South Africa: HAVAÍC backs sporttech startup Sportable
Cape Town-headquartered venture capital firm HAVAÍC has announced its first investment in Sportable.
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Cape Town-headquartered venture capital firm HAVAÍC has announced its first investment in Sportable. The sole African institutional investor, HAVAÍC is contributing $1 million as part of a $15 million Series A investment round, which also includes renowned US-based sports investor Ryan Sports Ventures and Australian fund XV Capital led by Stirling Mortlock and James Godfrey.
Founded by two South Africans in 2016, Sportable deploys micro-tracking technology to enhance data collection and analysis in ball and contact sports, particularly rugby, soccer, and American football.
Micro-tracking modules fitted in balls and on players are plotted by radio frequency beacons around the field to accurately capture and process data. The wireless hardware and cloud-based platform can be set up and broadcast-ready within 90 minutes to analyse games with near-zero latency. Partners use the insights delivered via APIs and event streams to produce actionable real-time data.
The investment will allow Sportable to further expand its partnerships with international tournaments, including the Six Nations Rugby Championship, as well as global ball manufacturers, media companies, and sporting leagues.
The company has a growing global footprint with offices in London, Melbourne, and Cape Town under the leadership of CEO Dugald Macdonald and CTO Peter Husemeyer. .
Ian Lessem, managing partner at HAVAÍC, said: “The team’s reach into the big leagues and brands across rugby, American football, and soccer is very impressive. Sportable has a potent combination of exceptional experience and far-reaching connections, not to mention a very robust product with exhilarating potential to scale. As champions of African tech innovation with global prospects, Sportable 100% hits the mark for HAVAÍC.”
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