Congratulations to NHTA Member SportsVisio!
SportsVisio, a new AI-powered software company bringing image-based, deep learning to the sports analytics space, is announcing a $3M seed round led by Sapphire Sport, a first-of-its-kind early-stage investment platform at the intersection of technology, media, entertainment and sport. SportsVisio’s revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) technology is bringing augmented reality to the amateur sports level, allowing players, coaches and parents to record any game or live event on their smartphone and then enabling users to stream live, review statistics, access insightful analytics, and create highlights, all in real-time. Their cost-effective, platform agnostic technology applies artificial intelligence and computer vision, with no additional hardware, to automate statistical analysis and content creation faster and more seamlessly than ever before.
SportsVisio was founded in 2021 by CEO Jason Syversen and a veteran team. Jason and COO Samuel Corbitt previously co-founded Siege Technologies and Jason and CTO Dan Oblinger, both DARPA alums, have numerous startups under their belt. Their $3M Seed round, led by Sapphire Sport, is being used to further develop their next generation AI technology and to grow their sales team, as they continue to scale a revenue operation that includes current partnerships with leagues and media properties.
“AI is the future of how we develop technology to create more seamless, integrated products for a generation of consumers who expect professional capabilities in the palm of their hands,” said SportsVisio Founder and CEO Jason Syversen. “This product is going to change how players train, how coaches recruit and how leagues compete at every level of the game. We’re thrilled to have partners like Sapphire Sport on board who believe in democratizing access to sports video and analytics for everyone.”
“The market is crying for a new solution that captures the next generation of athletes and brings high-tech capabilities to the consumer sports analytics space,” said Doug Higgins, Co-Founder of Sapphire Sport. “SportsVisio is developing a next generation product and tapping into the future of how amateur and collegiate athletics are utilizing content to better their game.”
The SportsVisio platform applies artificial intelligence and computer vision to automate analysis and content creation for observers, participants, and coaches. SportsVisio helps its users collect and display highlights seamlessly. Additionally, the technology analyzes stats for individual players and teams, creating profiles and “lockers” in which games and highlights can be viewed, stored, and distributed across various social media channels. Finally, the technology serves to help teams and players improve their abilities through collaborative coaching functionalities.
Sapphire Sport, a first-of-its-kind early-stage investment platform at the intersection technology, media, entertainment and sport, announced a $181M second fund vehicle earlier this year to invest in companies like SportsVisio, companies using technology to power the next generation of consumer behavior across sports, media and digital commerce. This is Sapphire Sport’s second investment from Fund II. Their first fund vehicle includes investments in companies like Overtime, Fevo and Tonal.
About SportsVisio:
SportsVisio is a deep tech SaaS company developing artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision (CV) technology for the sports market. The venture-backed startup was founded by veteran ex-DARPA personnel (most with sports experience) and has dozens of engineers focused on advancing the state of the art. Their first product, SV Hoops, uses AI and CV to automatically create stats, analytics and video highlights for basketball games and is used by universities, leagues, schools, and national technology companies around the world.
About Sapphire Sport:
Sapphire Sport is an early-stage investment platform at the intersection of technology, sports, media, entertainment and culture. Sapphire Sport pairs technology investment experience with a unique LP base of iconic brands across global sport, media and entertainment. With ~$300M in assets under management, Sapphire Sport backs Seed to Series B companies and founders looking to build and scale companies of consequence in these high growth areas. All companies in which Sapphire Sport has invested include Aglet, Breathwrk, Buzzer, GreenPark, Jackpot.com, Fevo, Flowhaven, Manticore, Market, Mixhalo, mycujoo (acquired by DAZN), Overtime, Phoenix Labs (acquired by Garena), PlayVS, POAP and Tonal.