🚀 Updating the Playbook - Monthly Top Stories
Colata Secures €600K for AI-Powered Sports Intelligence Platform
Irish startup Colata, co-founded by Dr Kieran Collins and Fiona Ryan, launches AI-powered sports intelligence platform consolidating tactics, performance, medical data and fan engagement in one dashboard. Targeting elite clubs, leagues and governing bodies, the B2B SaaS solution addresses fragmented data streams affecting 60% of sports organizations. Enterprise Ireland provided €600K - reportedly the highest-funded sports tech startup by EI. Official launch planned November 2025. read more
BearingPoint Partners with Tennis Ireland for AI-Driven Performance Analytics
Tech consultancy BearingPoint Ireland becomes Official Digital, Data and AI Partner with Tennis Ireland, launching BearingPoint TI Advantage dashboards. Platform provides real-time insights into participation, player performance, rankings and development pathways from grassroots to professional levels. Advanced analytics include biomechanical indicators via wearable technology - measuring movement speed, shot depth, spin rate. Initiative extends to disability tennis for complete ecosystem transformation. read more
Tixserve Secures €2.1M to Expand Digital Ticketing Platform
Irish-founded Tixserve raised €2.1M from Maven Capital Partners through British Business Bank's South West Investment Fund. The white-label digital ticketing platform serves major sports clients including England Rugby, Welsh Rugby, Celtic FC, and Rugby Australia. Funding supports recruitment, sales expansion, and Bristol base opening as Premier League mandates digital ticketing by 2026/27. Company targets becoming leading independent mobile distribution platform globally. read more
🦄 Performance Review- Research in Focus
Platform power, athlete branding, generative AI, and the future of sport governance
Systematic review of 47 peer-reviewed studies (2016-2025) examines how elite athletes leverage digital platforms, generative AI, and blockchain to build autonomous brands and bypass traditional sport gatekeepers.
Athletes Becoming Autonomous Media Entities Elite athletes shifted from organizational control to self-determined brand architects producing and monetizing their own content.
Digital Platform Empowerment Creates New Dependencies Platforms enable direct fan engagement but create algorithmic visibility dependencies and platform-controlled monetization rules.
Generative AI Transforms Branding But Threatens Authenticity AI enables scaled personalized content but automation risks undermining authentic relationships driving fan loyalty.
Traditional Sport Governance Must Evolve or Become Irrelevant Governing bodies must evolve from control-oriented institutions or risk irrelevance as athletes build independent ecosystems.
🗓️ Home and Away - Upcoming Events
SportsTech Alliance Summit
AI masterclasses, data engagement roundtables, and innovation case studies
Dates: 1 October
Location: Dublin
Online STRN networking event
Tailor-matched 1-on-1 conversations connecting global sports tech professionals virtually.
Dates: 16 October
Location: Online
ESSMA Summit
European sports venue managers gather for innovation and operational excellence discussions.
Dates: 11-12 November
Location: London
SportTech Nation 2025
Europe's premier sports technology conference gathers industry leaders in Munich.
Dates: 30 November - 2 December
Location: Munich
🔥 Level Up Your Game - Career Opportunities
Funding Roundup
Research Fellow (Engineering Lead) – Trakko (and more)
Institute of Technology | Dundalk
View Details (and similar positions)
Till next time,