From helping blind fans 'watch' games to combatting concussion and updating sports media for the 2020s, these companies are looking to change how sport is played and viewed.
Corporate investors are involved in every level of the sports industry, through funds formed by leagues, teams and players as well as by broadcasters and equipment makers. Technology in the sector is evolving quickly.
The last generation of sports tech startups concentrated on a few select areas: physical fitness, online broadcasting, amateur sports club management and performance analytics, not to mention a batch of startups that sprung up in the wake of several US states legalising sports betting.
But the latest wave of companies is taking technology into new areas, adapting artificial intelligence and computer vision to change how sport is watched and experienced, and how athletes perform and market themselves, in addition to funding the growth of new sports. Here’s a starting 11 featuring some of the new sportstech startups to keep an eye on.
Scoreplay
New York, USA
Founded: 2021
Funding to date: $19.5m
One of the biggest developments for sport in recent years has been its expansion from traditional broadcasting to social media, where organisations use photos and short highlight clips to drive interest. For a lot of young fans, it’s now the primary way they watch some sports.
ScorePlay has built a software platform that uses AI to help teams and leagues automate the centralisation, tagging and distribution of media content like photos and videos. It initially launched in Europe but has expanded to the US and now powers content management for more than 200 sports organisations across the world
The company secured $13m in a January 2025 series A round that included FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, boosting its overall funding to nearly $20m. Other backers include F1 driver Nico Rosberg, several international footballers and funds run by NBA stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.
