Output Sports, an Irish sports technology startup providing software for elite-level sports science simple and scalable, has scored €4.5 million in pre-A funding. The round saw participation from athlete-led Apex Capital, European deep tech investor Uni.Fund, and Dopamine Sports. Existing investors Elkstone (which invested in Numra and Jentic), Atlantic Bridge and Enterprise Ireland also participated, alongside angel investors such as Jim Kelliher.This new capital will be used to accelerate US expansion and hiring across sales, marketing, product development, data science, and customer support.
What role does it play in sports tech?
The sport technology industry is worth €13.1 billion 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.
Wearable sensor to test and track athletes
Output Sports, a University College Dublin (UCD) spinout, was co-founded in 2020 by Dr. Martin O’Reilly, Dr. Darragh Whelan, Julian Eberle, and Professor Brian Caulfield. Its wearable sensor delivers lab-grade testing and tracking anywhere, built on a decade of UCD research. Strength coaches, sports scientists, and rehab professionals use it for velocity-based training, reactive strength, and power development across multiple sports, from football and swimming to basketball and golf. Serving over 800 sports organisations, including more than half of English Premier League clubs, the company provides data-driven insights to enhance athletic performance.As per the company, In 2024, its technology captured 30 million measurements from athletes around the globe. 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.
What lies ahead for Output Sports?
The Irish sports tech startup 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.Speaking about Output Sport, 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.”“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.”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.”
