Raw Stadia, a prominent sports tech startup based in Hasselt, has successfully concluded a capital round, securing €1.5 million to propel the international expansion of its innovative solution designed for monitoring and enhancing the influence of playing fields on athlete performance.
This latest funding round attracted a consortium of investors, including LRM, Noshaq, LeanSquare, football legend Jan Vertonghen, and entrepreneur Bart Claes, who serves as the CEO of JBC.
Established in 2018 by Jan Stryckers from Limburg and Reece Watson from the UK, Raw Stadia delivers cutting-edge technology to professional sports teams, enabling them to monitor and optimize the impact of playing fields on athletes’ performance.
The startup has already established partnerships with renowned clients such as Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, RB Leipzig, FC Porto, Inter Milan, KRC Genk, and prestigious federations like the KBVB, the KNVB, and UEFA.
Jan Vertonghen, the highly-capped Red Devil and esteemed Belgian footballer, expressed his admiration for the technology, stating, “Raw Stadia has the potential to completely change the sports world. As an investor, I look forward to the further growth of this company and the positive impact on the sports performance of athletes.”
Every investor involved in this funding round is seen as a catalyst driving Raw Stadia’s growth and expansion. The injected capital will facilitate the expansion of the customer base and the introduction of technology in new markets, particularly in the United States. The ultimate goal remains to assist athletes and support sports teams globally in enhancing their sports performance.
CEO and founder of Raw Stadia, Jan Stryckers, emphasized, “The combination of investment power and a growing customer base strengthens our position as a leading player in the sports technology industry.”
With the new funding, Raw Stadia aims to extend its customer portfolio and penetrate the US market. The company plans to apply its technology across various sports, including cricket, rugby, equestrianism, and American football. Bart Claes, an investor and NFL enthusiast, emphasizes the potential of Data and Technology to mitigate serious injuries in elite sports.
To support ongoing commercial growth and ensure seamless expansions, Raw Stadia has augmented its team with two key additions—Thomas Vander Auwermeulen as COO and Tristan Selis as commercial lead. Efforts are also underway to bolster operations and marketing for overseas activities.
The innovative SaaS platform for Pitch/Surface Analytics, coupled with proprietary hardware solutions, uniquely connects sports field characteristics to player performance indicators.
By leveraging the Raw Stadia platform, customers can enhance their comprehension of playing surfaces, gaining insights into how changing field conditions impact athlete performance and injury risks.
Raw Stadia empowers sports clubs, leagues, and federations to proactively assess pitches, analyze data before matches and training sessions, and take informed measures.