Uplift Labs: Redefining movement analytics in sports

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Image credit: Uplift Labs

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Uplift Labs was created by co-founders Sukemasa Kabayama, Jonathan Wills, and Rahul Rajan. Each brings years of experience in tech innovation, uniting their expertise to build a cutting-edge startup dedicated to improving human movement.

Mission

Uplift Labs is driven by a mission to enhance human movement performance across all aspects of life.

Their AI-powered technology delivers advanced analytics designed to optimise performance while reducing the risk of injury across sports, fitness, and daily activities.

With a strong focus on movement and health, Uplift places human interaction at the forefront of coaching and training, helping people move better in all areas of life.

Key Partnerships

Uplift Labs collaborates with a range of leading organisations to push the boundaries of movement technology, including:

LAFC

AWS Startups

Nvidia Inception Program

Driveline Baseball

Athletes Unlimited

Investment Profile

Uplift Labs is backed by a prestigious group of institutional and individual investors. This includes prominent professional athletes such as Seth and Callie Curry, David DeCastro, Eric Gagné, Marc Gasol, Andrew Luck, and Renee Montgomery, as well as celebrated Olympic medallists including Kosei Inoue, Kosuke Kitajima, and Yuki Ota.

With a unique combination of cutting-edge AI, strategic partnerships, and world-class support, Uplift Labs is poised to transform how movement is understood, trained, and optimised.

Solutions

The company’s solutions are split into three categories of Sports performance, Sports medicine and Sports media. This is Uplift’s vision on how to tackle these issues in sports.

Sports Performance

Gather accurate and reliable data for comprehensive movement analysis.

Track 28 key points to generate kinematics and movement-specific events and metrics across entire athletic movements.

Optimise your athletes’ movement performance.

Elevate your assessment of athletic movements and unlock athletes’ full potential by analysing functional movements using only iOS devices.

Make data and insights accessible and easy to understand.

Evaluate player movements in a variety of ways across your organisation, from detailed kinematic data to directional reporting and 3D visualisations.

Sports Medicine

Quantify movement health to improve baselines, boost performance, and reduce injury risk.

Establish baseline movement abilities to track improvements and identify potential risk factors.

Perform detailed movement assessments.

Evaluate players or patients and generate reports with valuable, actionable insights. Using iPhones or iPads, our solution reliably captures biomechanical and kinematic data in any environment.

Prioritise player health by minimising injury risks.

Maximise performance and reduce risks by collecting detailed movement data that highlights deficiencies and identifies opportunities for improvement.

Support rehabilitation and recovery with objective measurements.

Use individualised movement analyses, reports, and visualisations to develop informed return-to-play programming and rehabilitation plans. Provide precise Individual Patient reports to guide recovery.

Sports Media

Captivate fans with biomechanical data overlays during live games.

Boost fan engagement by presenting exciting content that overlays biomechanical data, offering a new perspective on elite athletic performance.

Deliver valuable insights in real-time.

Integrate Uplift with your media production pipeline to analyse player movement and provide instant, ready-to-use insights during live commentary or replays.

Enhance the fan experience with clear, engaging visuals.

Offer simple, engaging data on athlete performance and skills to help fans connect with the action. Provide fresh insights for commentary and graphics, helping fans better understand movement analysis in the context of their favourite sports.

Conclusion

As soccer continues to evolve, technology like Uplift Labs’ AI-powered movement analysis is becoming increasingly vital for the sport’s future.

By providing accurate, real-time data and actionable insights, Uplift empowers clubs, players, and medical staff to optimise performance, prevent injuries, and enhance player health.

The ability to track and analyse movement in such detail not only elevates athletic development but also opens new avenues for fan engagement and storytelling.

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Spain’s Liga F receives history-making investment into women’s football

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Image credit: Liga F

The deal, worth AUD 91 million (€55 million) across four seasons, represents a monumental investment into Liga F and women’s football by Gasol16 Ventures and Fortified Partners.

 

Setting the pace

The investment comes as a hugely signficant moment in the history of women’s football not just in Spain, but across Europe.

But, given Spain’s commitment to growing the women’s game in recent years (and the world-beating teams it produces as a result), it is hardly a surprise that Liga F is at the centre of this milestone.

In the 2024-25 season, Liga F distributed AUD 28 million to its clubs, as well as doubling television audiences across two years.

The rate of growth is astounding, and shows no signs of slowing down.

“Women’s football in Spain has made a spectacular leap in recent years: audiences have almost doubled in two seasons, and stadiums are incresingly full,” explained Founder and President of Gasol16 Ventures, Pau Gasol.

“Therefore, this is not a sentimental commitment to women’s sport. It is an investment decision based on data, market trends, and the conviction that women’s football represents a growth opportunity with enormous potential for value creation.”

Thus, Gasol’s motivation reveals much about his own reasons for investing, as well as about the current status of women’s football in Spain.

The landscape does not want, or need, sentimental commitment. It is a financial and sporting powerhouse in its own right, and one which can grow to new heights year-on-year.

 

Securing a successful future

Furthermore, the long-term nature of the deal (set for the next four seasons from the 2026-27 campaign) shows vision and ambition for what the league can become.

“This agreement allows us to look further ahead and equip ourselves with the necessary tools to continue building an increasingly strong, more competitive league with greater capacity to generate value for our clubs,” outlined President of Liga F Beatriz Álvarez Mesa.

“What excites me most about this alliance is not just the investment it brings, but the message it sends: there are people and institutions who believe in the potential of Liga F and want to be part of its growth.”

 

Final thoughts

This is in stark contrast to the current situation of the A League Women in Australia, which PFA Chief Executive Beua Busch described as at a “tipping point”.

The problems remain the same as they were several years ago. Investment, player satisfaction and attendances are well below other major leagues. The key is creating a product which presents the immense value of clubs, players and commercial opportunities.

Because when intentional investment comes, the question stops being ‘who will invest?’ but ‘who wouldn’t?’ .

Juan Mata Commits to Melbourne Victory’s Future with Ownership Stake

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Image Credit: A-Leagues.com

Melbourne Victory has announced that Spanish football icon Juan Mata has joined the club’s ownership group, marking one of the most significant investment moves by a current international footballer in Australian football history.

The agreement sees Mata acquire an ownership stake in Victory while continuing to weigh up whether he will extend his playing career beyond the 2025/26 A-League Men’s season. The investment is separate from any future playing contract and reflects a long-term commitment to both the club and the wider Australian football landscape.

Should Mata eventually retire from professional football, he will also take on a leadership role by chairing a newly established football committee at Melbourne Victory, helping shape the club’s football operations and strategic direction.

More than another football investment

While former elite players have increasingly entered football ownership around the world, Mata’s decision stands apart because he is investing directly into the club he currently represents.

The move places Melbourne Victory among a growing list of clubs benefiting from investment by globally recognised football figures. However, unlike celebrity ownership groups where players often become passive investors after retirement, Mata is embedding himself within the club while still competing at the highest domestic level.

Commercial terms of the transaction remain confidential, although the investment has been described as a significant long-term minority stake designed to strengthen the partnership between Mata and the club well beyond his playing career.

A vote of confidence in Australian football

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the announcement is what it says about the perception of Australian football internationally.

After arriving in Australia following spells with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Valencia, few would have predicted that Mata would choose to invest his own capital into an A-League club.

Instead, the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner has described Australian football as a competition with genuine long-term potential.

“Australian football has a future I genuinely believe in,” Mata said.

“From the moment I arrived at Melbourne Victory, I’ve felt the passion of this club and the potential of the A-Leagues, and I want to be part of building what comes next—not just for a season, but for the long term.”

Mata added that becoming a shareholder represented “the natural next step” after enjoying his first season at Victory.

Rewarding an outstanding first season

The investment follows what has been one of the finest individual campaigns by a marquee player in recent A-League history.

The 38-year-old registered five goals and 13 assists across 25 appearances during the 2025/26 season, earning the Johnny Warren Medal as the league’s best player while also claiming Melbourne Victory’s Player of the Year honours. His performances helped guide Victory back into the Finals Series and demonstrated that his influence extends far beyond his reputation.

Rather than treating Australia as a final destination before retirement, Mata has instead become increasingly involved in shaping the game’s future.

A growing portfolio of sporting investments

Melbourne Victory is not Mata’s first venture into sports ownership.

The Spaniard already holds ownership interests in Major League Soccer expansion club San Diego FC and Formula One outfit Alpine Racing. He has also invested in Mercury/13, the multi-club ownership group focused on developing women’s football globally.

These investments reflect a broader trend among modern footballers who are leveraging their experience and networks beyond their playing careers. For Melbourne Victory, securing someone with Mata’s global football knowledge, commercial experience and international connections represents an opportunity that extends well beyond the pitch.

Landmark moment for Melbourne Victory

Victory Chairman John Dovaston described Mata’s investment as a significant endorsement of both the club and the A-Leagues.

According to Dovaston, Mata is a discerning investor with stakes in elite sporting organisations worldwide, making his decision to back Melbourne Victory a strong signal of confidence in the club’s direction and the league’s future.

Managing Director Caroline Carnegie echoed those sentiments, describing the announcement as “genuinely groundbreaking” and highlighting Mata’s combination of world-class football intelligence, investor mindset and long-term commitment.

A statement beyond Melbourne

Australian football has long sought greater international credibility. Not only through marquee signings, but through meaningful long-term investment.

Mata’s decision represents something arguably more valuable than a headline player signing. By committing financially to Melbourne Victory, he is effectively betting on the future growth of both the club and the A-Leagues.

At a time when Australian football continues to pursue increased investment, stronger governance and greater global relevance, having one of the game’s most respected figures choose to become an owner may ultimately prove to be one of the competition’s most powerful endorsements.

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