SportsTech Weekly: Partnerships and AI Innovation Drive Global Sports Transformation
Week 22 of 2025 highlights major partnerships, breakthrough AI technologies, and significant valuations reshaping the sports landscape
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 into it, if you missed last week’s developments, you can find the recap of week 21's sports tech highlights.
Week 22 showcased the global expansion of sports technology partnerships and AI-driven innovation, with strategic collaborations spanning from the Olympics to regional leagues.
Major technology companies are deepening their sports industry commitments, exemplified by Snowflake's partnership with LA28 Olympics and Lenovo's FIFA Club World Cup sponsorship. It wouldn’t be a week in sports tech without another demonstration of AI applications, from Beyond Sports' tennis commentary system to Maxiom Labs' personalised AI coach launch.
Investment activity remains robust with notable funding rounds including KhiladiPro's raise and Hyperspace Ventures' pickleball portfolio expansion, while the New York Liberty's $450 million valuation signals continued growth in women's sports valuations.
Without further ado;
PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS 🤝🏼
Image source: Snowflake
Snowflake, a cloud-based data storage company, announced a partnership where it will be the Official Data Collaboration Provider for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA
Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced an expanded partnership with DXC Technology, making the tech services provider an official global partner
HITIQ Limited has announced a three-year partnership with AFL Barwon, becoming the Official Concussion Technology Partner for the football team
SURJ Sports Investments, the sports arm of Saudi’s PIF, has partnered with the Kings League, launching the seventh regional tournament of its portfolio in the MENA region
For the first time, MLB has invested and entered into a partnership with the AUSL, helping grow the women’s softball league into an established entity
Lenovo and Motorola Mobility have partnered with the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, the latter being named the Official Smartphone partner
Arsenal have announced an extension of their partnership with consumer electronics firm TCL, becoming the club’s Official Global Consumer Electronics Partner
Image source: SportsPro
Lewis Hamilton has partnered with Perplexity AI, the AI-powered answer engine, in a global partnership that will see the AI company’s branding on the F1 driver’s helmet
London basketball team, London Lions have announced a partnership with Sportserve, becoming their new official technical partner
Why This Matters: Snowflake's partnership as the Official Data Collaboration Provider for LA28 Olympics represents a significant evolution in how Olympic data will be managed and leveraged. This collaboration could establish new standards for real-time analytics, athlete performance tracking, and fan engagement during major sporting events. The partnership signals the Olympics' commitment to becoming a more data-driven experience, potentially transforming how global audiences interact with Olympic competition and setting precedents for future mega-sporting events.
FUNDING & INVESTMENTS 💰
Hyperspace Ventures announced an $5.56 million expansion of its portfolio with an investment into pickleball-related ventures including tech, facilities, and pro pickleball
Sports tech platform KhiladiPro has raised roughly $1 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Shastra VC and MGA Ventures, improving its talent identification for young sports talent in India
WNBA's New York Liberty have been valued at $450 million after a 20% stake in the team was sold, the funds set to go toward the new $80 million practice facility
Why This Matters: The New York Liberty's valuation represents a watershed moment for women's professional basketball, establishing a new benchmark that reflects the WNBA's explosive growth and commercial potential. This valuation, coupled with the planned $80 million practice facility investment, signals institutional confidence in women's sports as a long-term investment category. The substantial facility investment demonstrates how franchises are now willing to make infrastructure commitments that were previously reserved for men's professional sports, potentially accelerating the overall professionalisation and commercial success of the WNBA.
PRODUCT LAUNCHES & TECH INNOVATIONS 🔬
Maxiom Labs, Inc. launched its AI-coach Max, designed to optimise health and performance, providing personalised feedback through conversation
Beyond Sports has unveiled a new AI-powered commentary system, leveraging predictive modeling specific to tennis, currently debuting at the Roland Garros
Despite other Grand Slam tournaments adopting automated line technology, the French Open has rejected the electronic line-calling in favour of traditional human line judges
Why This Matters: Beyond Sports' AI-powered commentary system at Roland Garros represents a breakthrough in automated sports broadcasting technology. By leveraging tennis-specific predictive modeling, this system could revolutionise how tennis matches are analysed and presented to audiences, potentially providing insights that human commentators might miss. The successful implementation at such a prestigious venue could accelerate adoption across other tournaments and sports, fundamentally changing how fans experience live sports commentary and analysis.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS 🪜
Image source: IMG Academy
IMG Academy, the sports education brand, announced the acquisition of SportsRecruits, a college sports recruiting service
The Red Bull Italy SailGP Team has been acquired by a consortium of investors led by Assia Grazioli Venier and Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo
Why This Matters: IMG Academy's acquisition of SportsRecruits creates a powerful end-to-end pipeline in youth sports development and college recruitment. This vertical integration allows IMG to not only train elite young athletes but also facilitate their pathway to collegiate sports, creating significant competitive advantages in the youth sports market. The combination could reshape how college recruiting operates by leveraging IMG's training expertise with SportsRecruits' platform technology, potentially making the recruitment process more efficient and data-driven.
INNOVATION & EXPANSION 🏗️
Image source: Globant
Globant has entered the Middle East with its third innovation centre, Playground, opening up in Saudi Arabia, designed to showcase innovation in sports and AI
The BAL Innovation Summit 2025 took place in Rwanda, exploring the integration of sports, technology, and culture, and how it would shape the future of basketball in Africa
Satisfi Labs, the AI-driven conversational experience platform, announced the expansion of its artificial intelligence team by hiring a new Head of AI, Dima Galat
Why This Matters: Globant's launch of its Playground innovation centre in Saudi Arabia reflects the Kingdom's strategic positioning as a global sports technology hub. This expansion aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and significant sports investments, potentially accelerating innovation in sports AI and creating new opportunities for technology development in the Middle East. The centre could become a catalyst for sports technology advancement across the region, bridging global innovation with local sports development initiatives.
MEDIA RIGHTS & BROADCASTING 📺
Disney+ has secured the rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the next 5 years in Europe, set to begin from next season
Why This Matters: Disney+'s five-year acquisition of UEFA Women's Champions League rights represents a major validation of women's football's commercial value and streaming potential. This deal signals Disney's confidence in women's sports as a content category capable of driving subscriber growth and engagement, potentially encouraging other major streaming platforms to invest more heavily in women's sports properties and ultimately improving the financial ecosystem for women's football across Europe.
FINAL THOUGHTS 💭
As we reflect on this past week, we're witnessing an acceleration in strategic partnerships between major technology companies and sports properties, demonstrating the growing recognition of sports as a critical testing ground for emerging technologies. The substantial investments in women's sports, suggest a shift in how the market perceives the commercial potential of women's athletics.
The integration of AI across multiple touchpoints demonstrates the technology's maturation from experimental applications to core operational tools. Organisations that successfully navigate this technological transformation while maintaining authentic fan connections will likely emerge as leaders in an increasingly sophisticated and competitive landscape. As always, 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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