The sports tech industry in Italy has seen exciting growth in recent years, with several innovative new businesses hitting the startup scene with a bang.
Overall, sports isn’t a massive industry in Italy – in 2023, it made up an estimated 3.4% of the country’s total revenue. This is accounted for increases in spending in sports tourism, sports events, sports development and more. Since 2017, revenue generated in the Italian sports industry has increased every year and projections reflect an expectation that this will continue until at least 2029.
Interestingly, a significant component of this revenue is accounted for by sports-related applications, a lot of which is established by innovative startups.
Italy participates in a variety of different sports, ranging from football and tennis to skiing and running.
Here are the top 10 sports tech startups in Italy.
1. Referi
Founded in Torino, Italy in 2020, Referi is a sports tech startup that has created a type of virtual AI umpire, providing amateur sportsmen and sportswomen with a professional playing experience like never before.
Referi’s AI-generated software is able to analyse game strategy and keep track of scores. From a player’s perspective, the software is actually able to help detect postural errors and avoid injuries.
The startup was founded by Luca Trevinson, and as of July 2024, Referi has a pre-money valuation of $3.8 million.
2. Sport Suite
Sport Suite is a platform designed to help amateur sportsmen and sportswomen, including children, find teams and clubs to join. It provides information on clubs, membership details, course info and more.
This Italian sports tech startup was founded in Cava de’ Tirreni in 2022 and it serves as a database of sports and other physical activities in a user’s area. The platform also offers great value to clubs and others with sports offerings, helping people find them and encouraging them to participate.
3. Runtheons SRL
Runtheons is a sports tech startup that was founded in Brescia, Italy in 2023 by a team of four co-founders – Robert Gallina, Ousseni Bara, Georgia Bertolotti and Emanuele Crescini.
The startup aims to help push athletes to reach their full ability by means of providing them with top-of-the-range technology. To do this, Runtheons uses software to create digital versions of each athlete, experts are able to come up with specific plans for users to reach their full capabilities.
This allows athletes to receive personalised feedback based on advanced technology and advice provided by experts.
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4. Aced Sport
Aced Sports is a networking and collaboration platform that aims to connect athletes with coaches and more. The software is able to do so by means of statistics and an automation process.
Founded in Roma in 2023, this sports tech startup is suitable for all athletes, both amateur and professional, as well as Olympians and Paralympians alike. By means of a “perfect match” feature, Aced Sport matches athletes, coaches, clubs, recruiters and more.
Aced Sports was founded by Carlotta Oggioni and Davide Pennica, and it was most recently valued at $10.6 million.
5. 11 Crew Innovative Football Training
Founded in 2021, 11 Crew Innovative Football Training, referred to as 11 Crew IFT, makes use of advanced sports technology to provide athletes, coaches and clubs with data-driven support. The aim is to support the relationship between physical and cognitive function in sports.
This Legnano-based sports tech startup provides services including both team and individual training, camps, clinics, access to the 11 Crew methodology and training programmes, special events and more.
6. Physiozep – Tepy
Physiozep is an Italian sports technology startup that aims to assist users with musculoskeletal pain by means of an app called Tepy. Its software makes use of AI to provide users with the services of a physiotherapist virtually.
The app is able to provide deep analysis of users’ symptoms and then provide a recovery plan including therapeutic exercises, self-massage and more.
The idea behind Tepy is to make sports treatments accessible to all in a way that is cost-effective and easy to use. The service is personalised, and, founded in 2021, the Tepy mobile app has been downloaded by more than 5,000 users.
7. SPOAT
SPOAT is working towards democratising access to professional sports by means of a multifaceted platform that allows users to raise money in support of their athletic careers. The app uses a basic crowdfunding model that encourages fans to contribute financially to their favourite sportsmen and sportswomen with the hope of eliminating barriers to entry caused by financial issues.
Founders were inspired by tennis as a starting point due to the fact that the sport is notoriously expensive.
SPOAT also includes a fantasy tennis game element to it, which allows users to set up their favourite athletes to compete in a virtual world.
This sports tech startup was founded in Turi, Italy in 2024 by David Bottai and it’s currently worth $1 million in terms of pre-money valuation.
8. Weabios
Weabios is a sports tech startup innovating in the world of sports-related wearables and IoT devices. Its aim is to develop advanced technology that has the ability to accurately monitor bodily functions including heart rate and blood pressure, helping athletes and ordinary people not only improve their physical performance but generally keep track of their health too.
In addition to wearables, Weabios is also developing smart clothes that include pressure-sensitive sensors to keep track of important physical features while still adhering to fashion and providing basic comfort.
Weabios was founded by Luca Arcarisi in 2022 and is based in Pisa, Italy.
9. Technology Sport System
Technology Sport System (TSC) was founded by a team of experienced football professionals aiming to provide an easy-to-use sports management tool for players, clubs, coaches, sports associations and more.
The founders include Cristiano Giannotti, Giulio D’Angelo and Gaetano Criscuolo who have decades worth of experience in the football industry. This Italian sports tech startup was established in Napoli in 2020,
TSC provides users with a way to share data on an efficient platform for the purpose of organisation and easy access, making the running and management of teams, clubs, associations and more easy.
10. Easy Ski
Easy Ski is a real-time navigation app that is specifically designed for mountain trails, tailored for use by skiers, snowboarders and more. It provides users with digital maps that allow users to find ski routes (both recommended routes and those to be avoided), gain insight into travel time and have a look at how crowded slopes are – all in real-time.
It also offers additional features such as a restaurant locator, a way to find mountain huts and danger alerts too. Easy Ski was founded in Roma in 2023.
