TechRound is excited to announce the winners of our SportsTech22 2026!
TechRound is proud to announce the winners of our first ever SportsTech22 campaign, designed to spotlight startups making waves in the world of sports technology – from broadcasting and fan experience to wearables, athlete data analysis and virtual coaching.
This year’s entries covered a range of sectors within the industry, reinforcing what we already know: sports tech is multifaceted and full of potential. From sports charities working with top UK teams and clubs to predictive analytics startups, the future is looking bright for both athletes and spectators!
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See The List
Top 22 – See Here >>
Top 15 – See Here >>
Top 10– See Here >>
Top 5 – See Here >>
Who Ranked Number 1? – See Here >>
Feedback From The Judges
Our two sons play football and lacrosse and unfortunately, both have experienced concussions, so the amount of youth sports-focused technology presented this year hit close to home. Rezon’s Halos headband and OptiZone’s ACL injury prediction stood out as technologies I wish existed when our boys first stepped on the field.
Theia’s markerless biomechanics and EasyCoach’s operational platform round out a vision of what youth sports should be: safer, smarter, and more organized. I also appreciated TAC Sports’ development-first methodology rooted in kinesiology and sports psychology.
As an athlete myself, companies prioritizing injury prevention and youth development stand out because kids who stay healthy and on the field are far more likely to carry those habits into adulthood, building a lifetime of physical activity rather than being sidelined before they ever get started.
Cheryl McColgan, Founder at Heal Nourish Grow LLC
What struck me most about this cohort was the range, from cutting-edge biomechanics and brain-protection wearables to platforms that make sport genuinely accessible to people who’ve historically been locked out of it. Theia, Rezon, and OptiZone were standouts for me: they’re not just ideas, they’re validated, deployed, and already changing how elite sport operates.
DRAGON is the most exciting hardware bet in the field. I was also moved by entries tackling inclusion: MyWhoosh, Laces Sports, SPORTL, because that’s where the next wave of growth in SportsTech lives. A strong vintage overall, and genuinely hard to judge.
Ayoola Emmanuel Samagbeyi, CTO of 9jaPay Group and Running Canalis Labs
The most striking thing about this group of finalists is the sheer range of different types of companies – all trying to solve challenges in the world of sports by taking completely different approaches. This made judging simultaneously incredibly difficult and a great deal of fun!
It’s hard not to see companies with advanced tech solutions as standouts in this category. For that reason, Theia, Optizone and Rezon were hard to ignore – their creativity in solving complex challenges (and challenges within challenges!) is truly impressive and exciting. Furthermore, I’d like to give special shoutouts to Tickaroo, MyWhoosh and TAC Sports, all of which really caught my eye.
Congratulations to all entrants and our top 22 finalists. Judging these companies was fun and exciting from both a tech perspective and a professional capacity, but also as an athlete who loves everything bright and shiny int the world of sports!
Gina Marrs, Editor at TechRound
I am delighted to select Prorizon as my winning entry. Connecting physical with both mental and social (and also environmental) data is essential to understand a true picture of health.
Proactive and evidence-based, I feel that this solution is a timely alternative to the notion that healthcare and especially psychology, can only be about the process of identifying and treating maladaptive states.
Prorizon seems to offer a wider solution that promotes positive adaptive behaviours that potentially offer solutions to the general population too.
Antony Steward, Director of Fitness at Johnson Digital
Judging SportsTech22 was a genuinely enjoyable challenge. The breadth of entries, from deep biomechanics science to grassroots social impact, reflects how much the sector has matured. The standout companies combined proprietary technology with real in-sport deployment and founder-level domain expertise. Rezon and MyWhoosh were particularly impressive: both have moved well beyond concept, with validated products making a real impact in competitive environments. DRAGON’s AR hardware also showed serious engineering ambition. What separated the best from the rest was specificity: a precise problem, credible evidence, and a clear commercial case. Sport doesn’t need more data, it needs tools that change decisions.
David Burns Co-Founder & CTO, Xalo | Co-Founder, Dado Studio & dadoAI
It was a pleasure to participate as a judge in this year’s TechRound SportsTech22 competition.
“This year’s entries highlighted just how broad and dynamic the SportsTech market has become. In judging the category, I looked beyond innovation alone and focused on evidence of real-world impact, commercial awareness and a clear path to scale in what is an increasingly competitive market.
“Theia, MyWhoosh, EasyCoach, OptiZone and Tickaroo stood out as clear front-runners. Each articulated a well-defined problem, compelling solution and backed it up with credible signs of traction. Collectively, they demonstrated the qualities which are critical for success in today’s SportsTech landscape.
“Congratulations to all the teams for their ambition and achievements to date.
Kirsty Jarvis, CEO and Founder of Luminous PR
Thank You To Our Judges
Cheryl McColgan, Founder at Heal Nourish Grow LLC
Cheryl is an author and the founder and editor of Heal Nourish Grow, an ultimate wellness, healthy lifestyle and advanced nutrition site. She helps others develop the confidence and habits to create lasting change and greater health by sharing her wealth of knowledge and over 25 years of experience in psychology, addictions studies, fitness, nutrition, yoga, meditation, overall health and wellness.
Ayoola Emmanuel Samagbeyi, CTO of 9jaPay Group and Running Canalis Labs
Ayoola Samagbeyi is a technology executive and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience building and scaling financial technology platforms across Africa and global markets. He has led the architecture and delivery of high-scale digital banking, payments and financial infrastructure systems, overseeing engineering, cybersecurity, cloud operations and product organisations in regulated environments. He currently guides multiple companies across financial services, technology consulting and digital infrastructure, helping organisations design resilient platforms, modernise technology systems and scale secure digital services.
Gina Marrs, Editor at TechRound
Gina Marrs is TechRound’s Editor, in charge of overseeing content and daily operations at the publication. Her specific interests are in AI technology, big tech news and working with budding startups and aspiring founders working to establish themselves in competitive industries. In addition to her professional experience in the world of tech and startup news, Gina is a great lover of sports, both spectating and participating. As an avid runner and field hockey player, she’s always got her eye on the latest sports tech, wearables, fitness tracking apps and anything else that’s changing the world of sports.
Antony Steward, Director of Fitness at Johnson Digital
Antony is Director of Fitness at Johnson Digital, a stand-alone media-content production subsidiary of the global manufacturer Johnson Health Tech. He previously led Group Exercise strategy at Third Space and has held other senior roles at David Lloyd and Virgin Active. Antony has a MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology and is a specialist in psychology and music for group fitness.
David Burns Co-Founder & CTO, Xalo | Co-Founder, Dado Studio & dadoAI
David is Co-Founder and CTO of Xalo, an early-stage sports technology company applying AI, computer vision, and machine learning to elite athlete performance. He also co-founded Dado Studio, a behaviour-science-led brand and product studio, and dadoAI, which is on a mission to make every company AI-native. With experience across product development, technology leadership, and commercial strategy, David brings a builder’s perspective to emerging sports technology.
Kirsty Jarvis, CEO and Founder of Luminous PR
Kirsty has spent the past two decades in PR and marketing roles, resulting in a wealth of experience leveraging the power of media and creating impactful campaigns for hundreds of startups and well-known brands including Unilever, PayFit, Cover Genius, (Wise) and Azimo. Kirsty, an avid runner, is an active mentor and advisor for businesses in the UK and Europe. A self-proclaimed tech geek, she is known to experiment with the latest innovations – especially when it comes to health and fitness.
