketballs, netballs and footballs are now available at Portland Foreshore (Portland) and Island Park (Casterton).

3D body scanning platform Bodd has raised $AUD 15 million as it looks to expand globally. The round was led by US strategic investor Blue Sky Capital, supported by Ellerston Capital. The capital is for expansion into the US, where they’ll open an office, as well as the UK and Middle East, plus increasing the headcount to 40, up from 15 when Bodd last raised $5 million in early 2023. The business is turning its attention to healthtech, with plans to deploy in Australian pharmacies in 2026 to capturing data on the human body and support growing demand for GLP-1 (weight loss) treatments.

A Games Vision, titled Believe, Belong, Become, Brisbane 2032, will be launched for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games this week. It’s a commitment to deliver a Games that unites, excites, and inspires, creating lasting impact and legacies for generations to come. 

Skate Australia, in partnership with Skate NSW, has launched a new national integrity management platform that strengthens the sport’s alignment with the National Integrity Framework (NIF) and reinforces its commitment to providing safe, fair and inclusive environments for all participants. The platform offers a simple, confidential and nationally consistent way for participants across Australia to raise integrity concerns. Powered by Rely’s trusted case-management technology, the system delivers clear reporting pathways and enhances visibility and coordination across all levels of the sport.

Victorian sportstech startup and ASTN member company, Boob Protect has been recognised as the performance category winner and crowned overall winner at the ISPO BrandNew startup awards in Munich, Germany. With an ultra-light, CE-certified breast protector that combines safety and comfort, Boob Protect demonstrates how true innovation can make empowerment tangible. Boob Protect emerged as the performance category winner prevailing over running footwear, respiration analysis device and stroboscopic glasses.

Cérge, in partnership with Belgravia Leisure and Belgravia Foundation, has reached a significant milestone, with the tech’s accessibility tools now viewed four million times across almost 100 Belgravia Leisure venues. Visitors can access 360-degree virtual tours, sensory guides, audio guides and communication boards directly on each venue site, without ever leaving the page.

Ten startup companies from five African countries that have been selected as finalists as part of the second edition of NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator, which the league launched last year to support the continent’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Five winners will receive financial support and the opportunity to join CMU-Africa’s 12-month Business Incubation Program – in the Innovation Hub. 

Ultrahuman, a Bengaluru-based health technology and wearables company, has secured roughly $11.27 million in venture debt to accelerate its next phase of global growth. The debt round is positioned as a bridge toward a larger equity funding round expected in the coming weeks. Ultrahuman plans to use the capital to scale operations in Canada, Mexico and Australia. At the same time, Ultrahuman is managing a US patent dispute while targeting revenue of about $120 million by the 2026 financial year.

HITIQ has announce that the PROTEQT™ concussion management system will be introduced through rebel, Australia's leading sporting goods retailer. PROTEQT™ will be available through select high-performance rebel stores and their online platform. This represents HITIQ's entry into mainstream consumer retail channels, providing access to athletes and sports participants across community and competitive levels. This retail introduction marks an important step in HITIQ's commercialisation strategy, transitioning PROTEQT™ from elite sports applications into consumer retail markets. 

City of Moreton Bay has partnered with the Queensland Government Innovation Division through the Private Sector Pathways program, inviting fresh ideas to improve access, mobility and inclusion across the City. After a State-wide call for solutions and an Innovation Showcase, two start-ups have been selected to progress to a $100,000 trial with Council. This includes Briometrix who will develop accessible footpath wayfinding tools to improve mobility and navigation across Moreton Bay, and Cerge, who are creating accessible digital journeys through venue mapping, sensory guides and virtual tours to help people ‘know before they go’.

The world’s first operator-less, AI-powered cricket training experience, powered by BatFast, is coming to Australia. HiTZ Cricket is partnering with Cricket Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades to launch its first Australian site at the CitiPower Centre in Melbourne later this summer.

Valor Esports is introducing a new interactive training program that goes beyond mechanical and strategic gameplay. Students can now build and train transferable skills in communication, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking and more - all without needing to play in-game. This program is designed for schools looking to offer credit-worthy, future-focused learning pathways that connect esports and transferable skills to real opportunities. Expressions of interest are open, with the trial to commence January 2026.