Oslo-based SportAI, a B2B sports technology startup using AI-powered video analysis to deliver professional-level performance insights, has raised an oversubscribed $3M round led by Norwegian investment fund Altitude Capital with participation from global tennis star Casper Ruud, former McKinsey Global Tech & Media head Endre Holen, US pro soccer player Alejandro Bedoya and TRK Group founder Trond Riiber Knudsen. Holen, who previously served on Hudl’s board, is also joining SportAI as Chairman. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate the company’s global roll-out and deepen technical development of its camera-agnostic SaaS and API platform, which plugs into court camera and streaming providers to give players and coaches instant statistics, tactical insights and highlight clips across thousands of sports facilities worldwide.
SportAI offers advanced technique analysis, detailed match statistics, tactical insights and highlight videos using computer vision and machine learning. Previously, video analysis required manual tagging by coaches, which limited scalability and longevity, and was affordable only by professional players with access to performance analysts. However, as mounted court cameras, broadcast feeds and mobile phone video recording become the norm at sports facilities, SportAI is capitalizing on the demand for high-quality analysis.
The company is integrating court camera solutions through its SaaS platform and APIs to match the increasing rollout rate of cameras and streaming services worldwide. The platform is camera-agnostic, enabling the AI technology to be integrated with thousands of sports facilities worldwide. Players and coaches at these facilities can access immediate statistics and highlights.
This API-focused approach means that SportAI is focusing on collaborations with court camera streaming providers seeking to layer AI-powered analysis over their existing hardware offerings, strengthening their go-to-market strategies.
Key SportAI partnerships include MATCHi, the world’s fastest-growing network for racket sports with 1M+ users, 3k venues, and 17k courts across 30 countries, which offered SportAI’s analysis to enhance players’ experience and training; Save My Play, a leading US court-mounted camera system deployed across thousands of racket sports facilities; and Shark, providing an AI-powered coaching app for Shark’s pickleball customers in the US, Europe, Brazil, and Australia.
The Oslo-headquartered company was co-founded in late 2023 by ex-NCAA tennis player Lauren Pedersen (CEO), Felipe Longé (CTO) and Andreas Thome (Board Chairman, ex-CEO of Play Magnus) alongside tech-startup heavyweights Espen Agdestein (Board member), and Trond Kittelsen (Head of Commercial). SportAI is tapping into the burgeoning AI in sports market, which is set to reach $28.2BN by 2030, with SportAI’s cloud-based SaaS able to be integrated by businesses to enhance their broadcast coverage, sports facilities, coaching programmes, training apps, and equipment recommendations.
Casper Ruud, the top 20-ranked men’s tennis player, says: “As someone who has competed at the highest level, I know that winning margins often come down to tiny details. SportAI’s technology is bringing elite-level insights – the kind of analysis that top players have access to – to everyone around the world. Whether you’re at your local club or training for tournaments, players at all levels can now get the data they need to improve their game.”
Lauren Pedersen, CEO and co-founder of SportAI, says: “As a former NCAA player, I know how transformative good coaching and analysis are, and how inaccessible it can be. That’s what we’re solving at SportAI. Closing this oversubscribed round, backed by Casper Ruud and with Endre Holen joining as Chairman, accelerates our ability to make professional-level coaching insights and engaging digital experiences accessible at scale.”
Endre Holen, Chairman of SportAI, says: “SportAI is addressing a genuine gap in the market for accessible, AI-driven performance analysis in racket sports. Having spent seven years on the board of Hudl, I’ve seen firsthand how video analysis technology can transform coaching and player development. The expert team’s determined focus on court camera solutions and the successful application of their proprietary AI technology so far convinced me of the opportunity to make SportAI the definitive platform in this space. Clubs and players worldwide will benefit hugely from this high-quality technology.”
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Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/sportai-raises-3m/
