With a background in competitive tennis, Lauren Pedersen knows what it’s like to receive feedback from various coaches and wonder what the best advice would be. Last year, she co-founded a fledgling startup, SportAI, that integrates AI in sport.
The B2B sports technology firm aims to enhance sports technique coaching, commentary, and analysis with artificial intelligence and benchmarked by gold-standard athletes.
As its CEO and co-founder, Pedersen talks with TI about how the company integrates AI in sports to provide high-quality technique analysis.
The former CMO for air quality tech firm AirThings, and fintech firms InstaBank and Omny, also discusses the inspiration behind the venture, the process of developing the technology, and its potential impact on the sports industry.
The conversation with the Oslo-based founder also covers the firm’s recent seed funding round, amounting to $1.8 million, with investors including Magnus Carlsen, the highest-ranked chess player of all time, and ex-pro tennis player Dekel Valtzer, as well as Skyfall Ventures.
What inspired you to cofound Sport AI?
I’ve been playing sports my entire life and have a particular passion for tennis. I played juniors in New Zealand and NCAA college tennis in the States and continue to play today. My career has been in tech, so now, founding my own company that combines my love of sports with my tech experience is the perfect opportunity for me.
How does your sports background influence the technology?
I understand sport deeply. I know what it means to learn, train, and strive for improvement. Our technology aims to open access to high-quality, objective sports data for everyone. Growing up in New Zealand, I and many others didn’t have access to top-tier technique analysis, which has been reserved for pro players with teams of experts. With advances in AI, particularly computer vision and machine learning, we can analyse techniques, compare them to gold-standard players, and provide immediate feedback for improvement.
Can you describe the process of developing and refining the technology?
As our name suggests, we rely on AI, specifically video analysis. The video can come from various sources like mobile phones, broadcast feeds, or cameras mounted at sports venues. We analyse the footage to understand the technique and compare it to a gold standard. This standard could combine the best players’ techniques or a specific player you want to emulate, like Roger Federer. We then provide immediate feedback on how to improve.
You were just at the US Open. Do you find yourself thinking about how AI would correct techniques as you watch sports?
Definitely, the opportunity to analyse techniques and improve training, data accuracy, and fan engagement across various sports is huge. It can even enhance product recommendations for sports equipment. For example, we can use our technology to help players choose the right tennis racket for their style rather than just imitating a pro’s choices.
What feedback have you received from your early users, and how has it shaped the product?
Technique analysis has traditionally been subjective, expensive, and unscalable. Our technology changes that by empowering coaches with data and giving players trackable improvement metrics. This benefits the industry, and our users will see its potential.
How has collaborating with other professionals in competitive sports such as chess contributed to SportAI’s success?
Collaboration has been crucial. One of our early investors is Magnus Carlsen, the world-renowned chess player and an absolute superstar who has heavily relied on AI to improve his game. He believes AI can significantly enhance training across all sports. Our team combines expertise in sports and technology, creating a strong, diverse foundation.
What are your priorities after the recent seed funding from Skyfall Ventures?
We’re focusing on product development and onboarding customers in three key areas: training and coaching, product recommendations for brands and retailers, and broadcasting. We’re partnering with forward-thinking brands to roll out our technology over the coming months.
Now, how do you take your coffee?
I prefer a large, milky coffee — ideally a large latte. However, I live in Norway, where everyone drinks black coffee without often having the option to add milk. So, adding milk these days is a bit of a luxury.
How do you wind down from your busy schedule?
Tennis and training are still big parts of my life. They keep me in shape and make me a better leader, team member, and family member because I stay in shape and still get to experience the sport. It’s good for mind, body, and soul.
Read: Transfer deadline: Using AI in sport to recruit football talent
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