LONDON: STATSports has divested an undisclosed stake to Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a cash-come-sweat equity deal that reportedly involved the two Premier League stars investing over £1 million ($1.3 million) each in the global leader in wearable tech and performance analysis tracking equipment and software.
Both players are England internationals and both have been onboarded as global ambassadors for STATSports.
Jarlath Quinn, executive and chief global strategist at STATSports, said: “The company has been a profitable year on year without taking any investment since inception in 2009. What is even more remarkable is for a technology company to achieve global market leader status whilst being bootstrapped.
“So, without doubt this is a landmark moment for STATSports. The fact our first set of investors include top players such as Alex and Raheem, who know better than anyone the importance of our technology, is a ringing endorsement of our plans to cement our position in the B2B market whilst growing the huge B2C opportunity.”
Liverpool star Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “I have chosen STATSports above all potential investments. It’s a brand and product I have known and trusted for the last 10 years of my footballing career. Working with STATSports at Southampton, Arsenal, Liverpool and with England, I know this is the best product on the market by far.”
Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling noted: “I use STATSports technology every single day for both City and England and have done for years, so I know how valuable it is for getting the best out of me for the team. STATSports has already made a big name for itself in the elite game but it’s clear to me that there is huge potential for the technology and that is why I’ve invested.”
STATSports already provides monitoring systems to teams such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League as well as Juventus of Serie A and PSG of Ligue1. The company also provides systems to the national associations of Brazil, Germany, and England and is also involved in an array of other sports including Basketball, Rugby Union and Gridiron Football.
A report in the Irish Times suggests that the company founded in 2007 and based in Newry, Northern Ireland could be looking at an IPO within the next two years with a valuation of around £1 billion ($1.3 billion). The current valuation of the company is £200 million ($260 million).
