SportsTech Weekly: AI and Investment Acceleration Fuels Global Sports Innovation
Week 15 of 2025 witnesses even more AI integration, strategic partnerships, and venture capital reshaping the future of sports technology
Hello sports tech enthusiasts 👋🏼 Welcome to Regen Sports, your twice-weekly deep dive into the intersection of sports and technology. Every Monday, catch up on the week's most important developments in sports innovation, and every Thursday, explore in-depth analysis of trends, companies, and technological breakthroughs reshaping the future of sports.
Before we get started, if you didn’t manage to get last week’s developments, be sure to find the recap of week 14's sports tech highlights.
As we progress through this past week, the sports technology landscape continues its rapid evolution with AI integration, strategic partnerships, and significant investments driving innovation across the industry.
Major leagues like MLS and FIFA are embracing AI-powered solutions to transform content management and monetisation strategies, while industry technology leaders including IBM, Verizon, and Microsoft are deploying sophisticated AI systems to revolutionise fan experiences and broadcasting capabilities. Investment activity remains strong with Ryan Smith and Ryan Sweeney launching the Halo Experience Company, and SponsorCX securing $4.6 million to expand its sponsorship management platform.
This week's developments highlight the global scope of sports technology innovation, with notable activity spanning from Saudi Arabia's new sports technology accelerator to Vietnam-based FPT Corporation's partnership with Chelsea FC. The industry's continued evolution is creating unprecedented opportunities for technology-driven transformation across all aspects of sports.
Without further ado;
PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS 🤝🏼
Image source: MLS
The MLS has partnered up with ScorePlay, an AI-powered media asset management provider to increase the league’s output for managing and distributing content
FIFA has chosen adtech sports monetisation platform vendor, Transmit to power in-stream video advertisements in FIFA+ that are relevant and non-disruptive ad placements
Gate.io, the cryptocurrency exchange, in collaboration with Inter Milan, successfully hosted the inaugural event of the charity programme in Vietnam
Trackhouse Racing announced a partnership with Very Good Ventures (VGV), the company becoming an official digital design and development partner
SOUTHWORKS, a cloud and AI engineering provider, delivered an AI-powered assistant for Microsoft’s sports activation hub at the NAB show 2025
HumanGO, a provider in AI-powered fitness and endurance training, partnered with DATEV Challenge Roth, becoming the official digital coaching platform of the event
Image source: Chelsea FC
Chelsea FC announced a new global partnership with FPT Corporation, a Vietnam-based technology solutions company, to support the club’s digital growth
LG Electronics USA announced a multi-year partnership with MLB’s Red Sox, making the tech conglomerate the Official TV Partner of the Boston team
Evolv Technologies Holdings, a leading security technology company, announced an extended partnership with the MLB’s San Francisco Giants for the 2025 season
Spotlight Sports Group announced a strategic partnership with Ascot Racecourse to enhance the fan experience at horse race events
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced a partnership with Spark Compass to enhance fan engagement and data-driven decision making in motorsports
Champion Data have partnered with Netball Australia, Fox Sports and HCF Australia to launch the HCF Team Health Score, a first-of-its-kind metric for a team’s match health
Lola Cars and Yamaha Motor are set to extend their technical partnership through Formula E's GEN4 era, continuing to develop their powertrain for the 2026/27 season
Image source: PT Sportsuite
PT SportSuite, a digital sportstech provider, announced its partnership with Women’s Elite Rugby (WER), leveraging the platform BiblioDAM to streamline media workflows
Why This Matters: The MLS partnership with ScorePlay represents an evolution in how major sports leagues approach media asset management in the AI era. By implementing an AI-powered solution to organise, distribute, and activate their vast content libraries, the league is positioning itself to extract maximum value from its digital assets while significantly increasing operational efficiency. This strategic move highlights how AI is transforming traditional media workflows, potentially allowing leagues to produce more personalised content at scale while enabling new monetisation opportunities. As sports organisations increasingly recognise the value of their historical and real-time content, AI-powered media management systems like ScorePlay could become essential infrastructure for maximising the commercial potential of digital assets.
ACCELERATORS & INNOVATION HUBS 🔬
The Saudi Electronic University launched the sports technology business accelerator, aiming to to support entrepreneurs and innovators in the sports and technology sectors
Applications for the 2025 Disney Accelerator programme are now open, with companies in all fields are welcomed to apply, including sports technology
US Soccer announced that the Kynisca Innovation Hub is set to join the Soccer Forward Foundation, aimed at advancing research and development in the women’s game
Follow Me AI announced the launch of its first commercial implementation of the Kinetics™ technology platform, by the Queensland Academy of Sport
Why This Matters: The Saudi Electronic University's launch of a dedicated sports technology accelerator signals the Middle East's growing ambitions to become a global hub for sports innovation. This strategic investment in fostering local entrepreneurship aligns with Saudi Arabia's broader Vision 2030 goals of diversifying its economy and establishing leadership in emerging industries. Beyond supporting individual startups, this accelerator could serve as a catalyst for creating a sustainable sports technology ecosystem in the region, potentially helping to bridge the innovation gap between established markets and emerging ones. The initiative may also play a key role in localising global sports technology solutions to address region-specific challenges and opportunities.
FUNDING & INVESTMENTS 💰
Image source: Startbase
Toni Kroos become an investor in German startup Prematch, a data-driven community platform for football, with a focus between the platform and the Toni Kroos Academy
Ryan Smith and Ryan Sweeney have launched Halo Experience Company (HXCO), an investment firm for tech startups operating within sports and entertainment
SponsorCX, a CRM provider for sponsorship management, has raised $4.6M, with the round led by Kickstart, the funds set to help expand the brand of the business
VC firm Athletic Ventures, backed by 100 of Australia’s biggest sports stars, has closed its first fund after raising $25 million
Why This Matters: The launch of Halo Experience Company (HXCO) by Ryan Smith and Ryan Sweeney represents a defiant development in the sports investment landscape (despite the recent macro economic factors). This venture combines Smith's unique perspective as both a tech entrepreneur and NBA team owner with Sweeney's proven track record in technology investing. This hybrid of expertise positions HXCO to identify opportunities at the intersection of technology, fan experience, and sports business that might be overlooked by traditional investors. As sports organisations increasingly prioritise technology-enhanced experiences, HXCO could emerge as a pivotal force in funding and scaling solutions that redefine how fans engage with sports across physical and digital environments.
PRODUCT LAUNCHES & INNOVATIONS 🖲️
Image source: HiTZ Cricket
England cricket captain Harry Brook has been named as the first official athlete for HiTZ Cricket, a provider of technology-driven cricket training facilities
Verizon Business unveiled an AI-powered, portable private 5G network solution set to revolutionise live broadcasting, managing multiple camera feeds during live events
Sweet, a digital platform licensed by major sports leagues, has launched a Telegram-based mini-game app named SCOR
IBM has expanded its digital features ahead of the 2025 Masters Tournament, introducing new AI-powered digital fan features to the official app and website
The International Ice Hockey Federation governing body announced the launch of an OTT streaming platform, IIHF.TV, giving fans greater access to 600 games per season
VueMotion, a computer visioning running analytics platform, announced that it has been validated against three industry-leading tools and met the standard
Catapult announced the launch of Vector 8, providing an advance system for player performance monitoring
Why This Matters: Verizon's introduction of an AI-powered portable private 5G network solution represents a potential paradigm shift in live sports broadcasting. By enabling high-quality, multi-camera production capabilities without the traditional infrastructure requirements, this technology could democratise sports broadcasting beyond premium leagues and events. The solution's portability and AI integration addresses two persistent challenges in live production: the high costs of traditional broadcasting setups and the complexity of managing multiple camera feeds. This breakthrough could accelerate the coverage of previously underserved sports and competitions while enabling richer viewing experiences even for smaller events.
ACQUISITIONS 🏗️
Medical Care Technologies announced the acquisition of Real Game Used, a company to implement AI-powered authentication for sports and entertainment memorabilia
Interactive Strength is set to acquire Wattbike, the indoor-bike brand for elite-athlete training, helping the bike company expand into the US and German markets
Why This Matters: Medical Care Technologies' acquisition of Real Game Used to implement AI-powered authentication for sports memorabilia represents a technological infusion in an industry long plagued by counterfeit items. By leveraging AI to verify the authenticity of sports collectibles, this acquisition directly addresses a multibillion-dollar problem affecting collectors, auction houses, and sports properties alike. The move signals growing trust in AI's capabilities for high-value verification processes that traditionally required human expertise. As the collectibles market continues to expand, particularly in digital formats like NFTs, AI-powered authentication systems could become the essential infrastructure underpinning trust in the marketplace, while potentially creating new revenue opportunities for sports organisations.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As week 15 concludes, we're seeing a convergence of artificial intelligence, investment capital, and strategic partnerships accelerating innovation across the global sports technology ecosystem. The breadth of developments reflects the industry's continued maturation and expanding scope of influence.
Particularly noteworthy is the growing geographic diversity of sports technology initiatives, with significant activity spanning established markets like the United States and emerging hubs in the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. This global expansion is creating fertile ground for cross-pollination of ideas and approaches, potentially accelerating innovation through diverse perspectives on sports technology challenges.
Looking ahead, we anticipate further integration of AI capabilities into core sports operations, continued investment in fan experience technologies, and growing collaboration between traditional sports properties and technology leaders. Organisations that successfully navigate this complex landscape—balancing technological innovation with authentic sports traditions—will likely capture the greatest value in this rapidly evolving ecosystem. Stay tuned for next week's roundup as we continue tracking the transformative developments reshaping the global sports technology landscape.
Track the Trends. Spot the plays. Shape the game.
Thanks for reading,
Dean
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