SportAI, an Oslo-based B2B sports technology company, has closed an oversubscribed $3 million funding round to expand its AI-powered 20-ranked video analysis platform. The round attracted backing from Norwegian investment fund Altitude Capital and top 20 ranked tennis star Casper Ruud, formerly world number two. The company plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate its global rollout and deepen its technical capabilities across racket sports.
New Capital and Strategic Investors
The $3 million raise combines institutional investors and high-profile sports figures who see commercial potential in data-driven performance analysis. Former Head of McKinsey’s Global Tech and Media practice, Endre Holen, invested in the round and has taken on the role of Chairman. Additional backers include U.S. professional soccer player Alejandro Bedoya and TRK Group founder Trond Riiber Knudsen, strengthening SportAI’s network in both sports and venture ecosystems.
From Manual Tagging to Scalable AI Insight
SportAI uses computer vision and machine learning to generate technique breakdowns, match statistics, tactical insights, and highlight clips from match footage. Traditional video analysis required coaches or analysts to manually tag every action, which limited scalability and made elite-level feedback accessible mostly to professionals. By automating this process and working with existing video sources such as mounted court cameras, broadcast feeds, and smartphone recordings, SportAI aims to bring professional-grade analysis to everyday players and coaches.
Camera Agnostic, API First Platform
At the core of SportAI’s strategy is an API first model that layers AI analytics on top of third-party camera and streaming infrastructure. The platform is camera agnostic, so its technology can be integrated with a wide variety of installed systems across thousands of sports venues worldwide. Players and coaches can then access real-time statistics and curated highlights through partner applications and services.
Growing Network of Global Partnerships
SportAI has already secured several notable partnerships that demonstrate this platform approach in practice. MATCHi, described as one of the fastest-growing racket sports networks with more than one million users and thousands of courts across 30 countries, uses SportAI analysis to enhance player experience and training. The company also powers services for Save My Play, a leading U.S. court-mounted camera provider, and Shark, where SportAI underpins an AI coaching app for pickleball players in the United States, Europe, Brazil, and Australia.
Leadership Backing from Top Level Sport and Tech
The company benefits from a mix of sports champions and technology veterans in its leadership and advisory circle. World chess number one Magnus Carlsen, who is also an investor, and Øivind Sørvald, longtime technical coach to Casper Ruud, advise on performance and coaching use cases. Chairman Endre Holen brings experience from seven years on the board of Hudl, the global sports video analysis platform, and has said SportAI’s execution on court camera solutions convinced him it can become the reference platform for racket sports analytics.
Founding Team and Market Opportunity
SportAI was founded in late 2023 by former NCAA tennis player Lauren Pedersen as CEO, CTO Felipe Longé, and former Play Magnus CEO Andreas Thome, who also serves on the board. They are joined by board member Espen Agdestein and Head of Commercial Trond Kittelsen, giving the company a leadership team with deep roots in Norwegian tech, software, and sports businesses. SportAI is targeting the fast-expanding AI in sports market, projected to reach $28.2 billion by 2030, with a cloud-based SaaS platform that can be embedded into broadcast products, facilities, coaching programs, training apps, and even equipment recommendation tools.
Recognition, such as a recent Special Mention in TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025, suggests SportAI’s approach is gaining early validation. With $5.7 million raised to date, a ten-person team, and new capital anchored by high-profile investors from both sport and industry, the company is now positioned to scale its technology across global racket sports. By making advanced performance analytics available far beyond the professional ranks, SportAI is betting that the next wave of sports improvement will be powered as much by AI-generated insight as on-court practice.