Catapult Sports Acquires Data Analysis Firm SBG Sports Software
June 24, 2021
Catapult Sports announces the acquisition of SBG Sports Software (SBG), a global leader in video and data analysis to elite sports teams and motorsports.
The acquisition supports Catapult’s mission of delivering the most comprehensive and insightful set of performance metrics for athletes and teams worldwide. Catapult’s acquisition of SBG accelerates the company’s video analysis technology capabilities.
Founded in Melbourne in 2006, Catapult was formed as a partnership between the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) to maximize the performance of Australian athletes ahead of the Sydney Olympics. After 15 years, Catapult is the global leader in providing software solutions that enable over 3,200 elite teams worldwide, across major leagues such as the NFL, EPL, NBA, NCAA, and NHL to use technology to optimize performance. Catapult’s video software, performance analysis via wearable tracking, and athlete management solutions provide comprehensive data and insights that enable teams to make high-quality informed decisions across every element of their performance operations.
London based SBG, was founded in 2008 in collaboration with Mercedes F1 with the purpose of developing products that can capture large amounts of live data and video for race strategy. They quickly developed a leadership position in motorsports with some of the biggest names in F1, Formula E, and Indy Car. SBG transformed its innovations from motorsports, the most data intense sport, to create disruptive solutions for soccer and rugby. Its products specialize in real-time capturing of video and data, to generate unique insights and visualizations that assist teams in rapidly breaking down key factors driving performance.
“From our early discussions it was clear that SBG and Catapult shared a common vision for the future of sports technology and the significant impact data will have in helping customers optimize performance. It was even clearer that combining our technologies, product solutions, and talent would have immediate and long-lasting impact on our customers. We are confident the acquisition of SBG will significantly contribute to Catapult’s continued focus in developing the most sophisticated sports technology platform and its growth,” said Catapult CEO Will Lopes.
Catapult has been at the center of the fast-growing sports technology market. It pioneered wearable’s technology to deliver insights to help athletes avoid injuries, play at peak performance, and manage return to play from injury. Its platform of solutions has expanded, organically and inorganically, through the years. Catapult’s long-term focus is to support teams via its platform to gain a clearer understanding of the relationship between data and performance outcome.
“We are excited to join the Catapult family and I am confident that together we will continue to push the boundaries of technology and innovation to serve our customers,” said SBG CEO Gareth Griffith.
