🚀 Updating the Playbook - Monthly Top Stories
Kerry Company Brings AI Stadium Assistant to Croke Park
Kerry-based fintech company Fexco has launched The Croke Park Stadium Assistant, a first-of-its-kind AI tool powered by its SmartAssist Platform. Fans scan a QR code to access real-time crowd flow data, navigate to their seat, and get live match updates. Piloted at AIB GAA All-Ireland Senior Club Finals and Allianz League games in January, fan feedback has been hugely positive. The long-term roadmap includes personalised offers, agentic payments, and loyalty integration. read more
Limerick Startup Anri Gamifies Martial Arts Training with AI
Limerick entrepreneur Kevin King has developed Anri, an AI-powered app that turns smartphones into personal combat sports coaches using computer vision and biomechanical mapping. King describes it as "the TikTok of Combat Sports, but with real feedback." He won 'best pitch' at the NDRC Startup Sprint in Limerick and is completing a postgrad in Sports Analytics, Technology and Innovation at TU Dublin. The app is collaborating with The Hub Martial Arts and is now recruiting creators across Ireland. read more
Cork FitTech Startup Revelate Fitness Eyes UK and US Expansion
Cork startup Revelate Fitness, founded in 2022 by former rugby player Chris Kenefick, is expanding into the UK and US markets. The app delivers personalised 45-minute cardio workouts across rowers, bikes and ski machines, adapting targets to each member's ability. Already used by over 1,200 people monthly across 18 Irish gyms, Revelate has established a presence in London, Scotland, Washington DC and Texas, and is making strong inroads in the Hyrox fitness racing space. read more
🦄 Performance Review- Report in Focus
Pathways Toward Sustainable SportsTech Ecosystems - STRN
The Sports Tech Research Network published its inaugural whitepaper this month, mapping the current state of innovation across the global sports technology ecosystem — co-authored by TU Dublin's Kieran Collins.
SportsTech M&A consolidation accelerates: The global sports-tech industry recorded $51.9 billion across 503 deals in H1 2025 alone — including 233 M&A transactions — as corporate players acquire their way to scale, raising both interoperability opportunities and data privacy concerns.
Hype outpacing validation in commercial sports tech: A structural gap exists where the commercial ecosystem's "move fast" ethos bypasses rigorous product validation — leading to widespread tool adoption in the absence of robust evidence of efficacy
Wearables crossing from sport into clinical use: Technologies originally built for athletic monitoring are achieving clinical validation — with wearable biosensors now used for patient mobility tracking in rehabilitation, and continuous glucose monitors migrating from diabetes management into elite performance optimisation
Universities identified as key missing link in SportsTech scaling: Higher Education Institutions must evolve beyond research pipelines and become active ecosystem orchestrators — with rigid licensing terms, bureaucratic tech transfer offices, and slow commercialisation cycles currently identified as primary barriers to bringing sports tech innovations to market
🗓️ Home and Away - Upcoming Events
International Sports Convention 2026
Premier gathering connecting sports business leaders, investors, and innovators across the global sports industry.
Dates: 25-26 March
Location: London, UK
SportsPro London 2026
One of Europe's most prominent sports technology and media conferences, covering digital transformation, rights, fan engagement, and emerging trends.
Dates: 29-30 April
Location: London, UK
Website: https://london.sportspro.com/
EDGE26 – Ireland's Creative Economy Summit
Premier gathering connecting sports business leaders, investors, and innovators across the global sports industry.
Dates: 25-26 March
Location: London, UK
SportsPro London 2026
One of Europe's most prominent sports technology and media conferences, covering digital transformation, rights, fan engagement, and emerging trends.
Dates: 29-30 April
Location: London, UK
Website: https://london.sportspro.com/
Golf Business Technology Conference
The island of Ireland hosts this international B2B conference dedicated to technology, innovation and business strategy across the global golf industry.
Dates: 5-7 May
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
EDGE26 – Ireland's Creative Economy Summit
Ireland's first national Creative Economy Summit, uniting founders, investors, technologists, and policymakers from film, animation, games, immersive tech, and digital media.
Dates: 21 May
Location: Galway, Ireland
Website: https://crewdigital.ie/edge26/
🔥 Level Up Your Game - Career Opportunities
Funding Roundup
Till next time,