Wearable footwear-mounted performance tracker Playermaker has raised 拢32 million in funding.
The London company has specialised in football to date but is now looking to develop a multi-sport platform, beginning with a focus on basketball.
Its tracking device turns any footwear into a connected solution that captures professional-grade technical, tactical, biomechanical and physical data from the source of motion.聽
It says this provides valuable insights and analysis to enable and empower athletes at any level to maximise their skills, monitor injury risk and expedite injury recovery.
The tracker is already used by over 250 elite, professional, and recreational football teams, academies and colleges.
The fundraise was led by Ventura Capital Group with additional investment by MIG Capital, Pegasus Tech Ventures and others.聽
鈥淥ur mission is to challenge the disparities in sport, striving to attain fair play and equal opportunity for all by ensuring that everyone can access the knowledge they need to improve their game,鈥� said Guy Aharon, CEO and co-founder.
鈥淲e are empowering and inspiring boys and girls across the world of sports to stay active, pursue their dreams, and be the best they can be regardless of their discipline, location, or resources. Ultimately, wherever there is passion and shoes, that鈥檚 where we want to be.鈥�
Playermaker is able to track technical performance and offer further-reaching insights due to the position on both the left and right shoe. This enables it to pair the usual surface-level metrics with complex functional factors such as foot placement/angle, foot velocity, acceleration on hard cuts vs. straightaway runs, and more – allowing for more unique and astute insights.聽
The device requires no additional infrastructure or installation and doesn鈥檛 require WIFI, cell service, or external power to collect and analyse data from any given session. It can also be used both indoors and outdoors, differentiating it from GPS systems and making it easily adaptable across a range of sporting activities.
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The firm has partnered with Liverpool FC prospect Harvey Elliott as brand ambassador; launched a community initiative with Fulham FC; and extended a project with the Football Association and Leeds Beckett University to explore and provide in-depth insights into the demands of women鈥檚 football.聽
The company says it has experienced substantial international growth across academy, college, semi-professional and elite level teams.
鈥淲e have been blown away by the support Playermaker has received internationally and our investors have shown great faith in our team and the potential of our technology,鈥� continued Aharon.聽
鈥淥ur journey began with soccer but the data, knowledge, and experience we鈥檝e gained is a rock-solid foundation that we are excited to leverage to elevate all athletes across sports.聽
鈥淲e are confident that the success we have seen in soccer will be replicated in other sports because nothing feels better than having all the tools you need to improve when playing a sport you love at any level.鈥�