Output Sports Closes $4.8 Million Funding Round
- Output Sports technology is utilised by Olympians, Premier League football teams, NBA and more
- Company opened Boston office as it targets further US expansion
Output Sports, a University College Dublin (UCD) sports technology spin-out, focused on making elite-level sports science simple and scalable, today announced that it has closed a $4.8 million (€4.47 million) pre-A funding round.
The investment round brings in new support from, athlete-led, Apex Capital, European deep tech investor Uni.Fund, and Dopamine Sports. The financing also includes existing investors Elkstone, Atlantic Bridge and Enterprise Ireland. The financing also features a number of angel investors, including Jim Kelliher (Drift, LogMeIn).
This new capital will be used to accelerate US expansion and hiring across sales, marketing, product development, data science, and customer support.
Output Sports, headquartered at NovaUCD in Dublin, was co-founded in 2020 by Dr Martin O'Reilly, Dr Darragh Whelan, Julian Eberle and Professor Brian Caulfield, as a spin-out from the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science and the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics hosted by UCD.
Output Sports currently provides more than 800 sports organisations, including over half of all English Premier League clubs, with the insights needed to make more informed, data-backed decisions to improve athletic performance.
The company’s technology enables strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and rehab professionals to capture and analyse athletic data using a single wearable sensor system. It can be, and is, used across multiple sports including both amateur and professional football, swimming, basketball and golf for velocity-based training, reactive strength, and power development to optimise athletes’ performance on the local and global stage.
The sport technology industry is worth €13.1BN and is expected to grow 20.5% by 2030 driven by increased demand for biometric tracking and analysis tools, virtual and augmented reality, and AI integration.
In an effort to serve this growing demand, Output Sports recently opened a US office based in Boston. The company currently works with professional US sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and the WNBA, and aims to support even more organisations from professional leagues to high school and college sports programmes.
“Output Sports is committed to developing data-driven insights that support coaches and athletes,” said Dr Martin O’Reilly, Co-founder and CEO of Output Sports.
“Our team has worked hard to build a platform that meets the needs of some of the world’s leading sports teams such as New Zealand’s All Blacks, England’s national soccer team and the Colorado Buffaloes and delivers meaningful value through data. This investment will help us support our growth in the US, deepen our technology capabilities, and grow our team to support our increasing customer base.”
Output Sports' technology enables strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and rehab professionals to capture and analyse athletic data using a single wearable sensor system
In 2024, Output Sport’s technology captured 30 million measurements from athletes around the globe, and it also played a pivotal role in multiple medal-winning performances at the 2024 Olympic Games including Daniel Wiffen's record-breaking gold in swimming for Ireland and China’s Zheng Qinwen's historic tennis gold. Output Sports has worked with multiple championship-winning teams across the US major sports leagues and the national teams in soccer and rugby sevens.
Speaking about Output Sport, award-winning performance coach Spencer Tatum, who works with leading professional golfer Jon Rahm, said, “In sports performance, only a handful of companies truly excel in addressing issues. Output Sports is among these select few. With their cutting-edge technology, they have successfully translated the science of sports into practical applications for the field.”
“At Apex, we invest in the future of sport,” said, Koen Bosma, Head of Venture Capital at Apex Capital. “Off-field measurement and driving competition in the gym are key to success for sports organisations and Output Sports is best in class in this crucial part of the sports tech stack.”
Dr Helen McBreen, Board Director and Partner at Atlantic Bridge, said, “Output Sports is an excellent example of the research-based deep tech businesses we invest in at Atlantic Bridge. Since first investing in 2020 we have worked together to provide access to international markets, institutional co-investors and talent. I am optimistic about future growth as the company continues to scale rapidly in key markets, improving performance for all athletes.”
Dora Trachana, Partner at Uni.Fund said, “Rooted in cutting-edge research, Output Sports is redefining performance analytics in sports and fitness. Their innovative approach to simplifying and enhancing athletic training aligns perfectly with our vision of empowering transformative technology. We look forward to supporting their journey to revolutionise the industry.”
“Since Elkstone first invested in Output Sports at seed stage, we have seen the founders build an incredible roster of well-known customers across the sports world," said, Niall McEvoy, Head of Venture at Elkstone.
“As the team continues to put data-driven insights at the centre of athlete development, we are proud to reaffirm our support alongside strong international co-investors."
Output Sports aims to become a widely used resource for strength, power, and movement assessment with a goal of reaching 100 million recorded exercise repetitions in 2025.
ENDS
30 January 2025
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, NovaUCD, e:miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or 150Bond, e: elkstone@150bond.com
Editors Notes
Output Sports is making elite-level sports science simple & scalable. Our product provides exercise and rehab practitioners with a cutting-edge, portable, and cost-effective solution for collecting and analysing performance data in a weight room and rehabilitation setting. The all-in-one tool streamlines the testing and tracking of athletes by offering laboratory-grade data collection anytime, anywhere via a wearable sensor. Built on 10 years of university research in UCD, our technology ensures unmatched validity, portability, and actionable insights. Trusted by top-tier strength coaches, rehab practitioners, and sports scientists, Output Sports serves clients across all major leagues including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA Tour, WNBA, as well as in gyms & rehab clinics in over 40 countries. https://www.outputsports.com/
Launched in July 2023, Uni.Fund II aims to continue the mission and achievements of Uni.Fund I, striving to foster the growth of promising ventures. These ventures are designed to meet the evolving demands of emerging markets and tap into the untapped potential within EU Universities, R&D, and the Tech Space. The team at Uni.Fund brings together a robust entrepreneurial spirit and extensive experience in establishing and expanding businesses, fostering global growth and scalability, and managing and leveraging research, operating with integrity, fairness, and passion, targeting the success of the supported ventures. https://uni.fund/
APEX Capital is a pioneering European-based investment manager built on the premise that athletes’ insights are as valuable off the field as they are on it. With over tens of millions under management from more than 100 elite athletes, alongside non-athlete capital, APEX is creating a new paradigm in sports investing, uncovering exclusive off-market opportunities and driving transformative growth across the industry. https://apex-cp.com/
Elkstone is a premier Irish investment firm specialiing in private markets. As a leading early-stage venture investor, Elkstone oversees a €100 million fund dedicated to supporting innovative startups and entrepreneurs across Ireland. Backed by the Irish Strategic Investment Fund and Enterprise Ireland, Elkstone is committed to championing the Irish venture ecosystem, empowering companies to scale globally and drive international growth and success. At Elkstone, our mission is to bridge the gap between the vibrant Irish diaspora and the promising opportunities back home. https://www.elkstonepartners.com/
Atlantic Bridge is a leading deep tech VC investing from seed to growth capital with a cross-border value add strategy. With 9 funds and over €1.5 billion under management, we invest in deep technology companies led by strong ambitious entrepreneurs and management teams that have the passion and drive to scale up and exploit major growth opportunities. Our team is made up of successful entrepreneurs and senior technology industry executives and we help our portfolio companies expand and grow internationally through our global platform with our team and offices in Dublin, London, Munich, Paris and Palo Alto. https://abven.com/