STEPOUT, A BENGALURU-BASED football-focused sports-tech startup, has successfully raised $1.5 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Rainmatter, a venture by Zerodha.
The round also saw participation from SucSEED Innovation Fund and Misfits Capital. Rainmatter had earlier led the company’s seed round in late 2024, EnTrackr reports.
StepOut plans to utilise the funding to broaden its international operations, enhance its investments in AI and computer vision, and scale its product capabilities. The startup is also looking to expand its focus beyond football, venturing into amateur sports and other disciplines.
Founded by Jeet Karmakar and Sayak Ghosh, StepOut is an AI-powered platform dedicated to football performance and intelligence. It focuses on player development, match analysis, and scouting, serving youth, semi-professional, and professional football sectors.
Since its last funding round, StepOut claims to have analysed over 25,000 matches and tracked more than 1,50,000 players. The company reports a 3x year-on-year revenue growth with a 90% customer renewal rate.
Currently, StepOut serves 120 clubs, academies, and federations across 23 countries. The startup has collaborated with notable clubs and federations, including AFC Ajax, Rayo Vallecano, Bengaluru FC, Hong Kong FC, and the All India Football Federation. StepOut is also running pilots with global clubs such as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Fulham, and Espanyol.
StepOut’s platform offers AI-driven match analysis, automated highlights, performance dashboards, live match analytics, and advanced football metrics such as xG, xA, PPDA, and player impact scores. These tools have been deployed in tournaments like the Dream Sports Championship and elite domestic competitions.
