Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Another week, another fund. This time it's 154 Partners (New York based, founded by former Blackstone colleagues) raising $400 million for its debut sports-focused vehicle backed by David Blitzer. Targeting sports media, betting and adjacent opportunities.

Keep 'em coming.

This week's main feature pulls from our recent Global SportsTech Ecosystem Report, diving into the accelerating DTC broadcasting shift we've seen over the last 12 months. We break down why it's happening and what it means for leagues, broadcasters and fans.

Plus, the NHL's new Innovation Lab, GTCR acquired LiveBarn for $400M, and NBC launched AI-powered vertical video for live NBA games.

💡 GSTER26

Sport Is Going Direct

An extract from our recently published Global SportsTech Ecosystem Report 2026

A structural collapse in the US and a strategic awakening internationally have combined to make 2025/26 the year the DTC shift stopped being theoretical.

INSIGHT: The question of whether leagues and teams would go direct-to-consumer was treated as a thought experiment for years. Infrastructure wasn't ready, rights structures were too complex, broadcasters were paying too well. Not anymore.

KEY DTC LAUNCHES 2025–2026: 12 launches across MLB, NHL, Premier League, Ligue 1 and more , the RSN collapse accelerated everything. Full list in the report.

WHY IT'S HAPPENING

1. The US Catalyst: Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in 2023, rebranded as Main Street Sports Group, and is heading for liquidation in April 2026, taking local rights of 29 franchises with it.

   • The RSN model is over. Leagues and teams are building their own alternatives.

   • MLB: 22 of 30 clubs had in-market streaming by March 2026.
   • NBA: Preparing a central streaming hub for 2026/27 with major platforms involved.

2. The Global Wave: Across Europe, declining broadcast revenues and fewer buyers are pushing leagues to own distribution.

   • Ligue 1: Crossed 1 million subscribers within a month of launching Ligue 1+.
   • Top 14 Rugby: Launched a global streaming platform across 170+ territories.
   • Premier League: Rolling out Premier League+ as a controlled test.

3. The Infrastructure Moment: Streaming infrastructure is now accessible. Costs have dropped. Rights are being renegotiated with digital carve-outs. Leagues are retaining control over distribution and data.

WHY IT MATTERS

1. Data Layer Shifts to the League: Leagues now own fan data, viewing behaviour, and monetisation insights.

2. Broadcasters' Role Shift: Platforms like DAZN, Amazon, and YouTube TV are moving toward distribution roles.

3. The Fragmentation Problem: More platforms mean more paywalls. Fragmentation and piracy risks are rising.

The infrastructure is shifting, the rights structures are moving, and the broadcasters are adapting. The only question left is who pays, and how much fragmentation fans will accept.

Learn more about why it’s happening and why it matters in the full interactive web report.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🏒 The NHL opened its Innovation Lab powered by Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, creating a simulated arena to develop and test new fan experience and venue technologies.

🚀 Applications are also open for the next PSG Labs batch, Paris Saint-Germain’s global innovation platform. Based at STATION F, they’re looking for the next cohort of ventures to test and deploy practical solutions for the benefit of sport and entertainment.

🏅 Women’s Sport Trust partnered with YouTube to launch a five-month accelerator supporting current and former athletes with content creation and audience growth.

📱 Source Media Group launched Source Golf, a creator-led YouTube network backed by Bolt Ventures featuring athletes like Bryson DeChambeau to target younger digital-first audiences.

🏀 NBC’s Peacock launched an AI-powered vertical video feature for live NBA games that automatically tracks on-court action and delivers a 9:16 optimized viewing experience.

⚽ FIFA partnered with ADI Predictstreet to introduce a global prediction market platform ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

⛳ LIV Golf partnered with Novig to activate a prediction market at a live event for the first time, including on-kit branding for players during a 2026 major.

📺 Reports indicate that the NFL is negotiating a new media rights deals that could increase annual revenues from $10 billion to over $15 billion, putting pressure on broadcasters to reallocate budgets from scripted content.

📉 FIFA reduced its India media rights asking price to $35 million amid weak broadcaster demand for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.

📊 Deloitte projected that global women’s elite sports revenues will reach $3 billion in 2026, marking a 340% increase since 2022.

📺 The NCAA men’s March Madness title game drew 18.3 million viewers, up 23% year-on-year despite continued dominance by power conference teams.

⚽ UEFA agreed a new Champions League ball deal with Nike from 2027, ending Adidas’ 25+ year run and replacing the iconic star-ball design introduced in 2001.

🤝 Lenovo partnered with David Beckham to showcase how data-driven technology supports athlete and coach performance ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Source: Republic

💸 154 Partners, a New York-based PE firm founded in 2025 by former Blackstone colleagues Isaac Harrouche and Mike Berlin, raised $400 million for its debut sports-focused private equity fund, backed by David Blitzer to invest in sports media, betting and related opportunities.

💰 ElGoat raised $0.27 million in seed funding via Trigon, reaching a $2.66 million valuation to build a skill-based football gaming platform.

🤝 Bay Collective acquired Sunderland AFC Women for an undisclosed amount to support the club’s next phase of growth under Sixth Street.

🤝 Publicis Groupe acquired 160over90 for an undisclosed amount to integrate it with Publicis Sports and build a data-driven sport and culture agency powered by Epsilon.

🤝 A Bryson DeChambeau-led investor group acquired Sportsbox AI for an undisclosed amount, launching a new agentic AI coaching platform “SAMI” built on its kinematic technology.

🤝 GTCR acquired LiveBarn for over $400 million to expand its presence in live-streaming across amateur and youth sports.

🤝 Major League Baseball acquired a stake in Jomboy Media for an undisclosed amount as part of a strategic partnership to drive digital content growth.

💸 AFC Wimbledon closed fan investment at a $33.7 million (£26.8 million) valuation through a crowdfunding initiative, with 96% of the $91k (£68k) allocated to 481 investors.

💸 Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds backed $24 billion of Paramount’s proposed Warner Bros. Discovery takeover, highlighting growing capital flow from the region into global media assets.

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Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Big news heading into the long weekend. Whoop announced the largest funding round of the year so far, and 2x Super Bowl Champion Malcolm Jenkins launched a new $200M sports and real estate fund.

On the data side, March was the biggest month of Q1 even before the Whoop deal lands in the numbers. A strong end to the quarter, and a good moment to take a breath.

💡 GSTER26

Q1 2026 Sports Tech Investment Summary

The biggest investment month of the year so far, March 2026 closed with $800.4M in funding across 16 deals and $109.1M in disclosed M&A from 6 transactions. A strong end to the quarter

Here’s a quick summary:

• Geography:
  Funding was overwhelmingly concentrated in North America ($689.3M, 86.2%), followed by Asia ($102.5M, 12.8%), with Europe contributing just $8.2M (1.0%). M&A activity was evenly split, with Europe and North America each accounting for 50% of deals by count.

• Sectors:
  Funding was dominated by ‘For Athletes’, which captured $699.5M (87.4%) of total capital raised. ‘For Fans’ accounted for $55.5M (6.9%), while ‘For Executives’ made up $45.4M (5.7%). M&A activity was more distributed, with ‘For Fans’ (40%), followed by ‘For Athletes’ (20%) across two deals.

• Top Deals:

  Whoop raised $575M in a Series G round, with backing from investors including Qatar Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Co, and Cristiano Ronaldo, making it one of the largest funding rounds of the year.

  On the M&A side, Best Play was acquired by Nazara Technologies for $88.4M, the largest disclosed transaction of the month.

Q1 2026 opened with steady momentum and closed with a surge. January and February were low on investment but bigger on M&A. March skewed the quarter heavily with one of the largest funding rounds of the year so far for Whoop.

In total, the quarter recorded approximately $1.1 billion in funding and $2.1 billion in disclosed M&A, showing a market that is active and increasingly concentrated around acquisitions and high conviction bets.

Something we’ve spoken in detail about in the latest Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report.

Beyond the data, this year we went deeper with…

THREE STRUCTURAL TRENDS:

1. SportsTech is Buying Itself: Consolidation from within - sportstech-on-sportstech deals tripled from 21 in 2016 to 68 in 2025

2. Competitive Running is Having Its Moment: London Marathon applicants grew from 458K in 2020 to 1.1M in 2025, chasing ~60K spots

3. Sports Broadcasting is Going Direct 2 Consumer: The US Regional Sports Network collapse and a strategic awakening internationally pushed Direct-to-Consumer streaming to an inflection point in 2025/26

THREE DEEP DIVES:

1. The Private Equity Timeline: Two decades of institutional capital finding its way into professional sport ownership

2. Inside The NBA Europe: The 16-team European league, launching October 2027

3. Who Holds The Power: Athlete revenue share varies dramatically: ~70% in the Premier League, ~50% in the NBA and NFL, ~20% in the UFC, we examine payment structures across sports.

Learn more about why it’s happening and why it matters in the full interactive web report.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

⚽ adidas, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, Slalom, and Amazon Web Services launched a global student hackathon focused on reimagining fan experiences in football through new technology solutions.

⚾ The Big 12 introduced Microsoft Surface tablets in baseball dugouts under an experimental NCAA rule to enable in-game scouting and data analysis.

📺 ESPN launched ‘Courtside,’ a new Women’s Final Four alt-cast designed to deliver an alternative viewing experience around the tournament.

⛳ Wales Golf launched a $630k (£500,000) G4D Accessibility Fund to support golfers with disabilities ahead of The G4D Open at Celtic Manor.

🎾 UTR Sports and Baseline Vision expanded their partnership to integrate real-time data streaming and electronic line calling into the UTR Pro Tennis Tour globally.

⚽ Chelsea reported an EPL-record $349 million loss for the 2024–25 season despite achieving their highest league finish since 2021–22.

🏅 Ghana’s Sports Ministry outlined the role of its newly established Sports Fund in improving accountability, infrastructure, and long-term athlete support across the country.

⚖️ A US sports industry loan broker faced a lawsuit after allegedly failing due diligence in a scam where an individual posing as NFL player Xavier McKinney stole $4.4 million.

💸 Super Bowl Champion Malcolm Jenkins launched a $200 million investment fund through a newly co-founded firm targeting opportunities across real estate and the sports industry.

💸 OneTeam Partners and EnTrust Global launched EnOne Ventures to provide institutional investment opportunities linked to athletes and sports-related assets.

💰 Whoop raised $575 million in a Series G round backed by Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Rory McIlroy, sovereign funds, and Abbott, valuing the performance wearable platform at $10.1 billion.

💰 Solo60 raised $2 million (£2 million) in funding led by the Bauer Family Office to expand its private, tech-enabled wellness spaces.

🤝 Teamworks acquired Pro Football Focus’ enterprise business to strengthen its presence across professional and college football and expand AI-driven performance solutions.

💸 The NFL announced that it is partnering with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for women and men. The new professional league will launch with support from a broad and influential investor pool, including NFL clubs, established institutional and strategic investors, and current and former NFL players.

💸 KKR-backed Varsity Brands acquired Soccer.com and Lax.com for an undisclosed amount to expand its youth sports commerce portfolio following its $4.5 billion sale to KKR.

🤝 Synergy Sports Capital acquired the Salt Lake LOVB franchise for an undisclosed amount as part of its $150 million fund strategy to invest in sports leagues and teams.

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Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Nine editions in. The Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report is now live - and for the first time, it's a fully interactive web experience. This one hits different.

Beyond the report: IPL franchises are trading at eye-watering prices, the NBA is eyeing a $20 billion dual expansion, and the US broadcast model keeps cracking - DirecTV is out of Sunday Ticket after 32 years, and Ligue 1+ is haemorrhaging viewers to piracy.

Plenty to get into.

💡 GSTER26

The Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report 2026 is LIVE

The ninth edition of GSTER, the most comprehensive review of the SportsTech ecosystem, is now a fully interactive web experience. Every trend, every deal, every data point: explorable, filterable, built to navigate.

For the purists: you can still download the PDF. We don't forget where we came from.

Now, into the report.

Trends: Covering three structural shifts

1. Sports Tech is buying itself, consolidating from inside-out. Sportstech-on-sportstech acquisitions tripled from 21 in 2016 to 68 in 2025 — with 87% of all acquisitions now made by SportsTech companies.

2. Competitive Running is having its moment - record finishers, record revenues, and race weekends turning into destination experiences.

3. Sport Broadcasting is going Direct-to-Consumer. A structural collapse in the US broadcast model and a strategic awakening internationally have made 2025/26 the year the DTC shift accelerated.

Deep Dives: Into three broader themes

1. Tracing Private E'quity’s two-decade path into professional sport ownership

2. Breaking down the NBA's 16-team European league launching October 2027

3. Mapping the three athlete-payment models that determine who really holds the power in different sports

The biggest names in global sports innovation see the same thing. Hear from them firsthand.

Now the numbers behind the story.

• $35.8 billion invested in SportsTech from 2021–25. $8.7 billion in 2025 alone.

• Europe overtook North America for the first time - $4.5B vs $4.0B, claiming 51% of 2025 funding.

• Average deal values climbed to $43.6M, up from $28.1M the year before, across roughly the same number of rounds.

• 46 unicorns now carry a combined $210.2B valuation.

• 58 new investors and initiatives entered the ecosystem in the past 12 months.

As always, the report maps all the investors, initiatives, and programs across every major region. This time the web report has an interactive map while the full lists are hosted on our Intelligence Hub.

You’ll also find startup picks from the featured innovators, PEAK finalists and our recommendations. See if you’ve made it there ;)

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

1. ⛳ IBM and the Masters Tournament announced new and enhanced digital fan features now available on the award-winning Masters digital platforms, that enables fans to search and access 50 years of tournament video footage ahead of the 2026 edition.

2. 🎾 Wimbledon introduced video review technology for the first time at the 2026 tournament to support officiating decisions.

3. 📺 UEFA plans to follow in the Premier League’s footsteps and trial a new direct-to-consumer streaming service for Champions League matches as early as 2027, initially targeting Asian markets in the next media rights cycle.

4. ⚽ WSL Football and Nike launched a new data-driven performance and broadcast initiative powered by Sportable to enhance tracking and insights in women’s football.

5. ⚽ TransferRoom launched its women’s transfer marketplace, reporting early traction as clubs adopted the platform to facilitate player movement in women’s football.

6. 🥊 Asian Boxing launched an official global streaming platform ahead of the Ulaanbaatar 2026 event to enhance digital distribution and fan access to the sport.

7. ⚽ Content creator KSI will live stream Dagenham & Redbridge's National League South fixture with Hampton & Richmond on his YouTube channel this weekend. It will be the first time a National League match has been streamed live on YouTube in this way.

8. ⚽ IFAB approved new VAR capabilities allowing review of last-touch decisions for corner and goal kicks, set to debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

9. 🏀 The NBA explored expansion into Las Vegas and Seattle in a process that could value new franchises at up to $20 billion combined, with an investment bank engaged to advise.

10. 🏈 Thirty-two years after NFL Sunday Ticket launched exclusively on DirecTV, the satellite provider is officially exiting the Sunday Ticket business. EverPass will become the exclusive provider of Sunday Ticket for commercial establishments.

11. ⚾ Netflix mismanaged the first automated ball-strike (ABS) call broadcast in MLB history, with production issues and an in-game manager interview overshadowing the milestone moment.

12. 📺 Ligue 1 lost hundreds of millions of euros in revenue as a majority of French fans watched matches illegally, undermining adoption of the league’s Ligue 1+ DTC streaming service.

1. 💰 Cult.fit raised $47 million (₹440 crore) from Temasek via MacRitchie, who increased their stake to 12% in the health and wellness platform that is reportedly hearing up to IPO.

2. 💰 Denver Summit FC secured $40 million through a private placement arranged by Mesirow, marking one of the first bond financings for a women’s professional sports franchise.

3. 💰 Pro Padel League raised $15 million to accelerate expansion across the U.S. as investor interest in padel continued to grow.

4. 💰 NurivaTech raised $8 million in seed funding to develop its smartphone-based baseball training app supported by an MLB veteran advisory group.

5. 💰 Sportlight Technology raised $6.3 million (£5 million) in a new investment round to expand its sports tracking and AI technology platform.

6. 💰 fibionic raised $3.2 million (€3 million) in seed funding led by Redstone with Euregio+, Caesar, and Leap435 to scale its bionic lightweight engineering technology.

7. 💰 Working Capital Partners raised a Series A round for an undisclosed amount to scale its structured capital platform supporting elite talent across sports, music, and entertainment.

8. 💰 idPair secured funding for an undisclosed amount led by Game Changers Ventures to expand its gaming and sports data infrastructure platform.

9. 🤝 Seat Unique acquired P1 Travel for an undisclosed amount to expand its premium ticketing and hospitality offering across global sporting events.

10. 🤝 Ascent Sports Group acquired LiveBarn for an undisclosed amount to strengthen its youth and amateur sports video streaming and engagement platform.

11. 💸 Blitzer-led consortium acquired Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $1.8 billion, while Rajasthan Royals were sold for $1.6 billion as IPL franchise demand intensified among global investors.

12. 💸 Monarch Collective acquired a minority stake in the Cleveland WNBA expansion franchise for an undisclosed amount, marking its first major investment outside women’s football.

13. 💸 Synergy Sports Capital acquired the LOVB Salt Lake franchise for an undisclosed amount as part of its strategy to invest in emerging volleyball leagues.

14. 💸 Domain Capital Group LLC, a private investment management firm, announced the closing of $768 million in equity commitments for its Domain Entertainment Fund II to invest across sports, media, and entertainment assets.

15. 💸Mac Murchadha Bespoke Financing announced its official launch, identifying the sports card market as a $33 billion asset class.

16. 💸 TRNR authorized a $0.5 million share repurchase program representing approximately 20% of shares outstanding as it projected over $30 million in pro forma 2026 revenue.

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Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

This week's edition is heavy on broadcasting news: FIFA handing YouTube preferred platform status for the 2026 World Cup, Peacock doubling down on mobile-first, interactive sports viewing, and the NFL going back to CBS looking for an extra $1 billion.

It felt like the right moment for our deep dive into the D2C shift that's been reshaping the industry over the past 12 months. A story we'll be covering in more depth in the upcoming Global SportsTech Ecosystem Report 2026. Stay tuned.

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

Who Needs a Broadcaster Anyway?

This is an extract from our upcoming Global SportsTech Ecosystem Report 2026.

We've been talking about this for years: the question of whether leagues and teams would go direct-to-consumer was treated as a thought experiment. Infrastructure wasn't ready, rights structures were too complex, broadcasters were paying too well.

Not anymore.

A structural collapse in the US and a strategic awakening internationally have combined to make 2025/26 the year the DTC shift stopped being theoretical.

The US catalyst: An Industry in Freefall

Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in 2023, rebranded as Main Street Sports Group, and is now heading for full liquidation in April 2026, taking the local broadcast rights of 29 MLB, NBA, and NHL franchises with it.

The Regional Sports Network (RSN) model isn't struggling. It's over. And leagues and teams aren't waiting for a replacement, they're building one.

• MLB: Braves and Tigers are launching new DTC networks, while the Astros already operate one; MLB had in-market streaming available for 22 of 30 clubs by March 2026.

• NBA: Fast-tracking a streaming hub for 2026/27; Amazon, YouTube TV, ESPN, and DAZN all in talks; up to 22 franchises, a deal worth billions

The Global Wave: Different Problem, Same Destination

The US collapse is the loudest signal, but it isn't the only one. Across Europe, leagues facing a different problem - eroding broadcast revenues and a shrinking pool of viable rights buyers - are arriving at the same conclusion: own the platform, own the relationship.

• Ligue 1: Announced Ligue 1+ in July 2025 after the domestic market failed to produce a viable rights buyer; passed one million subscribers within a month

• Top 14 Rugby: Launched TOP 14 Rugby TV in November 2025, across 170+ territories; not a domestic fallback but a deliberate global growth play

• Premier League: Announced Premier League+ in February 2026, in Singapore for 2026/27; explicitly framed as a learning exercise before any broader rollout.

The Bigger Picture: What Does It All Mean?

📊 The data layer shifts to the league: Viewing habits, purchase behaviour, device preference, data, data, data! An uber-valuable commercial asset now owned by the league, not the broadcaster.

🤝 Broadcasters’ role shift: The big players aren't disappearing, they're repositioning. DAZN, Amazon, and YouTube TV are in talks to carry the NBA's streaming hub not as rights holders, but as distribution partners.

⚠️ Fan fragmentation the unresolved tension: Every new DTC launch adds another paywall. The Premier League's own CEO flagged piracy as a live concern. At some point, fragmentation becomes the enemy of reach.

The infrastructure is coming into place, the rights structures are shifting, and the broadcasters are adapting. But who ultimately pays for all of this, and at what price?

We'll be covering this and other defining trends in the 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report. Out soon.

Submit your interest to get featured.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

📡 FIFA partnered with YouTube as a Preferred Platform for the 2026 World Cup, expanding digital distribution and fan engagement across one of the largest global events, including allowing Media Partners the option of live streaming the first 10 minutes of every match and stream a select number of matches in full on their YouTube channels.

🏈 The NFL launched its Draft Innovation Challenge to crowdsource fan engagement technologies, opening its innovation pipeline to external developers and startups.

🏋️ Peloton is expanding into commercial gyms with a new line of connected fitness equipment, aiming to grow its software ecosystem beyond home users.

📱 Peacock is expanding into mobile-first live sports, and gaming, betting on vertical formats and interactive experiences to drive platform growth.

🏟️ Daegu Techno Park is launching an initiative to foster sports tech startups combining AI, blockchain, and advanced ICT, strengthening South Korea’s regional innovation ecosystem.

📊 Prediction markets updates:

• Major League Baseball named Polymarket its official prediction market exchange partner and signed an agreement with the CFTC to establish an integrity framework as it formalizes its position in the growing prediction markets space.

• Cmpetitor platform Kalshi has been charged with operating an illegal betting operation in Arizona, adding regulatory pressure to the fast-growing sector.

🎓 On the college sports front:

• The rebuilt Pac-12 will sell official betting data through a new partnership with Genius Sports, marking a significant step in monetizing data rights within college sports.

• Big 12 has decided to drop their glass floor for remainder of the Big 12 tournament.

🏀 The NBA is preparing to vote on expansion into Las Vegas and Seattle, targeting the addition of two new franchises by the 2028–29 season, while LeBron James stated he has no current interest in pursuing team ownership.

📺 The NFL is seeking an additional $1 billion from CBS as it begins renegotiating its media rights deal, targeting a roughly 50% increase from its current agreement with Paramount.

🏀 The WNBA and WNBPA reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, avoiding disruption to the 2026 season after prolonged negotiations.

🕶️ On Wednesday Meta announced their decision to shut down Horizon Worlds, the company’s VR social network, and then 24 hours later did a U-turn after backlash, keeping the platform live with limited support while continuing its broader shift toward mobile-first experiences. Apparently a lot can happen in a day in the Metaverse.

Recentive Analytics

💰 Predictive modeling firm Recentive Analytics raised $45 million in a Series B round to scale its AI-driven scheduling and analytics solutions, working with leagues and broadcasters including the NFL, MLB, NWSL, and ESPN.

💰 Five Iron Golf announced a Series E investment led by Coral Tree Partners to fuel expansion of its indoor golf and entertainment venues.

💰 Nomadar secured a strategic investment from international investor Christian Septien to accelerate the growth of its global sports development and high-performance training platform.

🤝 Nazara Technologies agreed to acquire controlling stakes in Spanish startups Bluetile Games and BestPlay Systems for $100 million to expand its presence in casual gaming and player engagement.

🤝 Social sports gaming startup Joa acquired GreenPark’s intellectual property as it launches a renewed “playable fandom” strategy, including a partnership with ONE Championship.

💸 EQT Group is preparing a $2–$2.1 billion bid to acquire IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru, intensifying the sale race against bidders including Avram Glazer-backed Lancer Capital.

💸 Ariel Investments is targeting $1 billion for its Project Level fund focused on women’s sports, positioning it as one of the largest dedicated investment vehicles in the segment.

💸 Mercedes is in talks to acquire a stake in the Alpine F1 team from Otro Capital, with additional interest from groups linked to former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

💸 Erling Haaland invested in a new global chess tournament with a $2.7 million prize pool, backing the launch of a revamped world championship format expected to debut next year.

💸 Mike Repole committed a $1 million matching campaign to support St. John’s Red Storm Legacy Fund aimed at strengthening athlete investment and program development.

💸 Sir James Dyson acquired a 50% stake in Premiership Rugby club Bath Rugby, partnering with current owner Bruce Craig to co-own the defending champions.

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CVC raised $4 billion, backed by Pimco, KKR and others, to scale its sports portfolio that already spans LaLiga, Ligue 1, Six Nations and the WTA. Meanwhile, new entrant Synergy Sports Capital is raising $150 million for emerging leagues. Institutional money is scaling into sports faster than ever. We trace how we got here in this week's main feature.

Plus, Apollo took control of Atlético Madrid, a 1% Dolphins stake priced the franchise at $12.5 billion, and women's football sponsorship in Europe jumped 53%.

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

How Private Equity Finally Got Into Sports

Source: 365247 Sports

Two new PE deals worth $4+ billion landed this week. That doesn't happen by accident, it's the result of two decades of structural change that finally unlocked sports as a formal asset class.

How we got here:

• Leagues deliberately kept institutional capital out for decades. Individual owners, family approvals and no standardised frameworks meant that the doors to this exceptional asset class were closed. Capital could see all the benefits - scarce supply, loyal customers, recession-resistant demand, and media rights providing predictable long-term cashflows - but couldn't get in.

• CVC bought Formula 1 in 2005 for $2 billion, then sold to Liberty Media for $8 billion. The thesis was proven - sports properties could generate institutional-grade returns when run with commercial discipline.

• MLB broke the dam in 2019, becoming the first North American league to formally allow PE minority stakes. The NBA, NHL and MLS followed within two years. Arctos, RedBird and Sixth Street moved in and started building multi-sport portfolios.

• Then the NFL - the last and most valuable holdout - voted 31-1 in August 2024 to allow a pre-approved list of funds (Ares, Arctos, Sixth Street, Blackstone, Carlyle, CVC) to buy passive stakes capped at 10% per team. The final door was prised open.

• The Valuations boom followed. The Boston Celtics sold for $6.1 billion in March 2025. The Los Angeles Lakers went for $10 billion three months later. Total sports club deal value hit $23.6 billion by August 2025, surpassing the prior annual record by 42%.

• KKR's $1.4 billion acquisition of Arctos in February 2026 sealed it. A $744 billion AUM firm paying that price for a sports investing platform tells you everything about where this sector sits now.

Three firms have defined this model:

• Arctos Partners pioneered the model: passive, diversified minority stakes across all five major North American leagues. KKR's $1.4 billion acquisition tells you how well it worked.

• RedBird Capital Partners takes the opposite approach: buy control positions in under-monetised sports IP, professionalise the commercial operation, extract value. AC Milan, Fenway Sports Group, Alpine F1, and now a push into college sports.

• CVC Capital Partners went bigger than all of them: buying stakes in entire leagues. LaLiga, Ligue 1, Six Nations Rugby, WTA, all consolidated into Global Sport Group, its $13.6 billion sports division formed in 2025.

We'll be covering this and other defining trends in the 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report. Out soon.

Submit your interest to get featured.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🎟️ StubHub launched HerSportsHub, a dedicated platform designed to help fans discover and attend women’s sports events while spotlighting major upcoming competitions across leagues, with real-time ticket availability, smart buying guidance, and the data behind the demand.

🏟️ VitalMatch, a new sports and wellness innovation hub opened in Turin, backed by CDP Venture Capital with partners including Juventus and Startupbootcamp.

⛳ The PLAYERS Championship introduced new broadcast and on-course technologies at TPC Sawgrass, including enhanced data integrations and production tools designed to improve fan viewing experiences.

📡 NBCUniversal expanded its AI-powered Peacock Performance View broadcast feature to linear NBC NBA games after first debuting the advanced analytics viewing option on the Peacock streaming service.

🏀 The NBA accelerated plans to build a centralized local game streaming service as uncertainty around regional sports networks grows and operator Main Street Sports Group nears bankruptcy.

📺 Disney+ secured rights to live stream the men’s and women’s NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments in the UK, Europe, and Australia as ESPN expands its sports footprint on the global streaming platform.

⚽ The Women’s Premier Soccer League appointed EasyCoach as its exclusive sports management technology provider to support club operations and performance analysis across the league.

🏫 JPMorgan Chase partnered with Hudl to deliver financial literacy programming to millions of high school athletes through the platform’s video and team management ecosystem.

📊 Blueprint Capital Advisors named sports figures including Magic Johnson, Serena Williams, and Shaquille O’Neal to its 2026 Power100 list of influential leaders across finance, business, and culture.

⚽ Women’s football sponsorship grew 53% across Europe’s major leagues since the 2022/23 season, with Italy’s Serie A Femminile recording the largest increase in new commercial partnerships.

💸 The world's biggest sports PE, CVC's Global Sport Group, raised $4 billion (€3.7 billion) in new financing at a $7.6 billion (€7 billion) valuation, including around $1.6 billion (€1.5 billion) in debt from Pimco and $1.5 billion (€1.4 billion) in capital from KKR to expand its sports investment portfolio.

💸 Terrence Murphy launched Synergy Sports Capital, a new private equity firm, with a target of raising $150 million to invest in emerging sports leagues and growth-stage sports businesses.

💰 Fitura Brands, a performance-driven wellness holding company, announced its official launch following an initial financing round at a $20 million pre-money valuation. The company is building a franchise-ready platform across three of the fastest-growing sectors in fitness: racquet sports, athletic reformer Pilates, and contrast therapy recovery.

💰 Racquet 360 raised $9 million to accelerate expansion of its U.S. racquet sports portfolio, including RacquetX, the National Padel League, Racket Central, and Racket Social Club.

💰 Aiko raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from private investors to expand its real-time sports intelligence platform for broadcasters and interactive entertainment companies.

💰 SPORTL raised $320k (£250k) in pre-seed funding to launch its pay-as-you-train fitness booking platform connecting users with gym studios across London.

🤝 Interactive Strength acquired connected fitness company Ergatta for $8.8 million to expand its portfolio of digital fitness platforms.

🤝 Underdog Fantasy acquired prediction markets exchange, Aristotle, for an undisclosed amount as it pivoted its business toward sports prediction markets while closing its sportsbook in North Carolina.

💸 Apollo Sports Capital took control of Atlético Madrid for an undisclosed amount as part of a consortium restructuring the club’s ownership group.

💸 Mercury13 acquired a majority stake in FC Badalona Women for an undisclosed amount, expanding its women’s football multi-club ownership network.

💸 Chinese-American tech billionaire Lin Bin purchased a small 1% stake of Miami Dolphins at a valuation of $12.5 billion, ​in the holding company that owns the Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, Formula 1's Miami ​Grand Prix and part of the Miami Open ​tennis tournament.

💸 Marc Lasry’s (former NBA co-owner of Milwaukee Bucks) Avenue Sports Fund has reached an agreement to invest $40 million into NWSL club North Carolina Courage at a $155 million pre-money valuation.

💸 Tropion Sports Partners completed an investment in NBA-related assets through Blue Owl’s Home Court Partners platform for an undisclosed amount.

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Featured by SportsTechX: Interviews, articles, events, and more

🏆 You’re invited to join the SportsTechX Community at PEAK 2026

We’re inviting our community to join us in Las Vegas for PEAK 2026 - The Global Home of SportsTech & Innovation.

Taking place April 20–22, 2026 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, PEAK brings together 1,000+ sports executives, founders, and investors shaping the future of sport and technology – and it’s an event we believe is highly relevant for our members.

What to expect at PEAK 2026:

• 100+ SportsTech companies exhibiting advancements in athlete performance, fan content and engagement, management, organizations, stadiums and more.

• The first 50 speakers announced include senior leaders from teams, leagues, and rights holders including the Las Vegas Raiders, UFC, MLS, WTA, PGA of America, USA SailGP Team, and more.

• Founders and operators from companies like Teamworks, TeamSnap, WSC Sports, GameChanger, and more

• Stay up to date on the most critical SportsTech themes today, including AI-powered front offices, fan experience, emerging leagues, athlete performance, pathways to pro, smart venues, revenue innovation, and the future of sports investment.

• Exhibitors like Pixelott, Hudl, Lenovo, Microsoft, NBA Launchpad and 100+ more are showcasing their tech in the Tech Expo.

• Curated networking and 1-to-1 meetings designed for real partnerships, not just conversations

PEAK is built around an immersive Tech Expo, practical case studies, and high-quality connections - making it one of the most actionable SportsTech events globally.

Where: Fontainebleau Las Vegas

When: April 20–22, 2026

Use this link to claim $500 off the current price and save a total of $1300+ door prices!

If you’re building, investing, or operating in sport and technology, this is an event we strongly recommend attending.

PEAK is designed for innovators at the forefront of sports, including:

• Founders
  Visionary founders who are at the forefront of innovation, actively building the future of sports.

• Sports Executives
  VP to C-suite decision-makers who are leading technology and innovation across their organization.

• Innovation Leaders
  Leaders in the innovation trenches, from Managers to Heads, pioneering new initiatives across their organizations.

• Investors
  From VC to LPs, those that are financing the future of sports and the forces behind the curtain shaping the industry.

If that wasn’t enough, here are some more highlights:

• NBA Launchpad has confirmed their booth in the Tech Expo, featuring a selection of their top startups.
  

• FIFA, U.S. Soccer Federation, Sevilla FC, and Villarreal are joining the Groundbreakers Challenge with GSIC powered by Microsoft - an impactful Pitch to Pilot startup competition.
  

• First 60 speakers are confirmed including NVIDIA, Populous, PSG, Sportradar and more.
  

• Leaders from Nike, MLS, Mariners, Angel City 49ers, plus Viewpoint VC, JP Morgan locked in their tickets this week.
  

• PEAK Night Summit will take over LIV Beach - a private rooftop, open-bar experience for PEAK attendees to connect, celebrate, and close the event in style. Live DJ and more to be announced.

 🔗 FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

February was a slow investment month in sports tech: $102.1M in funding across 24 rounds, all outshone by Genius Sports' $1.2B acquisition of Legend - taking total deal flow to $1.3 billion.

The week though was busier: Eight Sleep joined the unicorn club with its latest fundraise at a $1.5B valuation. While elsewhere, the NFL is crowdsourcing new innovations, ESPN is planning an animated NHL broadcast themed around Pixar's Inside Out, and Euroleague Basketball is exploring a €2.5B franchise model overhaul with NBA collaboration on the table. .

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

Sports Tech Monthly Investment Roundup

February 2026 saw a slowdown in funding but a sharp spike in M&A activity like we spoke about last week. The month recorded $102.1M in funding across 24 deals, while disclosed M&A reached $1.22B across 5 transactions, driven almost entirely by a single large strategic acquisition by Genius Sports, acquiring Legend for $1.2B

Here’s a quick summary:

• Geography: Funding activity was heavily concentrated in North America ($79.2M, 77.6%), followed by Europe ($15.9M, 15.6%) and Asia ($7.0M, 6.9%).
  On the M&A side, North America accounted for 60% of deals, with Europe representing the remaining 40%.

• Sectors: Funding was dominated by ‘For Fans’, which captured $80.1M (79.1%) of total capital raised. ‘For Athletes’ followed with $20.9M (20.6%), while ‘For Executives’ saw just one small deal.
  M&A activity by deal count was evenly split between ‘For Athletes’ (50%) and ‘For Fans’ (50%).

• Top Deals:
  Novig raised $75M in a Series B round from investors including Pantera Capital, Multicoin Capital, Makers Fund, Edge Equity, Forerunner, NFX, and Perceptive Ventures, making it the largest funding deal of the month.

  On the M&A side, Legend was acquired by Genius Sports for $1.2B, accounting for the vast majority of February’s disclosed acquisition value.

An in depth breakdown of more such upcoming trends will be out in the 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report soon, read by investors, sports orgs and decision makers all over the globe. Submit your interest to get featured.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🏈 The NFL launched the Draft-inspired Innovation Hub Challenge to crowdsource new technologies that enhance fan experience and event operations.

⚙️ TWG Global launched RightsHelper, a ticketing analytics and operations platform built to help sports and live entertainment rightsholders optimise revenue strategy.

🏎️ Formula One signed Betway as an official betting operator in a multi-year deal covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Canada and Mexico as the series expanded its presence in regulated sports betting markets.

🏒 ESPN and the NHL planned an animated alternate broadcast for an April 5 Capitals–Rangers game themed around Pixar’s Inside Out and produced with Sony’s Beyond Sports technology.

🏟️ Cosm announced it would open its new immersive sports entertainment venue in Atlanta on June 10 with a ticketed viewing of Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

🎮 India announced the Indian Super Gaming League as the country’s first franchise-based national esports competition featuring eight teams competing across five gaming titles.

⚙️ Genies signed a partnership with the National Basketball Players Association to create AI-powered digital avatars and fan engagement experiences, marking the platform’s second deal with a major sports union in two months.

🛍️ 37 Partners, a talent and IP venture platform co-founded in 2025 by NBA All-Star and Champion Metta World Peace, launched Perpetual Celebrity Commerce (PCC), a platform that enables professional talent to deploy officially licensed AI-powered digital likenesses for live commerce and fan engagement across global markets.

💸 OffBall and TOGETHXR partnered to share production, distribution, and commercial resources in a lean sports media collaboration aimed at scaling content without raising new capital.

🏀 Shoot 360 launched “HER Month,” a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing the gender gap in basketball through programming supported by Nike, collaborations with former WNBA player Tayler Hill, and charitable activations throughout March.

📺 The Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings launched Detroit SportsNet, a regional sports network that will carry all in-market MLB and NHL broadcasts for the two franchises.

🏉 The AFL and Telstra launched a 40-camera optical tracking trial at Marvel Stadium aimed at improving officiating accuracy and unlocking new fan engagement data across broadcasts.

🤖 Carnegie Mellon University opened a new robotics research centre in Hazelwood focused on developing machines capable of complex physical tasks including jumping, swimming and flying.

💰 Eight Sleep secured new investment of $50 million, led by Tether Investments, that valued the company at $1.5 billion as it accelerated development of predictive health tech built on its sleep optimisation platform.

💰 Temple raised $54 million to develop a neurotechnology wearable designed to optimise cognitive performance and recovery for elite athletes.

💰 ROXFIT raised $2.4 million (£1.9 million) in Seed funding led by DSW Ventures with participation from strategic angel investor Peter Markham to expand its digital training platform for hybrid athletes as participation in hybrid competition grows globally.

💰 Equipe raised $1.5 million from Game Changers Ventures to grow its customer data platform designed for sports organisations.

🤝 Lin Bin acquired a 1 percent stake in the Miami Dolphins at a $12.5 billion franchise valuation, becoming the latest limited partner investor in the NFL team and its related businesses.

🏀 Euroleague Basketball explored raising €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) and shifting to a franchise model while continuing discussions with the NBA about potential collaboration in Europe.

💰 Paramount moved closer to acquiring Warner Bros Discovery in a deal valued at $111 billion after Netflix withdrew from negotiations.

⚽ Sunderland Women entered talks with US investment fund Sixth Street over a potential investment or sale of the women’s team as the club pursued long-term funding to support ambitions of returning to the Women’s Super League.

⚽ KSI acquired an ownership stake in English sixth-tier club Dagenham & Redbridge, becoming the latest influencer investor to enter professional football ownership.

🥊 GFL Sports & Entertainment launched as a publicly traded mixed martial arts league and opened a public equity raise of up to $5 million through a shared-ownership model designed to align athletes, fans and partners.

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Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

The Premier League is testing direct-to-consumer streaming in Singapore, the latest to embrace a trend that could reshape how sports leagues monetize international rights. Beyond that, the performance analytics space is in a full-blown arms race, and the deal flow proves it. This week we break down the surge of recent partnerships and investments reshaping the segment.

We’ll be in Düsseldorf next week for SportsInnovation for what promises to be a top event. Be sure to say hello if you’re attending.

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

The Performance Analytics Arms Race Is On

HUMAIN’s acquisition of AI.io is the latest deal in trend that has been running for a while. And a clear indicator of where the Performance Analytics market is at right now.

The past 6-7 months have seen an uptick in acquisitions across athlete performance analytics, as major platforms move to unify their data, AI, and tracking capabilities. These deals reflect buyers targeting data depth, real-time athlete insights, and AI-powered analytics that teams and coaches increasingly demand.

Multiple strategic acquisitions have brought together GPS tracking, tactical data, motion capture, bioanalytics, and AI video intelligence.

Would appear this is in reaction to buyers (sports teams, leagues, federations) that want integrated systems that connect tracking, medical data, video, and analytics into a single workflow rather than managing fragmented tools across departments. And larger players are responding by acquiring specialist firms.

Recent key deals include:

• HUMAIN acquired controlling stake in ai.io (UK/Saudi Arabia) - HUMAIN launched HUMAIN Sport after acquiring a controlling stake in London-based AI sports tech company ai.io, merging full-stack AI with 3DAT motion capture, aiScout talent tools, and broader athlete performance applications.

• Teamworks has reportedly agreed to acquire Pro Football Focus for ~$130–140M, bringing the most recognized name in player performance grading into a portfolio that already includes Telemetry and Sportlogiq. Earlier this year, they acquired Sportlogiq, a computer vision-driven analytics provider that uses video-based tracking to deliver deep performance insights across hockey and multiple sports.

• Catapult acquired IMPECT (Germany) - Catapult Sports agreed to buy Germany-based soccer analytics specialist Impect GmbH, known for its proprietary Packing™ tactical metric, for up to €78 million (~US$91 million), bringing advanced soccer scouting and contextual analytics into Catapult’s global performance suite.

• Sony acquired STATSports (Ireland) - Sony Corporation acquired a majority stake in athlete monitoring and performance analysis leader STATSports, whose wearables and sensor tech are used by over 800 professional teams, integrating wearable tracking with Sony’s optical and visualization analytics.

• Hudl acquired Athletic Data Innovations (New Zealand/US) - Hudl announced the acquisition of ADI, a movement analysis and load management platform trusted by elite teams, expanding its video and performance tool stack with advanced multidirectional analytics.

• Ireland's Orreco acquired Jennis, the hormone health and fitness platform founded by Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, building a first-of-its-kind women's performance ecosystem combining AI bioanalytics, hormonal health, and computer vision.

Expect more consolidation as teams and leagues demand deeper, real-time performance insights across competition and training environments.

An in depth breakdown of more such upcoming trends will be out in the 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report soon, read by investors, sports orgs and decision makers all over the globe. Submit your interest to get featured.

⚽ SportsInnovation | March 4 & 5, 2026

SportsInnovation is the leading multi-sport event for technology, media and innovation in sports, jointly organized by the DFL and D.SPORTS. In Düsseldorf, decision-makers from leagues, federations, clubs and companies come together to experience the latest developments, forward-looking solutions and innovative business models live. We as SportsTechX are a proud partner of the event.

As a true multi-sport event with partners such as the DFB, NHL and NBA, alongside exhibitors like AWS, ServiceNow and other major players, visitors can look forward to a diverse programme featuring live demonstrations on the pitch, panels, masterclasses and exclusive networking opportunities.

An overview of the programme, exhibitors and high-profile speakers are available on the website.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

📺 The Premier League launched its direct-to-consumer streaming service in Singapore through StarHub, marking a step toward testing a potentially replicable global DTC model.

🏀 ESPN launched a primetime “Women’s Sports Sundays” programming block featuring live WNBA and NWSL games during the summer, filling the schedule gap created by the departure of MLB Sunday Night Baseball.

📺 Amazon Web Services introduced Elemental AI tools to automate clipping, metadata tagging, and vertical formatting of live sports highlights for rapid social media distribution.

🏟️ Cleveland’s planning commission approved development of a Cosm domed theater featuring immersive virtual courtside sports viewing experiences near Rocket Arena, with opening targeted for mid-2027.

🏒 The NHL and Cosm installed C360 10.5K capture systems across all 32 league arenas to deliver multi-angle ultra-high-resolution footage for replays and cross-platform distribution.

🏈 YouTube entered talks with the NFL to stream four additional live games as the league sought new broadcast partners ahead of broader media rights renegotiations.

🏀 2K added college basketball teams to the NBA 2K video game franchise for the first time through a seasonal update, signaling potential expansion into a full college mode in future editions.

⛳ Women’s TGL confirmed participation from leading professional golfers for its new tech-driven indoor league format, expanding the concept established by the men’s TGL competition.

⚾ The Oakland Athletics plan to launch a Personal Seat License (PSL) program to help fund a portion of the team’s costs for their future $2 billion Las Vegas stadium, which is nearly a year into construction. The concept, used by five other Major League teams, has season ticket holders pay an extra cost for the right to use their seats and purchase tickets for other events at the ballpark, such as concerts, entertainment and other sports events.

⚖️ Interactive Strength, maker of innovative specialty fitness equipment under the Wattbike, CLMBR and FORME brands, announced it has received the decision of the Berlin Regional Court, which conclusively dismissed all legal claims by Sportstech related to a loan agreement and share pledge, and ordered Sportstech to pay related court and legal fees.

🏅 Egypt’s Ministers of Investment and Sports discussed establishing a national investment fund to provide sustainable financing for promising athletes competing regionally and internationally.

🏎️ Formula One reported 2025 revenue of $3.87 billion, representing 14 percent year-on-year growth and nearly $2 billion in total revenue expansion since Liberty Media’s acquisition in 2017.

💰 Zenniz raised $6 million to scale its smart tennis court technology globally and establish a U.S. headquarters in Atlanta to accelerate North American expansion.

💰 Horse Spot secured $200,000 in investment from SC Launch Inc., the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority, to support development of its cloud-based equestrian platform.

💰 Sports tech referee-matching platform YesRef secured $76,000 (£60,000) in loan funding from the South West Investment Fund to expand its platform connecting trained officials with grassroots and amateur clubs.

💰 Seveno Capital invested in wearable biomarker monitoring startup PointFit at a $10 million valuation in a strategic deal supporting its Hong Kong expansion.

🤝 Indian Golf Premier League franchise partner Blue God Entertainment acquired Legends League Cricket licensing rights for $5.9 million (₹49 crore) in a ten-year deal granting commercial media and global distribution rights.

🤝 Cristiano Ronaldo acquired a 25 percent ownership stake in Spanish second-division club UD Almeria for an undisclosed amount.

🤝 Teamworks has reportedly agreed to acquire Pro Football Focus for an undisclosed amount, bringing the football analytics and charting firm into its athlete operations software portfolio.

💸 The Saudi Public Investment Fund's total investment in LIV Golf has now reached $5.3 billion, following a $266.6 million capital injection approved by Governor Yasir Al Rumayyan on February 1, with total funding projected to exceed $6 billion by the end of the year.

💸 Ares Management Corp. is preparing to launch a sports, media and entertainment fund for high-net-worth European individuals later this year, as private equity investment into European sports assets surpassed $10 billion for only the third time.

💸 Netflix withdrew from its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, ending negotiations over a potential major media consolidation deal.

💸 Indian Golf Premier League secured $100 million in franchise capital commitments from ten city-based partners to establish teams across India as the league prepared for launch.

💸 United Soccer League secured a second private investment from Tampa-based Weatherford Capital to support its planned 2028 Division One launch with promotion and relegation.

💸 JD Sports Fashion announced that it intends to return £200m ($254 million) of capital to shareholders through share buybacks in FY27, in line with the Company's capital allocation priorities and its commitment to continue delivering significant cash returns to shareholders.

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Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Two more investment deals this week in sports prediction platforms. Why should you care?

For starters, Kalshi alone saw over $1 billion in trading volume on Super Bowl Sunday, up 2,700% YoY. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to understand the risks and regulatory grey area these platforms operate in vs traditional sports betting, here's one side of the story. We'll be doing our own deep dive in our upcoming, revamped Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report.

And if you're a startup founder, make sure your company profile is verified on our Intelligence Hub. Here's how:

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

Get access to investors by verifying your company on the Intelligence Hub for free

If you are actively raising a funding round, you can now Verify Your Company on the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub and mark yourself as Actively Fundraising.

You can also upload your pitch deck and funding round details, making it easier for investors to assess and reach out directly.

With ~8,000 companies on there, this is how you stand out:

1. Log in/ Sign Up to the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub

2. Search for your company name in the search bar

3. Click on your company:

• On the right-bottom side of the page, select Get this company verified (under Company Actions).

• In the pop up form, complete or update your company details as needed.

• Open the Claim tab to verify your company.

• Upload your pitch deck and add your current funding round details.

• Mark your company as Actively Fundraising.

4. If your company does not appear in the database: Select Request to Add Company button from the Companies section.

Verified and actively fundraising companies are instant filters for investors to review, and contact you directly through the platform.

If you want an even closer reach to more investors, the 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report will be out soon. Submit your interest to get featured.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🏃 Paris Saint-Germain launched PSG Running, a global running programme designed to connect fans and runners through year-round challenges, events, and digital engagement in France and international markets.

🚀 DFL SportsInnovation revealed the five startups selected to enter the final stage of its startup competition on the first day of the 2026 event, highlighting emerging sports technology solutions.

🚴 Grit Works announced the launch of a New Zealand-based product accelerator focused on supporting cycling and outdoor technology startups with prototyping, testing, and commercialisation resources.

⚽ Watford FC launched “The Matchday Edition,” described as the world’s first personalised football match programme developed with Early Doors Sports, allowing supporters to customise content and create a digital-first matchday keepsake.

⚽ MLS expanded its use of Wicket’s facial authentication technology at league-run events this season, building on its Innovation Lab incubator programme to streamline credentialing and venue access through biometric verification.

📺 Apple TV partnered with EverPass Media to distribute its live sports programming to bars, restaurants, hotels, and gyms, expanding commercial access to Apple TV sports content beyond the home.

🏀 Shoot 360 and LA Fitness launched a pilot programme across six gyms in California, Oregon, and Washington to transform basketball spaces into gamified, data-driven training and competition environments, with plans for wider US expansion.

⚽ San Diego Wave FC signed a multiyear agreement with sponsorship management platform PlayMaker Software, becoming the startup’s first NWSL client and its second North American football club.

📺 Warner Bros. Discovery restarted negotiations with Paramount Skydance following a revised offer, potentially triggering a renewed bidding contest involving Netflix.

🏀 MSG Sports considered spinning off the New York Knicks and New York Rangers into separate publicly traded entities, separating the NBA and NHL franchises into distinct businesses.

💰 Novig raised $75 million in a Series B round valuing the sports-focused prediction market at $500 million, with backing from Pantera Capital, Multicoin Capital, and Forerunner Ventures to compete with Kalshi and Polymarket.

💰 Pred raised $2.5 million in seed funding led by Accel with participation from Coinbase Ventures via BEF and Reverie to scale its team and build an exchange-grade sports prediction platform.

💰 Israel based startup Marquee raised $1.2 million in funding from AnD Ventures and sports and technology executives to expand its AI-driven scouting and recruitment platform aimed at reducing costly football transfer mistakes.

💰 Minimis secured funding for an undisclosed amount backed by Entrepreneur VC to develop standalone smart sunglasses designed to consolidate the cardio technology stack and replace reliance on devices such as Garmin.

💰 Swing365 Golf secured strategic private investment for an undisclosed amount to accelerate expansion of its corporate golf entertainment venues across California, Georgia, and Texas.

💰 COREangels SportsTech made its first investment in Movmenta for an undisclosed amount, marking the fund’s initial deployment into sports technology focused on movement intelligence and performance optimisation.

🤝 Ergatta joined Interactive Strength, a portfolio of performance-driven fitness brands, to expand the reach of its game-based rowing fitness platform across additional connected hardware through a strategic partnership.

💸 Night, the creator-focused talent management firm, raised $70 million to expand its creator management business across gaming, music, and sports.

💸 Citizens Private Bank partnered with Harbinger Sports Partners to give wealthy clients access to private equity investments in professional sports teams and leagues through a fund co-founded by Mark Cuban and Rashuan Williams.

💸 The Seattle Seahawks were formally put up for sale 10 days after their Super Bowl victory, as Paul Allen’s estate moved to liquidate his sports holdings in accordance with his will.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

The NFL, FIBA, Juventus, Padel World Summit, Thinksport & ABSG, all announced sports innovation initiatives this past week. When that many organisations move at once, it's worth paying attention. This week's feature rounds up the major innovation programs launched in 2025, all of which we'll be covering in more depth in our upcoming Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report.

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

Sports Tech Initiatives & Innovation Programs 2025

If you’re building in sports tech, whether performance, AI, fan engagement, data analytics or new business models, these ecosystem initiatives, hubs, and research centers are worth exploring for support, collaboration, insights, partnerships, and exposure.

Europe

• SportTech Latvia: A national platform uniting sports and technology professionals to drive digitalisation, data analytics, and innovation across the Latvian sports industry, while connecting local projects and startups to the global sports tech ecosystem.

• Football Innovation Hub #11: The KNVB’s football innovation platform focused on shaping the future of football, running applied projects across talent development, referee decision-making, VAR evolution, competition formats, and rule changes through initiatives like Reimagine Football.

• Hub23: A Barcelona-based sports tech hub building community and visibility for digital sports startups, supporting founders and industry partners working on technology-driven solutions across the sports value chain.

• Atleti Lab: Atletico Madrid’s innovation program seeking disruptive solutions in sustainability, accessibility, and inclusion, with opportunities for collaboration and testing within an elite football environment.

• Burnley FC Innovation Hub: An accelerator built inside a Premier League club, giving startups the chance to pilot solutions in live football operations, receive rapid feedback, and develop pathways to long-term partnerships.

North America

• Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition: A statewide initiative using a data-driven roadmap to advance Georgia’s sports industry through athlete development, incubator creation, economic impact analysis, and community engagement, with the goal of catalysing new investment and new businesses.

• AI Advantage: A Sports Innovation Lab program focused on practical AI training and application for sports and entertainment professionals, translating emerging AI tools into real-world use cases across media, marketing, operations, and fan engagement.

• Spire Performance Research Institute: An innovation lab launched by Spire Academy applying a holistic youth performance model, combining mental training, physical development, injury prevention, recovery, and embedded technology across the athlete experience.

• University Hospitals Haslam Sports Innovation Center: A sports medicine innovation center providing a pipeline for new technologies across injury prevention, rehabilitation, and athlete health, focused on identifying, validating, and accelerating clinically backed solutions.

• Women’s Sports Xccelerator: A growth platform focused on building sustainable women’s sports businesses, helping teams increase fan bases, strengthen community, and unlock new revenue, with a strong emphasis on ticketed sports and high-growth leagues.

• SPORTx by ASU: An Arizona State University initiative designed to accelerate sports-related startups and empower student-athletes, operating across athlete engagement and venture development.

• Columbia-Dream Sports AI Innovation Center: A transdisciplinary research institute focused on advancing AI and machine learning in sports, addressing foundational and applied challenges across performance, analytics, engineering, and decision-making.

Why Startups Should Check These Out

• Industry pilots and real-world trial partners

• Education, mentorship, and network connections

• Research insights and early adopter feedback

• Potential funding introductions and collaboration frameworks

An updated list for 2026 and additional upcoming trends will be broken down in the 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report. Submit your interest to get featured.

🏆 ThinkSport & ABSG Launch Sports Innovation Challenge: AI & Robotics 2026

ABSG joins ThinkSport in calling on startups worldwide, from PoC to MVP stage, to bring forward disruptive technologies that have the potential to inspire, challenge and reshape the global sports industry.

The Challenge focuses on innovative applications of artificial intelligence and robotics, including but not limited to performance, health, operations, engagement and access to sport.

Applications are now open until March 1 2026.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

NFL HealthTECH Challenge

🏈 The NFL launched its HealthTECH Challenge to advance helmet safety, inviting innovators to develop next-generation solutions aimed at improving player protection.

🏀 FIBA invited sports technology companies to participate in test events in Doha in March, as the international federation evaluated automated video and tracking solutions to support future competition and broadcast innovation.

⚽ Juventus unveiled the next chapter of Juventus Forward, the innovation platform first launched in 2024. Juventus introduced a pair of partnerships with CDP Venture Capital and The Players Fund, as well as a debut cohort of startups that will support Juventus across athlete development, guest management and content production functions.

🏓 Padel World Summit invited startups to participate in its upcoming event, offering booth space and industry access to accelerate growth, connect with clubs and investors, and gain visibility within the global padel ecosystem.

⛳ LIV Golf launched “Fan Caddie,” an AI-powered digital assistant built on Salesforce’s Agentforce 360 that delivered real-time insights and interactive content throughout the season to personalise the global golf fan experience.

🤖 China launched the world’s first robot combat league in Shenzhen with a $1.44 million prize pool, showcasing humanoid robotics capabilities through competitive fighting events.

📺 Olympic Broadcasting Services delivered its most immersive Olympic Winter Games coverage to date at Milano Cortina 2026, deploying drone cameras, AI-powered replays, cinematic production techniques, and fully virtualised workflows to bring fans closer to the action across all platforms.

⚽ Mexico deployed robotic dogs to support police and security operations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reflecting increased use of robotics in major sporting event management.

📺 The Famous Group added a mixed-reality animation element to NBC’s Super Bowl LX broadcast, integrating immersive virtual production into live game coverage.

🏈 Super Bowl LX averaged 124.9 million viewers while Bad Bunny’s halftime show drew 128.2 million, both falling short of all-time US broadcast and halftime viewership records.

🏀 Sportradar signed a multi-year agreement with NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks to enhance NBA broadcasts using real-time data, advanced visualisation tools, and enriched storytelling solutions.

🏀 The Big 12 Conference confirmed it would use an LED-embedded ASB GlassFloor court for its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, integrating dynamic digital visuals into live competition.

💰 CURAPOD raised $2.4 million (₹20 crore) in a Pre-Series A funding round led by V3 Ventures, as the Litemed-backed Indian healthtech startup continued scaling its non-invasive, personalised pain management device.

💰 YesRef secured funding for Australian expansion, for an undisclosed amount, as the UK-based sports tech platform reported that 60 percent of Premier League clubs used its referee-matching software for junior team matches.

💰 SportsSkill Ladder raised lead investment from Nirav Mody, for an undisclosed amount, to support the launch of its beta platform enabling players to build custom ladders, form communities, and compete digitally.

🤝 Humain acquired a controlling stake in scouting and player development app ai.io, for an undisclosed amount, as the PIF-backed AI company launched a new sports vertical focused on talent identification and development.

🤝 WSC Sports acquired Partnerbrite, for an undisclosed amount, to expand its AI-powered video platform with enhanced sponsorship activation tools for leagues, broadcasters, and digital platforms.

🤝 Bolt and Blue Pool Capital joined the Germany SailGP Team ownership group as minority investors, backing the Deutsche Bank-supported team competing in the global SailGP championship.

💸 Apollo Sports Capital prepared to deploy up to $6 billion into a newly formed sports investment company, having already acquired stakes in Atlético Madrid and Wrexham since launching last September.

💸 A Luka Dončić–backed investment group moved to acquire an Italian basketball team, Vanoli Basket Cremona, as part of a broader strategy aligned with potential NBA Europe expansion, according to people familiar with the transaction.

💸 Investors including Manchester United owner interests circulated around potential bids for Indian Premier League franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals, with sales expected to reach up to $1.8 billion.

💸 Washington State Athletics' Cougar Athletic Fund launched its "Rally Your Region" fundraising campaign, with a $2.5 million target. An initiative to promote philanthropic giving to the Cougar Athletic Fund in WSU Football Name, Image, Likeness (NIL).

💸 Dream Sports, parent company of Dream11, reported a net loss of $57 million (₹479 crore) for FY25 as operating scale declined 15 percent year-on-year following domicile changes and director-related benefit expenses.

💸 Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Chelsea Women’s ownership group, adding NBA star backing to the Women’s Super League club’s growing investor base.

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

We're going to have to come up with a catchier name than the Billion-Dollar Sports Fund Club. Whatever we end up calling it, there's a new member: Otro Capital has closed a $1.2 billion fund, reportedly the largest ever fundraise for a first-time dedicated sports vehicle.

Five weeks into 2026 and that's the third billion-dollar sports investment announcement. Meanwhile, Project Level has closed $250 million for a dedicated women's sports fund. And that's before you count January's investment round up, which wasn't far off the billion mark itself.

February's barely started.

💸 MONTHLY INVESTMENT ROUNDUP

January 2026 opened the year with strong momentum across both funding and M&A. The month closed with $194.5M in funding across 29 deals and a significant $785.0M in disclosed M&A volume from 5 transactions..

Here’s a quick summary:

• Geography: Funding activity was led by North America, contributing $115.9M (59.6%), followed by Europe at $69.9M (35.9%). Oceania accounted for $7.3M (3.8%), while Asia contributed $1.5M (0.8%). Africa recorded no funding activity.
  On the M&A side, Europe led by deal count (60%), with North America accounting for the remaining 40%.

• Sectors: Funding was relatively balanced across segments, led by ‘For Fans’ ($95.3M, 49.0%), followed by ‘For Athletes’ ($52.0M, 26.7%) and ‘For Executives’ ($47.2M, 24.3%).
  M&A activity leaned toward ‘For Athletes’, which made up 60% of deals, while ‘For Executives’ accounted for 40%.

• Top Deals: Fanchize raised $58M in a seed round, the largest funding deal of the month.
  On the M&A front, eGym merged with Playlist in a $785.0M transaction, driving all disclosed M&A volume for January.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

The Collectiv Foundation

⚙️ The Collectiv Foundation launched an AI-native dual-use sports, health, and wellness accelerator in Houston’s Ion District in collaboration with Rice University, aimed at supporting early-stage founders building AI technologies validated in sports and scalable across health and enterprise markets.

🏟️ Nike opened applications for its 2026 Community Impact Fund in the Netherlands, offering grants of $5.4k to $21.6k (€5k to €20k) to support youth-focused sport initiatives promoting inclusion, physical activity, and community development.

📊 Nielsen launched a co-viewing pilot program beginning with the Super Bowl, using proprietary wearable measurement devices to better capture out-of-home and group sports viewing behaviour.

🏈 OneCourt introduced a tactile tablet device that used synchronized vibrations to translate live game action into physical feedback, enabling blind and visually impaired fans to follow Super Bowl gameplay in real time.

⛳ Garmin introduced two new golf training devices, the Approach J1 GPS watch and the Approach G82 launch monitor, as part of a broader strategy to expand its sports technology ecosystem across performance tracking, hardware, and subscription-linked services.

🏈 Sony expanded its role as an official NFL technology partner by deploying advanced audio, imaging, and sports technologies for Super Bowl LX in San Francisco, including broadcast production tools, imaging sensors, and immersive fan-facing innovations.

🏎️ Cadillac partnered with TWG AI in a new Formula One deal designed to integrate artificial intelligence technology across performance, fan engagement, and commercial operations beyond traditional sponsorship activation.

⚽ Baller League halted operations in Germany as the influencer-backed six-a-side football competition shifted focus to international growth, including its planned launch in the US.

⚽ Daniel Levy entered talks to sell his stake in Tottenham Hotspur for around $1.3 billion (£1 billion) to an investment consortium that included Hong Kong businessman Ng Wing Fai.

🏏 Diageo explored the sale of Royal Challengers Bengaluru as part of a potential divestment of its Indian Premier League cricket assets, with valuations that could reach $2 billion.

🏏 Rajasthan Royals are entertaining bids, with four bidders, including Blackstone Inc. and The Carlyle Group, understood to have submitted indicative offers of around $1.3bn. The process is being overseen by The Raine Group.

👟 Adidas posted record revenue of $26.9 billion (€24.8 billion) for 2025 and announced a $1.1 billion (€1 billion) share buyback programme scheduled to begin in February as the company continued its financial recovery.

Source: Sportico.com

💸 Otro Capital closed a $1.2 billion sports investment fund, which the US-based private equity firm described as the largest-ever global fundraise for a first-time dedicated sports fund.

💸 Project Level completed a $250 million first close for its women’s sports investment fund, establishing one of the largest funds dedicated exclusively to investing in women’s teams, leagues, and sports-related assets.

🤝 ESPN completed its $3 billion acquisition of NFL Media, adding NFL Network, RedZone, and additional live games to its portfolio in a landmark expansion of its American football media rights.

🤝 Genius Sports entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Legend for up to $1.2 billion, combining official sports data, technology, and a global digital sports and gaming media network.

💰 Kings League announced a $63 million investment round led by Alignment Growth to fuel global expansion, including launching new regional leagues and scaling its creator-led seven-a-side football competition across additional international markets.

💰 Zen8 secured $1.5 million (€1.4 million) in funding led by Lince Capital to advance development of its ZWIM dry-land swimmer training technology and support expansion of the Portuguese startup across the European market.

💰 Runeasi raised $1.1 million (€1 million) to accelerate international growth of its AI-powered running analysis platform, with a focus on expanding into the US market while continuing to support its customer base in Belgium.

💰 Gamepoint secured $800,000 (₹7 crore) in pre-Series A funding to scale its multi-sport network across India, expanding access to organised grassroots and amateur sports participation.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Yesterday, our jury picked the winners of the PEAK x SportsTechX Startup World Cup Global Qualifier. Along with the three winners from the Americas Qualifier and a few wildcard entries, these companies will get the chance to pitch on stage at PEAK in Vegas 🎲 

Without further ado…

🏆 PEAK X SportsTechX Startup World Cup Global Qualifier Winners

Yesterday, Jan 29, we hosted the the Global Qualifier for the PEAK x SportsTechX Startup World Cup! Three standout startups emerged victorious:

🏆 For Athletes - Activity & Performance: KinetikIQ

🏆 For Fans - Fans & Content: Spoda AI

🏆 For Executives - Management & Organisation: STAXY

These companies will get to pitch now pitch live in Las Vegas, alongside other qualifiers, for the $10,000+ prize and other startup perks that'll help elevate them to the next level.

Congratulations to the winners! 🎉

Massive thanks to our judges Koen Bosma (Partner, Apex Capital), Rebecca Hopkins (CEO, The STA Group) and Matt Best (Lead, Commercial Strategy, Innovation & Ops, FIFA). And props to the other startups. the competition was certainly close.

Next up? The Finals at PEAK 2026. See you there 😎

Join the SportsTechX community and the top founders, sports executives, innovation leaders, and investors at PEAK 2026 in Las Vegas, 20-22 April 2026.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

77X

🏀 Luka Dončić launched 77X, a direct-to-fan platform built with Shopify to offer exclusive products and curated experiences that deepen fan engagement and open new avenues for athlete-to-consumer interaction beyond traditional sponsorships.

🎾 ESPN added animated alternate broadcasts branded as “AO Animated” to its Australian Open coverage to provide fans with creative viewing options beyond traditional match feeds.

⚽ Mitre and PlayerData unveiled a GPS-enabled connected football under development in partnership with PlayerData aimed at bringing high-level performance insights to all levels of the game with embedded sensor technology.

🎾 Australian Open organisers ordered professional tennis players to remove wearable fitness devices during competition at the 2026 tournament amid debate over performance tracking technology at Grand Slam events.

 🥋 Paramount+ added about one million new subscribers on the day of its first UFC event as nearly five million viewers tuned in, delivering a significant single-day customer acquisition boost for the streamer.

🏈 ESPN announced “The Handoff,” a one-time, 24-hour multi-platform event starting February 8 after Super Bowl LX to transition coverage toward the 2027 Super Bowl LXI campaign and extend engagement across its NFL season programming.

⚽ German professional football posted record revenue figures of €6.33 billion in 2024–25, the DFL Economic Report reveals. Total revenue jumped 7.9% year-on-year, with the Bundesliga alone pulling in over €5.12 billion. Fans snapped up nearly 21 million tickets, and the combined leagues posted an operating profit of €271.5 million.

⚽ Women’s Super League Football Limited reported a £8.2 million operating loss for its first standalone financial year on £17.4 million revenue, noting revenue increase and anticipation of profitability as broadcast and commercial income grew.

🏃 Grand Slam Track generated just $1.8 million in revenue while accumulating nearly $40 million in debt, with filings showing that the founder had loaned millions to support the financially troubled track league.

Athvance Capital

💸 Athvance Capital launched a European sports investment platform, looking to raise €500 million ($585 million), that will invest in global emerging and under-commercialised sports intellectual property, technology, and service providers alongside support from entrepreneurs with sports, media, tech, and finance experience.

💸 AO Ventures backed four early-stage companies - Bolt6 , Raven Controls, Mindspring Padel , Padel Haus - in its first nine months as Tennis Australia’s venture capital arm, supporting founders whose products could scale globally with the Australian Open and Tennis Australia as early customers or partners.

💰 Pixellot raised $35 million in new funding in Petach Tikva, Israel, including $15 million in equity from existing investor PSG Equity and $20 million in venture debt, to fuel global growth and expand its AI-as-a-Service platform that removed upfront camera costs and enabled revenue sharing with partners across youth and amateur sports.

💰 Arkero announced a $6 million pre-seed round led by Roger Ehrenberg’s Game Changer Ventures, as it expanded its AI-powered sports operations platform used by Seattle Sounders, Reign FC, San Diego FC, and Bolton Wanderers FC.

💰 Faves, an athlete marketing platform, debuted with $3 million in funding from CMT Digital and Collider Ventures to enable athletes to manage sponsorships, curate product collections, and earn revenue through affiliate links.

💰 Levellr raised $2.5 million in seed funding for its AI platform that collected and analyzed insights from Discord communities to help game companies and global brands understand next-generation audiences.

💰 Whistle Performance, San Diego-based sports and human performance software, announced the close of a $2 million Seed funding round alongside its rebrand.

💰 MyARC secured more than $2 million (€2 million) in funding from Araya Ventures, Morgan Stanley, Techstars, and G Fund, and launched a new platform designed to help fitness creators deliver personalized training at scale, monetize audiences, and build sustainable creator-led fitness businesses.

💰 TOGETHXR announced a strategic partnership and equity investment in Sportsish to expand female-forward sports storytelling and develop new sports and pop culture content focused on women’s sports and fandom.

🤝 ANTA Sports reached an agreement to acquire a 29.06% stake in PUMA SE for $1.6 billion (€1.5 billion) in cash from Groupe Artémis, as part of its long-term strategy to strengthen its global footprint in the sporting goods market.

🤝 WSC Sports acquired Partnerbrite for an undisclosed amount, to unify content creation and sponsorship activation by adding self-serve campaign execution and audience activation tools to its AI-powered sports content platform.

🤝 Orreco acquired Jennis, the hormone health and fitness platform, for an undisclosed amount, to combine AI bioanalytics, hormonal health, and computer vision into a single women’s performance ecosystem.

🤝 CVC announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Equine Network from Growth Catalyst Partners as the first new league investment by Global Sport Group, expanding its portfolio to stakes in eight unique leagues and competitions.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Featured by SportsTechX: Interviews, articles, events, and more

🏆 PEAK STARTUP WORLD CUP

Watch the Global Qualifier for the PEAK Startup World Cup, hosted by SportsTechX

We are heading into the final stage of the PEAK Startup World Cup, and tomorrow the shortlisted startups pitch live on the global stage.

SportsTechX is hosting the Global Qualifier Finals in partnership with PEAK, bringing together early-stage SportsTech founders, investors, and operators from across performance, fan engagement, and the business of sport.

Global Qualifier Finals:

• Format: Virtual live pitch competition hosted by SportsTechX

• When: TOMORROW | 3pm CET | Thursday 29 January

• Pitch format: 3-minute pitch followed by 3-minute Q&A

MEET THE JUDGES:

The finalists will be evaluated by senior leaders operating at the intersection of sport, capital, and innovation.

• Koen Bosma, Partner, Apex Capital

• Rebecca Hopkins, CEO, The STA Group

• Matt Best, Lead Commercial Strategy, Innovation and Operations, FIFA

Finalists snapshot:

After reviewing applications from across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, we have shortlisted 9 startups building in three core categories:

• For Athletes: performance, training, and recovery technologies

• For Fans: fan engagement, content, streaming, ticketing, fantasy, and betting

• For Executives: venues, management, and sports organisations

Each finalist will pitch live, field questions from the judges, and compete for progression to the PEAK Finals.

What is at stake:

• Category winners progress to the PEAK Startup World Cup Finals.

• Finalists gain exposure to investors, accelerators, and industry operators.

• 🏆 Global Winner receives $10,000+ cash prize, Runners-up get booths for PEAK 2027

Watch the finals live:

If you want to see how early-stage SportsTech companies are positioning themselves in front of capital and decision-makers, register to watch the finals live.

The competition starts tomorrow at 3pm CET.

Who else should attend?

PEAK is designed for innovators at the forefront of sports, including:

Founders
Visionary founders who are at the forefront of innovation, actively building the future of sports.

Sports Executives
VP to C-suite decision-makers who are leading technology and innovation across their organization.

Innovation Leaders
Leaders in the innovation trenches, from Managers to Heads, pioneering new initiatives across their organizations.

Investors
From VC to LPs, those that are financing the future of sports and the forces behind the curtain shaping the industry.

🏆 STX INTELLIGENCE HUB

Fundraising right now? Make sure investors can actually find you

If you are actively raising a funding round, you can now Verify Your Company on the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub and mark yourself as Actively Fundraising.

You can also upload your pitch deck and funding round details, making it easier for investors to assess and reach out directly.

With over 8,000 companies on the Intelligence Hub, this is how you stand out:

1. Log in/ Sign Up to the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub

2. Go to the Companies section on the left panel and search for your company name in the search bar.

   

3. Click on your company:

   • On the right-hand side of the page, scroll to the bottom and select Get this company verified under Company Actions.

   • In the pop up form, complete or update your company details as needed.

   • Open the Claim tab to verify your company.

   • Upload your pitch deck and add your current funding round details.

   • Mark your company as Actively Fundraising.

   

4. If your company does not appear in the database:

   • Select Request to Add Company button from the Companies section.

   • Submit your company details.

   • Once the company page is live, follow the steps above to verify and mark yourself as actively fundraising.

     

Verified and actively fundraising companies are easier for investors to filter, review, and contact directly through the platform.

🎙️ LAUNCHING SOON: The Sports Tech Startup Podcast

We’re launching a brand new weekly show: The SportsTech Startup Podcast.

It’s being built to spotlight the most interesting startups at the intersection of sports + tech, and showcase the products, traction, and lessons behind that journey.

If you’re working on something exciting in Sports Tech, we want to hear from you.

Share what you’re building and we’ll send you an invitation to join the show if it’s a fit.

PS. This is a chance to get your startup in front of thousands of industry professionals, investors, and sports organisations at no cost.

 🔗 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

2025 set a new record for sports-focused fund announcements, and 2026 is already in hot pursuit. This week added fuel: a mega acquisition plus funding rounds totalling $830M+. Momentum is clearly building.

All will be covered in our upcoming Ecosystem Report, tracking the PE giants, specialist VCs, and emerging players reshaping the investment landscape. Feature spots are available, get in touch if interested.

💡 INTELLIGENCE HUB

Sports Tech Investment Funds: 2025 Set the Base, 2026 Is Scaling Up

2025 was a watershed year for sports investment. Private equity giants deployed multi-billion-dollar funds across the sector, targeting media rights, real estate, ownership structures, and platform plays, while a new generation of specialist VCs raised significant capital for growth-stage opportunities. North America dominated fund formation at 67%, with the USA leading and India emerging as a surprising second.

Early 2026 signals the momentum is accelerating: Bruin Capital's $1B fund and expanded activity from Core Angels SportsTech underscore just how much dry powder is still flowing into the space. Here's the complete rundown of sports tech funds announced in 2025 and 2026.

2026 Funds (Jan)

• Bruin Capital - $1 billion

• KKR to acquire Arctos - $1 billion

• Core Angels SportsTech - Undisclosed

2025 Funds

Angel Networks: EBAN Sports - Undisclosed

Family Investment Offices:

• Legacy25 - $150 million

• Buss Sports Capital - Undisclosed

Private Equity:

• Global Sport Group - $13.6 billion

• Apollo Sports Capital - $5 billion

• Sixth Street Sports Fund - $4 billion

• Cynosure Checketts Sports Capital - $1.2 billion

• Harbinger Sports Partners - $750 million

• Monarch Collective - $250 million

• Momentous Sports - $100 million

• 14TH & I - Undisclosed

Venture Capital:

• Halo Experience CO - $1 billion

• 359 Capital - $300 million

• Sharp Alpha Advisors - $150 million

• True Sky Ventures - $100 million

• Yashaa Global Capital - $75 million

• Scrum Ventures - $68 million

• AO Ventures - $68 million

• Next Ventures - $60 million

• Lumikai Ventures - $50 million

• Red Bull Ventures - €200 million

• Remagine Ventures - $25 million

• SeventySix Capital - Undisclosed

• Champion Fund - Undisclosed

• 51 Ventures - Undisclosed

• Como Ventures - Undisclosed

• Impetus Sports Capital - Undisclosed

• Playbook (India) - Undisclosed

More on this list and upcoming 2026 trends will be broken down in the upcoming 2026 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report. Submit your interest to get featured.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

• 🏀 NBA Launchpad announced its fifth cohort of emerging technology companies selected to be evaluated and piloted as part of the league’s innovation and technology testing program.

• 🎾 Genius Sports launched BetVision for Tennis with Infront in time for the Australian Open, bringing enhanced live-betting visuals and interactive engagement features to tennis broadcasts.

• 📺 Sports Illustrated launched SI TV, a free ad-supported streaming channel designed to expand its digital media distribution across connected TV platforms.

• ⛳ TGL presented by SoFi and HypGames signed an exclusive partnership to integrate gaming and interactive engagement into the league’s tech-enabled golf competition format.

• 🤖 Mercedes F1 signed a partnership with Microsoft reportedly worth $60 million per year to expand AI usage across team operations and fan-facing technology.

• 📱 The BBC agreed to produce dedicated Winter Olympics content for YouTube, aiming to reach new digital audiences through bespoke short-form clips.

• 📊 Arsenal Women topped Deloitte’s women’s football revenue rankings with €25.6 million, as the top 15 women’s clubs averaged more than €10 million in annual revenues for the first time.

• 🏏 The European T20 Premier League sold three franchises based in Amsterdam, Belfast and Edinburgh for $13.9 million (in £11.1 million) each ahead of its planned August launch.

• 🏀 NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the potential involvement of sovereign wealth investment in its planned European basketball league could alter investment guidelines in the parent North American competition.

• 🏒 NHL ticket demand surged following the release of HBO Max’s ‘Heated Rivalry’, driving increased resale activity and attracting first-time buyers to games.

• 🤝 Gym booking app ClassPass owner Playlist agreed to merge with fitness-tech firm EGYM in a deal that includes equity funding of $785 million, led by Jared Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners.

• 💰 Midnite raised $32.5 million (in £26 million) in a Series C round led by Raine Partners to scale its UK sportsbook and casino platform.

• 💰 TeamFeePay raised $11.0 million (in £9 million) to expand its grassroots football software platform across the UK and Europe through hiring, product growth and market expansion.

• 💰 Swerve TV raised $2.5 million in a Series A round with Scott Galloway participating as a principal investor to accelerate growth of its live sports FAST channel business.

• 💰 Whistle Performance secured $2 million in funding and rebranded to support global expansion and accelerate product innovation in human performance technology.

• 💰 Scoreline, the tech provider behind Fantasy Football Hub, secured a multimillion-pound funding round led by Nickleby Capital to support growth, with Micah Richards backing the business as an investor and ambassador.

• 💰 AO Ventures invested in U.S.-based padel operator Padel Haus for an undisclosed amount to accelerate expansion as global padel participation continued to rise.

• 💰 Ammortal received an investment from seven pro athletes including Mike Trout, Freddie Freeman, Alex Bregman and George Kittle for an undisclosed amount to support growth of its recovery and longevity technology platform.

• 💰 Founders Row backed early-stage AI sports analytics platform Elite Picks for an undisclosed amount to support product build and growth following its launch.

• 💸 TMRW Sports named Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures as lead capital partner in WTGL, its new women’s team golf league, for an undisclosed amount as the venture expanded into women’s sport.

• 💸 Tom Brady’s company reached a $1 billion valuation as the business gained momentum through expanding brand and commercial activity.

• 💸 Sporting Kansas City was sold to Peter Mallouk at a reported $700 million valuation, in what was described as the highest price ever paid for a controlling stake in MLS.

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

December brought a soft fade out, rather than a thundering climax, to 2025's Sports Tech Investment year. Given how eventful it was, a bit of calm was welcome. All the analysis and insights will follow in our Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report, releasing in about 8 weeks.

With all the buzz about NBA Europe going around, it's worth mentioning that last night's packed house at the Uber Arena was a great sign for a potential Berlin team ;)

💡 MONTHLY INVESTMENT ROUNDUP

Powered by the Intelligence Hub

December 2025 closed the year with moderate but focused investment activity. The month recorded $129.7M in funding across 22 deals, with all M&A values undisclosed. Capital flowed heavily toward performance-driven technologies, rounding out the year with a clear signal on where investor priorities are changing after Fan Solutions. The second biggest year in Sports Tech!

Here’s a quick summary:

• Geography: Funding activity was led by Europe, which accounted for $73.0M (56.3%) of total funding. Asia followed with $31.3M (24.1%), while North America contributed $24.4M (18.8%). Oceania made up the remaining 0.8% ($1.0M).
  On the M&A side, deal activity by count was split evenly between North America (40.0%) and Oceania (40.0%), with Europe accounting for the remaining 20.0%.

• Sectors: Funding was overwhelmingly concentrated in ‘For Athletes’, representing $107.2M (82.7%) of total capital raised.
  This was followed by ‘For Fans’ ($15.6M, 12.0%) and ‘For Executives’ ($6.9M, 5.3%). M&A activity mirrored this skew, with ‘For Athletes’ accounting for 80.0% of deals, and ‘For Executives’ making up the remaining 20.0%.

• Top Deals: SkillCorner raised $60M in a private equity round led by Silversmith Capital Partners, making it the largest funding deal of the month. All M&A transactions were undisclosed by value, with activity centered on athlete performance and operational platforms.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

Source: Sports Techie

📱 NBC Sports unveiled a real-time player-tracking viewing feature built with Japan’s Nippon Television, enabling mobile viewers to lock coverage onto specific athletes during live events starting this year.

🏎️ Honda revealed new concept models and race machines at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026, showcasing future vehicle designs and performance engineering under its “Honda Sports DNA” theme.

🏈 NFL Wild Card games delivered massive audiences led by 41 million viewers for Eagles vs 49ers on Fox, while Packers vs Bears on Prime Video became the most-streamed NFL game ever.

🥊 Meta took over naming rights to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, rebranding the venue as Meta Apex as part of its expanding partnership footprint with the UFC.

⛳ The PGA TOUR and AWS expanded their partnership to accelerate golf content innovation and enhance fan experiences globally through cloud and data-driven technologies.

🎬 Fanatics launched Fanatics Studios via a joint venture with OBB Media, kicking off with a Tom Brady docuseries and production deals tied to the ESPYs, LA28, MLB and WWE.

🌱 Leigh Sports Village, used by professional rugby and football teams, installed Rhenac’s CLS mobile grow lighting systems to support sustainable pitch maintenance and improve grass quality through energy-efficient lighting technology.

🏀 FC Barcelona moved toward committing to EuroLeague by reportedly planning to sign a new 10-year license, following news of the hefty price tag for potential NBA Europe teams.

⚽ Qatar opened talks with FIFA about hosting the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup in January 2028.

🏋️ The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), a global house of fitness education, released data gathered from 600+ fitness and wellness professionals showing longevity had overtaken aesthetics as the top fitness goal, signaling a shift toward long-term health span-focused coaching.

🛍️ JD Sports outlined plans to enable shopping and purchases through AI platforms as it explored new digital commerce channels for consumers.

⚖️ USC Gould School of Law and Akerman LLP launched a Law+AI Initiative to connect academic legal research with real-world commercial AI innovation through a dedicated knowledge-sharing platform and multi-sector advisory board. USC Gould’s Center for Sports, Entertainment, Media, and Technology Law will be the academic home of the new Initiative.

Source: Youth Sports Business Report (Otto Sport)

💰 OTTO SPORT AI raised $16.5 million in seed funding co-led by Mamba Growth Equity and Rally Ventures to accelerate development of its youth sports technology platform and expand its AI (Athlete Intelligence) Lab.

💰 WeatherPromise, used in sporting events, golf and other outdoor activities, closed $12.8 million in an oversubscribed Series A round led by Maveron to grow its technology platform designed to drive demand for travel, event and recreation companies.

💰 Diamond Kinetics raised $12 million to expand its youth sports livestreaming and technology offering, or youth baseball and softball in a round led by Elysian Park Ventures.

💰 Hapana, the fitness software platform used by boutique studios, gyms, and franchises worldwide, raised $7.25 million in new funding, in a round led by Microequities, with follow-on investment from OIF Ventures.

💰 Signing Day Sports priced a $5.6 million public offering of shares and warrants to raise gross proceeds through the sale of 9.48 million shares and warrants exercisable over five years.

💰 London based Incentifi raised $190k (€174k) in phase-one pre-seed funding to pilot its wellbeing-focused workplace rewards platform.

💰 The 33rd Team, founded by former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum, secured an undisclosed eight-figure Series B funding round to expand its football intelligence and technology platform.

💰 Evergent Technologies secured a strategic investment from the NBA for an undisclosed amount, extending their subscription-management partnership tied to NBA League Pass.

🤝 Teamworks, The Operating System for Sports, powering more than 6,500 elite sports organizations globally, announced the acquisition of Sportlogiq, the global leader in AI-powered hockey analytics, for an undisclosed amount.

💸 FuboTV Inc. entered into a new financing arrangement with an affiliate of The Walt Disney Company, borrowing an aggregate principal amount of $145 million through an unsecured promissory note.

💸 Saudi Arabia is reorganizing its global gaming holdings, with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) moving roughly $12 billion in listed gaming shares to its subsidiary, Savvy Games Group, as it sharpens its focus on digital entertainment investments.

💸 Global Sport Group (GSG), which is owned by CVC Capital Partners and counts a stake in Six Nations Rugby among its holdings, began courting investors as it launched a €2.7 billion ($3.13 million) debt-raising process to fund further acquisitions across sports assets.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Featured by SportsTechX: Interviews, articles, events, and more

🏆 PEAK STARTUP WORLD CUP

Join the Global Qualifier for the PEAK Startup World Cup, hosted by SportsTechX

We’re partnering with PEAK, the global home of SportsTech & innovation, to launch the inaugural PEAK Startup World Cup - and SportsTechX is hosting the Global Qualifier.

This is your chance to pitch on the world stage in-front of our expert judges, connect with top investors, and battle it out for $10,000+ cash prize plus other prizes, including free booths and tickets to PEAK and memberships to the Intelligence Hub PRO.

SportTechX Global Qualifier:

• Format: Virtual pitch competition hosted by SportsTechX

• Qualifier Prizes: Free Booth + Tickets + Investor/Accelerator Access at PEAK (worth $7,500+) -  more details below.

• When: 3pm CET / Thursday 29th January

• Pitch Format: 3-minute quickfire pitch + 3-minute Q&A

• Apply to pitch OR Register to watch

Categories:

1. For Athletes (Activity & Performance)
2. For Fans (Fan Engagement, Content, Streaming, Ticketing, Fantasy & Betting)
3. For Executives (Venues, Management & Organization)

We’ll shortlist the top 9 startups (3 per category) to compete during the SportsTechX Global Qualifier. One winner from each category will progress to the Finals at PEAK

What Finalists Receive at PEAK 2026

• Booth + free tickets to PEAK 2026 (worth $7,500+)

• Access to investors, accelerators & media coverage across the SportsTechX and PEAK networks

• 6-months complimentary access to STX Intelligence Hub PRO (worth $1000)

• Invitation to pitch on stage during the Finals

🏆 Global Winner receives $10,000+ cash prize, Runners-up get booths for PEAK 2027

To Apply, startups should:

• Be under 5 years old

• Have annual revenue less than $1M

• Have raised less than $5M

• Have fewer than 25 employees

Apply now to join the Global Qualifier and earn your spot on the biggest SportsTech stage in the world.

Note: Applications close January 23rd 2026.

Who else should attend?

PEAK is designed for innovators at the forefront of sports, including:

Founders
Visionary founders who are at the forefront of innovation, actively building the future of sports.

Sports Executives
VP to C-suite decision-makers who are leading technology and innovation across their organization.

Innovation Leaders
Leaders in the innovation trenches, from Managers to Heads, pioneering new initiatives across their organizations.

Investors
From VC to LPs, those that are financing the future of sports and the forces behind the curtain shaping the industry.

🏆 DFL SPORTS INNOVATION

Final Call to apply for the SportsInnovation 2026 Startup Award

Two days left to get your startup on stage in Düsseldorf on March 4 & 5, 2026. Participating startups will have the opportunity to present their solutions to SportsInnovation, its partners, and its attendees.

🎙️ LAUNCHING SOON: The Sports Tech Startup Podcast

We’re launching a brand new weekly show: The SportsTech Startup Podcast.

It’s being built to spotlight the most interesting startups at the intersection of sports + tech, and showcase the products, traction, and lessons behind that journey.

If you’re working on something exciting in Sports Tech, we want to hear from you.

Share what you’re building and we’ll send you an invitation to join the show if it’s a fit.

PS. This is a chance to get your startup in front of thousands of industry professionals, investors, and sports organisations at no cost.

 🔗 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Another trip around the sun and we're back to it. Kicking off 2026 with not one but two billion-dollar announcements: Bruin Capital's massive $1B raise backed by Apollo's Josh Harris, and KKR's acquisition of Arctos Partners. The money tap for sports tech and investment isn't just open, it's gushing at full pressure.

If this is how January starts, buckle up for what's ahead. Wishing all our readers a fantastic 2026! 🚀

💡 GLOBAL SPORTS TECH VC REPORT: PRO

Fewer big cheques, but far bigger dollar impact

Kicking off the year with another peek into the PRO Version of the Global Sports Tech VC Report 2025.

Here’s a dive into the deal sizes that shaped the 2025 funding landscape, which you should also keep in mind for 2026.

The deal-size distribution shows a stark divide between volume and value. While 453 sub-$1M rounds and 718 $1-10M rounds account for most activity, just 68 deals over $100M generated $22.3B - representing roughly 4% of disclosed rounds but 66% of total capital.

Mid-sized rounds from $10-50M contributed $5.3B across 262 deals, providing meaningful scale without concentration risk. Early-stage activity remains robust, but the financial center of gravity has shifted decisively toward mega-rounds. Note: 291 rounds remain undisclosed, likely skewing smaller.

If you need the complete picture for investment, strategy, partnerships or planning, the PRO report and Intelligence Hub provides the granularity needed for decision making. These are intelligence tools built for serious dealmakers.

• Dealflow Database: Track funding rounds, investment activity, and emerging opportunities as they come.

  Use case: See which companies just raised capital and who led the round. Spot opportunities before they hit the headlines.

• M&A Intelligence: Access acquisition data, valuations, and buyer trends across sports tech.

  Use case: Identify acquisition targets or assess competitor M&A activity.

• Contact Access: Get direct contact information for founders, executives, and decision-makers.

  Use case: Skip the cold intro and reach out directly to key stakeholders.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

ESPN Edge Innovation Conference 2025

📊 ESPN showcased advances in AI, immersive technology and its rebuilt direct-to-consumer platform at the ESPN Edge Innovation Conference 2025, outlining how it planned to reshape the future of sports media.

⚽ FIFA and Lenovo unveiled a suite of AI-powered innovations to enhance officiating, match analysis, performance insights and fan engagement ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

⚽ FIFA also announced it would deploy AI-powered 3D player avatars at the 2026 World Cup to improve offside decisions by tracking player movements during fast or obstructed phases of play.

🏟️ Cosm Detroit confirmed it would open in September, unveiling a next-generation sports venue featuring a massive LED dome designed to recreate live-game immersion for fans watching remote events.

🏈 The NFL delivered its second most-watched regular season on record, with 2025 viewership, up 10 percent as NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime Video each posted record audiences.

🏈 Netflix set a streaming record by drawing 27.5 million viewers for NFL games on Christmas Day, outperforming the NBA and marking the platform’s largest live sports audience to date.

⚽ City Football Group exited Mumbai City FC after six years by divesting its majority stake amid ongoing uncertainty around the future structure and commercial stability of the Indian Super League.

🥽 Spectrum SportsNet launched Spectrum Front Row™ on Apple Vision Pro, bringing live Los Angeles Lakers games to fans in an immersive storytelling format beginning January 9.

🏟️ European Athletics teamed up with CAMB.AI to deploy multilingual localisation technology that enabled real-time translation and personalised digital fan engagement across its competitions and platforms.

⚽ Paris Saint-Germain partnered with Zing Coach through 2027 to deliver interactive, player-inspired fitness workouts to its global fanbase of more than 500 million supporters.

⛵ SailGP opened its first permanent, shared training base in Pensacola, Florida, providing equal access facilities for all teams as part of a push to improve competitive fairness.

📺 WPP MEDIA launched WPP Media Sports, a unified sports and gaming practice designed to help brands accelerate growth through more integrated, data-led sports marketing.

💸 Specialist sports investor Bruin Capital raised $1bn from Apollo Global Management co-founder Josh Harris' 26North and PE firm TJC, for a new investment vehicle that will target companies providing services and technology to sports teams around the world.

🤝 KKR agreed to acquire Arctos Partners in a deal valuing the sports-focused private equity firm at approximately $1 billion, significantly expanding KKR’s exposure to professional sports investments.

💰 FitXpert secured seven-figure funding for an undisclosed amount from Foras Investment to support regional expansion of its fitness-focused SaaS platform.

💰 Kinotek raised $2 million in post-seed equity funding to expand its movement analytics platform used by professional sports teams including MLB’s Cincinnati Reds and high-performance gyms.

💰 FansUnite Entertainment completed a $1.5 million (CAD$2.0 million) non-brokered private placement to strengthen its balance sheet and fund ongoing operations.

💰 Betlabs closed a fully funded seed round backed entirely by SportsContentCo LLC for an undisclosed amount to scale its sports betting technology and product development.

🤝 MS Dhoni merged 7Padel with PadelPark India for an undisclosed amount to accelerate court development, consolidate operations and boost nationwide participation in India’s fast-growing padel market.

🤝 Global, one of Europe’s biggest commercial radio companies, acquired a majority stake in The Overlap, the YouTube channel founded by Gary Neville, in the latest sign of the streaming platform’s increasing influence in sports broadcasting.

🤝 Upper Hand, a youth sports technology platform, was acquired for an undisclosed amount, by H3 Partners, a private equity firm as the buyer looked to scale software supporting scheduling, registration and operations for youth sports organisations.

🚫 Germany-based Sportstech Brands Holding GmbH is suspending its discussions with U.S.-based Interactive Strength, Inc. (TRNR) regarding a potential acquisition of Sportstech.

💸 Anta Sports offered to acquire the Pinault family’s 29% stake in Puma for an undisclosed amount, with sources saying the Chinese sportswear group had already secured financing should the deal proceed.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Signing off for the year with a quick Boxing Day newsletter. More insights from our latest SportsTech VC Report, this time covering the rise in debt financing. Plus highlights from a relatively quiet news week.

Wishing you all a warm and restful close to 2025. See you in 2026! 🎉

💡 GLOBAL SPORTS TECH VC REPORT

Rise of Debt Financing: 25% of Sports Tech Capital

Staying on Key Trends highlighted in our recently published Global SportsTech VC Report, we’re ending the year with the last key trend seen in 2025, i.e. the rise of debt financing in sports tech, pointing to a structural shift rather than a temporary spike. Debt rounds now account for roughly a quarter of all deal flow in 2025, rising at an average rate of 22% annually since 2021.

Large operators and growth-stage companies increasingly turn to debt without harming valuations, evident in major rounds from Superbet, DraftKings, and Solidcore. With $5.9B raised over five years and notable upticks in 2024-2025, debt has become a standard part of the funding mix for companies focused on efficient scaling.

Here are the top debt rounds in 2025:

1. Superbet - $1.36 billion

2. DraftKings - $600 million

3. Solidcore - $325 million

4. Midnite - $100 million

5. Sports Illustrated Tickets - $50 million

6. Alt - $40 million

7. The Beachbody Company - $35 million

8. TOCA Football - $20 million

9. Rivalry - $0.7 million

10. Teamworks - Undisclosed

Read the Global SportsTech VC Report 2025 to explore the other two top trends shaping sports innovation, plus the top-funded companies and sectors

If you need the complete picture for investment, strategy, partnerships or planning, the PRO report and Intelligence Hub provides the granularity needed for decision making. These are intelligence tools built for serious dealmakers.

• Dealflow Database: Track funding rounds, investment activity, and emerging opportunities as they come.

  Use case: See which companies just raised capital and who led the round. Spot opportunities before they hit the headlines.

• M&A Intelligence: Access acquisition data, valuations, and buyer trends across sports tech.

  Use case: Identify acquisition targets or assess competitor M&A activity.

• Contact Access: Get direct contact information for founders, executives, and decision-makers.

  Use case: Skip the cold intro and reach out directly to key stakeholders.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🥊 Keeping the Boxing Day theme, Jake Paul’s match vs Anthony Joshua drew in 33 million concurrent viewers globally on Netflix

⚽ The NWSL introduces $1m salary cap boost for ‘High Impact Players’ who meet commercial or sporting criteria

🏀 NBA owners voted to allow private equity investors to purchase equity in as many as eight franchises, up from the previous limit of five

🏊‍♀️ The International Swimming League (ISL) is planning a return in 2026, following a three-year hiatus

🎲 DraftKings launched DraftKings Predictions, a standalone CFTC-regulated prediction market app

🏈 Kansas City Chiefs will receive $1.8 billion in public funding for a new $3 billion stadium, the largest public subsidy ever for a U.S. sports stadium project, moving from Arrowhead to a new domed stadium by 2031

💰 Wellness company Truemed raised $34 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Long Journey Ventures, BoxGroup, and Trust Ventures.

💰 Peripheral Labs announced a $3.6 million seed funding round led by Khosla Ventures, bringing its volumetric video tech to sports

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

It's been a busy week for Netflix's Sports team, which made two major partnership announcements, with FIFA and Barstool Sports. Meanwhile, M&A teams are rushing to close deals before year-end: six acquisitions were announced in the last week, including deals from Teamworks and Wasserman.

💡 GLOBAL SPORTS TECH VC REPORT

Alt-Casts Go Mainstream

Staying on Key Trends highlighted in our recently published Global SportsTech VC Report, this week we're spotlighting the rise of Alt-Casts, or Alternative Broadcasts, which have evolved from experimental add-ons to standard infrastructure.

Rights holders are now layering creator-led co-streams, AI-generated multilingual commentary, metaverse feeds, and vertical mobile broadcasts on top of primary feeds to reach younger, global, and digitally native audiences. These formats allow broadcasters to test new packages without altering the core feed and give fans more personalized viewing experiences.

From FIFA partnering with creator channels to leagues deploying GenAI commentary across 150+ languages, alt-casts are becoming table stakes for modern sports media.

Here are some ‘Companies to Watch’ in this space

• Playback.tv: Enables creators to host live streams of matches, driving fan interaction and expanding viewership.

• Camb.ai: Dubs live Major League Soccer matches into more than 150 languages.

• Bolt6: Collaborated with Tennis Australia to produce animated, augmented live streams for YouTube.

• Beyond Sports: Works with the NFL, NBA, and NHL to create animated broadcasts designed to engage younger audiences.

• Creator Sports Network: Empowers creators to act as a distribution network for live sports content.

Read the Global SportsTech VC Report 2025 to explore the other two top trends shaping sports innovation, plus the top-funded companies and sectors

If you need the complete picture for investment, strategy, partnerships or planning, the PRO report and Intelligence Hub provides the granularity needed for decision making. These are intelligence tools built for serious dealmakers.

• Dealflow Database: Track funding rounds, investment activity, and emerging opportunities as they come.

  Use case: See which companies just raised capital and who led the round. Spot opportunities before they hit the headlines.

• M&A Intelligence: Access acquisition data, valuations, and buyer trends across sports tech.

  Use case: Identify acquisition targets or assess competitor M&A activity.

• Contact Access: Get direct contact information for founders, executives, and decision-makers.

  Use case: Skip the cold intro and reach out directly to key stakeholders.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🎮 FIFA announced it would launch a new football video game exclusively on Netflix ahead of the 2026 World Cup, marking a major next step following their acrimonious split from Electronic Arts .

🎙️ Netflix agreed to pay Barstool Sports an eight-figure annual fee under a multi-year deal as part of its push to entice creators to migrate the video forms of their podcasts from YouTube to the subscription streaming platform.

🏈 ESPN launched the MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats, an AI-driven alternate NFL broadcast debuting December 22 that integrated real-time player tracking, analytics and predictive insights.

🏟️ Saudi Arabia’s Event Investment Fund partnered with Legends Global to develop and operate new sports and entertainment venues, starting with an Olympic standard shooting range.

🥽 ESPN began using a VR tool called Virtual Medicine to help injury analyst Stephania Bell visually explain NFL injuries through immersive 3D medical simulations.

🏅 The VOICEINSPORT Foundation launched a multi-year VISF Grant for Women in Sport Science Research to address gender gaps by funding and supporting women-led research in sports performance and health.

🏀 The NBA and Amazon Web Services rolled out a new AI engine that processes vast amounts of tracking and game data to deliver next-generation insights for fans, players and coaches through real-time analytics and advanced visualisation.

📺 NBCUniversal unveiled new ad-tech formats including “Arrival Ads” on Peacock, designed to target viewers the moment they open the app as the company sought to better monetise its growing investment in live sports and major events.

⚽ The 2025 MLS Cup delivered record engagement with 4.6 million viewers across platforms and the youngest audience in league history, as nearly 70 percent of viewers were under the age of 35.

🏈 NFL owners approved up to $32 million in investment through the league’s 32 Equity arm to launch a new professional flag football league, authorising the search for an operating partner and confirming Munich as part of the NFL’s international return strategy.

🏀 NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that a league expansion decision would come in 2026, with Las Vegas and Seattle identified as the primary candidate markets.

💼 The Big 12 Conference advanced talks on a $500 million private-capital deal with RedBird-backed Collegiate Athletic Solutions, to be structured without selling equity or governance control.

📉 Warner Bros. Discovery urged shareholders to reject a hostile takeover bid from Paramount, in favor of its original agreement with streaming giant Netflix.

💸 Fenway Sports Group agreed to sell the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Chicago-based Hoffmann family for an expected $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion, pending approval from the NHL Board of Governors, exiting the NHL franchise after four years.

💸 Catch12, led by Ja Morant, invested an undisclosed amount in EuroStep Ventures, parent company of Paris-based Levallois Metropolitans, to expand its global basketball footprint.

💰 Omri Casspi, former NBA player and founder of Swish Ventures, raised a $100 million follow-on fund, taking the firm to $300 million AUM, to double down on Israeli technology investments from seed to late-stage growth.

💰 SkillCorner secured $60 million in growth funding from Silversmith Capital Partners, to accelerate global expansion of its sports tracking, analytics and data intelligence platform.

💰 Playtomic raised $6 million in community funding from more than 4,600 investors to support global expansion and scale operations as demand for racket sports continued to surge.

💰 Orreco, an AI-powered performance science firm in Ireland, acquired computer vision startup Data Driven Sports Analytics and raised $4 million in a Series A extension from Mark Cuban, Enterprise Island, professional athletes and existing backers.

💰 Recovr raised $1 million to advance its recovery-focused sports and wellness platform, in a Seed funding round led by JWW Capital.

💰 Recruitment platform ShowNxt received a $10,000 grant from IDEA: Northeastern University’s Venture Accelerator, marking the company’s second award from the program to support early-stage growth.

💰 Smart fitness eyewear Minimis secured its first institutional VC investment for an undisclosed amount from a fund with a large consumer media arm to support platform growth.

💰 Monumental Sports & Entertainment secured new and expanded minority investments as Arctos joined as an investor and Qatar Investment Authority increased its existing stake.

🤝 Teamworks acquired Opteamal for an undisclosed amount to strengthen its athlete monitoring, performance data integration and club workflow management capabilities across professional sport.

🤝 Initial Group, backed by TPG, acquired Silver Tribe Media for an undisclosed amount to expand its digital media management and production capabilities across sports, news and entertainment.

🤝 Wasserman acquired Unik Sports Management for an undisclosed amount, expanding its global football representation business across player management and commercial advisory services.

🤝 Alpine Software Group (ASG) acquired PlayHQ for an undisclosed amount in a cross-border sports-tech transaction, with Drake Star acting as exclusive financial advisor, as ASG expanded its global footprint in sports administration and participation software.

🤝 WIN Reality acquired Yakkertech for an undisclosed amount and launched SmartPark, a connected-field system capturing over 125 live performance metrics from every pitch, swing and ball-in-play.

🤝 Virat Kohli sold One8 to Agilitas Sports and invested $4.8 million (₹40 crore) in the company, joining Agilitas as an investor and co-founder of the One8 brand under its new structure.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Featured by SportsTechX: Interviews, articles, events, and more

🏆 PEAK STARTUP WORLD CUP

Join the Global Qualifier for the PEAK Startup World Cup, hosted by SportsTechX

We’re partnering with PEAK, the global home of SportsTech & innovation, to launch the inaugural PEAK Startup World Cup - and SportsTechX is hosting the Global Qualifier.

This is your chance to pitch on the world stage in-front of our expert judges, connect with top investors, and battle it out for $10,000+ cash prize plus other prizes, including free booths and tickets to PEAK and memberships to the Intelligence Hub PRO.

SportTechX Global Qualifier:

- Format: Virtual pitch competition hosted by SportsTechX
- Qualifier Prizes: Free Booth + Tickets + Investor/Accelerator Access at PEAK (worth $7,500+) -  more details below.
- When: 3pm CET / Thursday 29th January
- Pitch Format: 3-minute quickfire pitch + 3-minute Q&A
- Apply to pitch
- Register to watch

Categories:

1. For Athletes (Activity & Performance)
2. For Fans (Fan Engagement, Content, Streaming, Ticketing, Fantasy & Betting)
3. For Executives (Venues, Management & Organization)

We’ll shortlist the top 9 startups (3 per category) to compete during the SportsTechX Global Qualifier. One winner from each category will progress to the Finals at PEAK

What Finalists Receive at PEAK 2026

- Booth + free tickets to PEAK 2026 (worth $7,500+)
- Access to investors, accelerators & media coverage across the SportsTechX and PEAK networks
- 6-months complimentary access to STX Intelligence Hub PRO (worth $1000)
- Invitation to pitch on stage during the Finals
- $10,000+ cash prize for the global winner
- Runners-up receive booths for PEAK 2027

Eligibility

- Under 5 years old
- Less than $1M annual revenue
- Less than $5M raised
- Fewer than 25 employees

Apply now to join the Global Qualifier and earn your spot on the biggest SportsTech stage in the world.

Note: Applications close January 23rd 2026.

🔗 FOOTBALL TECH REPORT 2025

$7.7 Billion invested in Football Tech over the last 5 years

A deep dive into what's happening in football innovation.

Why now? Simple: FIFA World Cup 26 is less than 12 months away, and we wanted to take stock of where the industry actually is. A lot has changed since our last report (FTR2020), and it felt like the right time to map out the landscape before one of sport’s biggest events kicks off.

Let’s start with numbers, which tell quite a story.

• $7.7 billion in global football tech deals since 2020 - with $2.2 billion just in H1 2025.

• Europe leads the way with ~60% of that investment, though North America isn't far behind at 33%.

• And here's something that jumped out at us: funding for Fan solutions has shot up from 63% to 80% over the last 18 months (2024-25).

If you're investing in this space, building in it, or trying to figure out where football tech is actually headed versus where the hype says it's going - this report is meant to cut through the noise. We're at an inflection point where billions are being deployed, but the fundamental questions about value, adoption, and what fans actually want remain surprisingly unsettled.

Which region attracted the most funding?

Between 2020 and H1 2025, no surprise that Europe dominated as the clear leader in football investment with $4.6B across 173 rounds. North America followed with $2.6B across 51 rounds, but unlike Europe, activity was heavily concentrated in 'Football Also' startups ($2.31B) compared to just $291M in 'Football Only'. Overall, the chart underscores that while Europe leads in both scale and diversity of deals and

Top Funded Companies of all time?

Across both leaderboards for companies that only cater to football (Football Only) and companies that have football among other sports (Football Also), the funding is heavily concentrated in fan, content, and media driven platforms, with Sorare, OneFootball, and DAZN accounting for a disproportionate share of capital raised. Beyond these leaders, investment spreads across performance hardware, data, ticketing, gaming, fantasy, merchandise, and immersive experiences, pointing to a market that is diversifying rather than fragmenting. London and New York emerge as the primary global hubs, while the US hosts the majority of scaled platforms, reflecting where capital, distribution, and platform ambition continue to cluster.

Which emerging technologies do you believe will most impact the football industry in the next 3 - 5 years?

Read more insights from the 15 leading visionaries in world football who are driving the ecosystem's growth and success through their leadership of transformative initiatives all over.

• - Albert Mundet, Barça Innovation Hub

• - Andy Selby, Premier League

• - Alejandro Ugarrio, Atleti Lab

• - Charles Frémont, UEFA Innovation Hub

• - Karla Hernández, Mexican Football Federation

• - Christopher Schlosser, Major League Soccer

• - Debora Saldanha, Clube Atlético Mineiro

• - Preeti Shetty, Brentford FC

• - Hendrik Weber, Deutsche Fußball Liga

• - Sudarshan Gopaladesikan, Newcastle United

• - Carolina Chiappero, Juventus Forward

• - Jan Alessie, World Football Summit

• - Tomasz Kowalczyk, Polish Federation Innovation Hub

• - Giel Kirkels, KNVB Football Innovation Hub

• - Sebastian Koppers, DFB Akademie

 🔗 JOIN THE CONVERSATION