HAVAÍC, a Cape Town-based Venture Capital (VC) firm, has made its inaugural investment in Sportable, marking its entry as the sole African institutional investor. As part of a broader US$15 million Series A investment round, HAVAÍC is contributing US$1 million.
The funding round also involves notable investors such as Ryan Sports Ventures from the U.S. and the Australian fund XV Capital, led by Stirling Mortlock and James Godfrey.
Established by two South Africans in 2016, Sportable specializes in utilizing Micro-Tracking (MT) technology to enhance data collection and analysis, primarily in ball and contact sports like rugby, soccer, and American football.
The Micro-Tracking (MT) modules, embedded in balls and on players, interact with Radio Frequency (RF) beacons strategically positioned around the field. This setup ensures precise data capture and processing.
Sportable’s wireless hardware, coupled with a cloud-based platform, can be swiftly deployed and made broadcast-ready within 90 minutes, offering near-zero latency for game analysis. The valuable insights generated through APIs and event streams enable partners to access actionable real-time data.
The global sports market is currently estimated to be worth $512 billion in 2023, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 5.2%, according to the latest Sports Global Market Report by The Business Research Company.
Sportable’s focus is on empowering various stakeholders in the sports industry, including sporting leagues, teams, players, media, sponsors, betting companies, and fan applications. This strategic investment will enable Sportable to further expand its successful partnerships, including collaborations with prestigious international tournaments like the Six Nations Rugby Championship, global ball manufacturers, media entities, and sporting leagues.
CEO Dugald Macdonald and CTO Peter Husemeyer lead Sportable from offices in London, Melbourne, and Cape Town. Macdonald, a former investment analyst with dual Master’s degrees from Oxford University, also has a background as a casual rugby player. Husemeyer, a former NASA engineer, holds a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Cambridge.
Sportable joins the growing ranks of African-born technology companies making a global impact while actively reinvesting in Africa through job creation and economic support. Currently, the company is in the midst of a recruitment drive to expand its team based in Cape Town.
