HIRO-CAPITAL
Hiro Capital – the London / Luxembourg VC fund investing across Games, Esports, Streaming and Digital Sports – has further strengthened its portfolio by leading a $2.3m investment in PlayerData .
Edinburgh, UK-based PlayerData’s mission is to transform the way grass-roots and professional sports teams train, using software, analytics, gamification and wearable technology.
- In its first year live, PlayerData has already captured more than 10,000 team sessions and >50 million meters of athlete play in UK grass-roots Soccer and Rugby, and these KPIs are strongly accelerating.
- The $2.3m raise will be used to supercharge PlayerData’s growth across multiple sports and to expand internationally.
PlayerData combines frictionless ease-of-use with sports-science Machine Learning.
- PlayerData drives powerful team network effects, with each club using PlayerData bringing 5 more clubs onto the platform.
- PlayerData’s AI algorithms predict player injuries before they happen and its tools allow coaches to replay key moments from the game, modelling different outcomes based on player positioning.
This announcement marks Hiro Capital’s 12th investment in 2020/21 and its 4th in Gamified Fitness and Sports tech. PlayerData joins fellow Digital Sports startups FitXR (London), Zwift (California/London) and NURVV (London) in the Hiro Capital portfolio, alongside eight Games studios and Games technology firms across the US, Europe and the UK.
The rise of Digital Sports and Connected Fitness
Digital Sports and Connected Fitness are star growth sectors of 2020/21. Global Connected Fitness revenues grew 30% in 2020 and Health and Fitness app downloads grew +47% YoY to c.700m, accelerated by a global focus on health and wellbeing during lockdowns.
Unicorn scale stars of the sector include Peloton, Tonal, Mirror and Hiro’s portfolio investment, Zwift, as well as major strategic Sports and Wellness segments within Apple (Watch 6 and Fitness+), Google (Fitbit), Nike (Nike App), and others. In Digital Sports, alongside Zwift, Hiro’s lead investments powered ahead:
FitXR: The leading VR Fitness App & Service
- FitXR has made extraordinary progress since Hiro invested, with revenues up 10x over the last 2 quarters and now >$1m per month;
- Described by Oculus VP Content Mike Verdu as having “incredible traction” and “one of the highest retention rates on the [Oculus VR] platform”*, and name-checked by Mark Zuckerberg** on his recent “The Information” podcast on VR/AR and the Metaverse.
*”From Bear to Bull: How Oculus Quest 2 is Changing the Game for VR”, Mike Verdu, VP Content, Oculus 2nd Feb 2020
**Mark Zuckerberg on Mind Reading, Apple, and the Race to Mainstream VR, March 8th 2021
NURVV: Patented Smart Running insole and Biomechanical Data Leader
- Since launch in mid-2020, NURVV Run has generated data on >100 million foot-strikes from >125,000km run by athletes around the world, building what is already the world’s largest database of detailed running foot technique;
- Olympic gold-medallist and world-record holder Dame Kelly Holmes has joined NURVV as global brand ambassador; USA Olympian Jared Ward, UK elite coach Harry Jameson, the Financial Times, WIRED, Runner’s World and CNET have all recommended NURVV;
- With iOS, Android, Garmin ConnectIQ, Strava and Apple Watch integrations live, the company is leading running innovation with unique features such as Pace Coach, Footstrike Workout and Running Health score.
- "Knowledge really is power and in this respect NURVV Run is a game changer" said Dame Kelly Holmes.
PlayerData: AI Driven Team Performance
Roy Hotrabhvanon, cofounder & CEO of PlayerData, is a former international archer who narrowly missed out on selection for the Rio Olympics in 2016 for the Thailand national team. Hayden Ball, cofounder and CTO is a CompSci expert in firmware and cloud infrastructure who designed, built, and launched a distributed SaaS solution for the Edinburgh Fringe.
On the Hiro investment, Roy said - “Our mission is to bring fine grained data and insight to clubs across team sports, helping them supercharge their game-making, improve player performance, and avoid injury. We leverage our platform and big data to generate biometric insights applicable at any level - from grassroots to the Premier League. Due to the team network effect, the PlayerData community is fast-growing across the U.K. and overseas. Our ultimate goal is to implement cutting-edge insights from pioneering wearables that are applicable to any team in any discipline at any level. Hiro Capital as an investment partner, shares this commitment to our mission. It’s great to have Cherry, Luke and Ian’s belief, counsel and expertise to help us further our vision. ”
Cherry Freeman, co-founding Partner at Hiro says: “PlayerData ticks all of our key boxes: a huge TAM with over 3m grass-roots clubs; a deep moat built on shared player data, machine learning and highly actionable predictive algorithms; compelling customer network effects; and a really impressive yet humble founding team. We are delighted to be leading this investment round in this exciting DSports innovator ”
Luke Alvarez, Managing Partner at Hiro says: “In a year when lockdown accelerated digital adoption and kept us all out of the gym, companies like Nurvv, FitXR, Zwift and Peloton helped people stay fit, healthy, and biomechanically self-aware. 2020 super-charged connected fitness and PlayerData is our latest exciting investment in this accelerating macro trend .”
About Hiro Capital
Hiro Capital is a London / Luxembourg technology Venture Capital fund which invests in UK, US and European innovators in Games, Metaverse Technology, Esports and Digital Fitness. Hiro Capital generally invests at the post-seed Series A and B stages. We invest both in front-end Content creators in Games, Esports and Digital Sports and in deep tech Metaverse applications of Cloud, Mobile, Streaming, Big Data, AI, Wearables, AR and VR technologies.
We back experienced entrepreneurial teams, building innovative technologies and content with a strongly differentiated proposition and with the scaling opportunity to become very large.
We are Games, Esports and Sports investors who are also Games, Esports and Sports entrepreneurs. We are entrepreneurs who back entrepreneurs. Our core belief is that Games, Esports and Digital Sports will be a central pillar of Entertainment, Economic and Social Life in the mid 21st century. We invest in the innovators who are building that future.
The fund was founded by Luke Alvarez (Managing Partner) the former co-founding CEO & President of Nasdaq-listed, Inspired Entertainment; Ian Livingstone, OBE, CBE (Partner), the former chairman of Tomb Raider publisher Eidos plc, co-founder of Games Workshop and author of the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series; and Cherry Freeman (Partner), the co-founder of global community and e-commerce brand LoveCrafts. https://hiro.capital/
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210407005773/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Logical Intelligence Introduces First Energy-Based Reasoning AI Model, Signals Early Steps Toward AGI, Adds Yann LeCun and Patrick Hillmann to Leadership21.1.2026 19:21:00 CET | Press release
Logical Intelligence, an artificial intelligence company developing energy-based (EBM) reasoning systems, today announced that Kona 1.0, its pioneering EBM for reasoning, will enter pilot programs with select partners in the energy, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor industries later this quarter. Logical Intelligence also released a live demonstration of Kona 1.0 on its website, beginning with head-to-head sudoku challenges against leading large language models. Additional demonstrations, including chess and Go, are planned. The company said the goal is to give researchers and the public a clear view into how energy-based reasoning differs from probabilistic systems. “Kona learns by recognizing and correcting its own mistakes, rather than guessing the most likely answer,” said Eve Bodnia, founder and CEO of Logical Intelligence. “If general intelligence means the ability to reason across domains, learn from error, and improve without being retrained for each task, then we are s
Galderma Provides Update on Arbitration Case Regarding Neuromodulator Research and Development Partnership21.1.2026 17:35:00 CET | Press release
Galderma (SIX:GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced that an International Chamber of Commerce arbitral tribunal issued an award confirming the termination of a 2014 neuromodulator research & development partnership with Ipsen. The partnership was limited to the rights and obligations relating to the companies’ early-stage neuromodulator pipeline for aesthetic indications. Galderma welcomes the clarity provided by the arbitral tribunal. This decision has no impact on the commercialization of Galderma’s neuromodulator portfolio. Galderma will continue to commercialize and supply Dysport®/Azzalure®, Alluzience®, and RelfydessTM in all territories where it has regulatory approval and in accordance with our existing agreements with our partner Ipsen. Progressing on our path towards becoming the undisputed dermatology powerhouse Galderma remains focused on its ambition to become the world’s undisputed dermatology powerhouse across the full spectrum of a fast-growi
ThetaRay Appoints Financial Markets Technology Leader Brad Levy as Chief Executive Officer21.1.2026 17:00:00 CET | Press release
Former Symphony CEO to lead ThetaRay’s next phase of AI-driven category leadership in transaction monitoring and due diligence ThetaRay, a global leader in Cognitive AI financial crime compliance, today announced the appointment of Brad Levy as Chief Executive Officer. Levy, a leading financial markets infrastructure executive and former CEO of Symphony, will lead ThetaRay’s next phase of growth as the company continues to scale its Cognitive AI platform, now emerging as the leading AI strategy and technology for transaction monitoring and transaction due diligence, across banks and fintechs worldwide. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121002476/en/ ThetaRay Appoints Brad Levy as CEO Levy brings decades of experience building and leading mission-critical financial infrastructure at scale. Most recently, he served as CEO of Symphony, the financial markets infrastructure and technology platform established by a
HCL Group and UpLink Announce Winners of ‘Water Resilience Challenge’ Under the Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative21.1.2026 16:02:00 CET | Press release
10 Aquapreneurs selected from over 300 applicantsWinners showcased innovations across digital water management, biological breakthroughs, hardware solutions, deep-tech design, and community-driven modelsFinancial support of CHF 1.75 million available to scale initiativesAquapreneur Innovation Initiative: CHF 15 million commitment to global water challenges HCL Group, a leading global conglomerate, and UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s early-stage innovation initiative, have announced the winners of the ‘Water Resilience Challenge,’ the fourth in a series of five challenges under the five-year, CHF 15 million Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative launched by HCL Group. The announcement marks a significant step in the ongoing mission to address global water challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121697759/en/ Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Group, congratula
illumynt Appoints Chris Tejeda as Chief Revenue Officer21.1.2026 15:47:00 CET | Press release
illumynt today announced the promotion of Chris Tejeda to Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), reflecting the company’s continued growth and expanding global footprint. In his new role, Tejeda will lead illumynt’s global revenue strategy, customer engagement, and strategic partnerships as demand accelerates for secure, technology-driven IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) solutions. “Chris has been instrumental in aligning our commercial strategy with the evolving needs of hyperscale and enterprise customers,” said CEO Joerg Herbarth. “As AI accelerates infrastructure refresh cycles and raises the bar for security and compliance, his leadership will be critical to scaling illumynt with focus, transparency, and customer trust.” Tejeda brings extensive experience in enterprise technology services and has played a key role in illumynt’s recent momentum, including significant revenue growth and the expansion of advanced capabilities across AI/GPU diagnostics, automation, and value recovery. View source ve
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom