Getty Images In soccer, it appears in the video referee (VAR, the video assistant referee). In basketball, in the data analysis for the prevention of injuries to players. In swimming, it is the camera at the bottom of the pool to detail the training laps. Independent of the sport, technology has become an indispensable partner, whose mission is to help improve athletes’ performance and improve the dynamics of competitions.
Behind all this are SportsTechs, companies specializing in sports technology, relatively new and with a lot of growth potential. These are sports startups, which have multiplied in the last five years. Today, 6,191 SportsTechs exist around the world, working with data intelligence, sports betting, tournament management, athlete performance, among others.
They have already attracted more than 31.9 billion dollars (around 165 billion reais) in investments. “The public is eager for technology, generation Z was born amongst screens, there is simply no room for experiences that seem frozen in time”, explains Eduardo Tega, founder and CEO of Sportheca, considered one of the most promising SportsTechs in the world.
Brazil and investment in the sector
There are 165 SportsTech companies in Brazil, according to the Startup Scanner platform. Among them, Gympass, which connects users and gyms and has become a unicorn — name given to startups that reach a market value of one billion dollars (5.1 billion reais). In total, these companies attracted 805.5 million dollars (4.1 billion reais) to the country between 2018 and 2022 (see the ranking below).
Outside of the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Brazil is the country that most attracts investment. Investor confidence is linked to the professionalization of companies, especially in football. “The more clubs professionalize their management, the more they will need suppliers like SportsTechs,” states Tega.
SportsTechs around the world
The regions with the greatest investments in sportsTechs (in billions of dollares, 2022)
NORTH AMERICA: 5,7
EUROPE: 1,5
ASIA-PACIFIC: 1
Between 2018 and 2022:
They received investments of 31.9 billion dollars
47% of them developed technologies to improve spectator experience
17,4% bet on devices to monitor athlete performance
Brazil comes first in the rest of the world:
| COUNTRY | INVESTMENT OF | |
| 1 | Brazil | 805,5 MILLION DOLLARS (4.1 BILLION REAIS) |
| 2 | Egypt | 4,5 MILLION DOLLARS (23.3 MILLION REAIS) |
| 3 | Chile | 2.6 MILLION DOLLARS (13.4 MILLION REAIS) |
| 4 | Argentina | 1.9 MILLION DOLLARS (9.8 MILLION REAIS)1 MILLION DOLLARS (5.1 MILLION REAIS) |
| 5 | Colombia | 1 MILLION DOLLARS (5.1 MILLION REAIS) |
Sources: SportstechX, Startup Scanne and O Globo.
