Staff Writer
Two sports AI startups announced funding this week, and they share one idea: general-purpose AI is not enough for sport. Both are building tools on top of live sports data.
Snapp: a sports-first AI assistant
San Francisco startup Snapp came out of stealth with $4.6 million. Its investors include a16z Speedrun, Dorm Room Fund, Gold House Ventures, House Fund and Valia Ventures.
Co-founder Shawn Tsao previously founded the food delivery startup Caviar, which was later bought by Square and then DoorDash.
What it does:
- A consumer app on iOS and Android that answers sports questions in real time, including live matchups and fantasy line-ups. The company says it has more than 20,000 downloads.
- An enterprise platform for professional teams, covering scouting, recruiting, opponent analysis and in-game decisions. It is running a pilot with UC Berkeley's football programme.
- More than 30 live data pipelines covering over 100 leagues, with links to major fantasy and sports data services.
Snapp's case is simple: general chatbots often lack up-to-the-minute data, so they struggle with live games. The company claims its answers are more accurate and faster than leading general-purpose AI models. These are its own figures and have not been independently tested.
Tsao's pitch to fans: "Getting an edge shouldn't feel like work."
OnSport AI: spotting injuries before they happen
Miami-based OnSport AI raised $2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by international basketball team owners, who were not named.
What it does:
- It analyses in-game player tracking data and ordinary match video to study how each athlete moves.
- It compares that movement to the player's own normal pattern and flags signs of risk for non-contact injuries, such as ACL tears and Achilles ruptures.
- It covers basketball, soccer and golf.
The company spent over a year in stealth. It ran a technical pilot with an unnamed NBA franchise and trials with professional basketball and soccer organisations. The new money will speed up its commercial launch. The company is led by CEO Brett Burman, with Adam Petway as director of biomechanics.
What these deals have in common
Both companies are betting that the value is in the sports data, not just the AI model:
- Snapp's edge is its live data pipelines across many leagues.
- OnSport AI's edge is the movement data it builds up for each player over time.
Big general AI tools are getting better at everything, so specialist startups are competing on data the big models do not have, and on fitting into how fans and teams already work.
Why African sports tech should pay attention
Much African football data is still thin. Many leagues have limited live stats, video and tracking. That is a weakness today, but it is also an opening. A platform that reliably collects and structures data for leagues like the NPFL, NNL or African basketball could support the same kind of AI tools: smarter match previews for fans, scouting help for clubs, and in time, player welfare tools.
Snapp's mix of a fan app and a product for teams is also worth noting. It shows that one data platform can serve fans and professionals at the same time.
What to watch next
- Whether Snapp publishes independent checks of its accuracy claims.
- Which teams and leagues sign on with OnSport AI once it launches commercially.
- Whether African sports data companies start using AI on local league data.
Sources: TechStartups: Snapp raises $4.6M; Ministry of Sport: OnSport AI secures $2M