Rebooting Ireland

Rebooting Ireland: Kitman Labs raises $6 million to develop solutions for sport in the face of Covid-19

By Business & Finance
25 August 2020

Irish sports-tech company Kitman Labs raises $6 million to develop solutions for sport in the face of Covid-19

Sports organisations in Ireland and abroad are currently attempting to map out what the future of sport will look like in a post-Covid world. Irish sports-tech company Kitman Labs hopes to lend assistance, and with a $6 million investment from a firm based in New York, they look set to continue their work.

The investment came from Qvidtvm, and brings the total amount raised by Kitman Labs in the last six months to $10.5 million. The company has raised more than $30 million since its founding in 2012.

Early on we established an early warning system for coronavirus, and immediately had some premiership rugby teams and some in the Bundesliga adopting it. And it has continued to grow legs, with us recently signing a deal with one of the major sporting leagues in the US to help them return to playing.

“We see teams and leagues evaluating everything through a new lens and operating at a new level of urgency,” said Stephen Smith, founder and CEO of Kitman Labs.

“They have to understand what success looks like and be more aligned than ever on how to achieve it. They have to move fast and adapt to a more complex and high-risk environment with even less room for error than they’ve ever had. Our goal is to continue to invest in the development of advanced solutions that address these acute needs and help teams build sustainable performance and operational excellence.”

Kitman Labs has said the investment will aid in the development of its performance intelligence platform, with a drive towards new solutions as a result of the ongoing pandemic. This includes Covid-19 symptom monitoring and testing for players.

Mr Smith continued: “Early on we established an early warning system for coronavirus, and immediately had some premiership rugby teams and some in the Bundesliga adopting it. And it has continued to grow legs, with us recently signing a deal with one of the major sporting leagues in the US to help them return to playing.”