#131 🌏 APAC Rising: The Fastest-Growing SportsTech Market

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An extract from from our latest Ecosystem report, we focus on a fast growing SportsTech region Asia-Pacific where India and China still lead, as Saudi Arabia is grabbing attention.

📢 APAC Rising in Global Sports Tech: GSTER25

From our latest Global SportsTech Ecosystem Report This week, we talk about APAC. Mainly because the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is emerging as a major powerhouse in global SportsTech.

We’re using a broad definition here: covering all of Asia—from the Middle East to the Far East—and including Oceania too.

The region accounts for 16% of global SportsTech funding between 2020 and 2024, with $5.6 billion raised with fan-facing technologies dominating at 68% of investment. India leads regional investment at $3.1 billion, followed by China at $2.2 billion, while Saudi Arabia is rapidly establishing itself as a future leader with $37.4 billion committed to its sports sector under the ambitious Vision 2030 plan.

While the focus till now has primarily been on fans, a significant shift is underway as executive-focused tech solutions became the fastest-growing segment in 2024, representing 47% of funding. This reflects increasing professionalization and demand for B2B infrastructure across leagues and federations.

Key growth drivers include:

• Fan engagement platforms, in these consumer focused markets are still led by Indian giants like Dream11, though overall investment is stabilizing.

• Performance enhancement tech, particularly in China and Japan, spurred by Olympic-level innovation.

• Management & organizational solutions, where APAC now outpaces other regions, driven by public-private investment in grassroots and digital operations.

• Smartphone-led innovation, enabling widespread AR/VR and data analytics adoption.

• The rise of Saudi Arabia, with a projected 17% CAGR aiming to grow its sports market to $37 billion by 2030.

Together, these dynamics position APAC as a region of strategic importance for SportsTech investors, federations, and innovators alike.

Download the full report for free right here.

Top News from the World of Sports Tech & Biz

🚁 Archer announced that it has been selected as the Official Air Taxi Provider of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA.

👟 Nike is going to re-start selling products directly on the Amazon U.S. website, for the first time since 2019.

🚀 Real Madrid announced the Madrid Innovation District (MID), a new urban space located in Real Madrid City, to encourage the establishment of head offices for large global innovation and development companies, along with others focused on tech innovation.

🎾 Sony sports owned Dutch company Beyond Sports launched a new AI commentary system for tennis.

🎾 French Open is picking humans over technology, rejects automated line calling systems.

🕹️ MLB collaborated with Microsoft on new officially-licensed items to help gamers create their own baseball fan caves and stadiums in Minecraft.

💻 YouTuber Tim Cocker, co-host of the EggChasers Rugby Podcast, has secured broadcasting rights to the second division French rugby union club competition, Pro D2.

🎦 Disney+ is the new home of Women's Champions League in Europe.

Money Talks:

💸 WNBA team New York Liberty sold a stake to a group of private investors stake at a record valuation for a women’s pro sports franchise of $450 million, they were valued at $130 million last year by Sportico.

💸 Kings League expands into MENA as part of a joint venture with Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment, set to launch later this year in Saudi Arabia.

💸 Private investment firm Arctos has acquired a 8% stake in the Los Angeles Chargers.

💸 MLB committed an ‘Eight Figures’ investment in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

💸 Red Bull Italy SailGP Team was acquired by an investor consortium across sports and entertainment leaders, led by Muse Capital founding partner Assia Grazioli-Venier and including Hollywood star, Anne Hathaway, with the team valued at $45 million.

💸 Boston Celtics $6.1 billion sale receives $1 billion investment from Indian investor Aditya Mittal, the CEO of steel giant that generates $68 billion in revenue ArcelorMittal.

💰 AI platform to optimize health, fitness, and performance MAXIOM, secured $2 million investment from Switzerland-based genetics firm DNAthlete, and Conscious Ventures.

💰 Indian startup KhiladiPro raised $1 million in a pre-seed investment round.

🤝 Sports education brand IMG Academy announced the acquisition of college recruiting service SportsRecruits.

🤝 Amer Sports, a global group of the sports and outdoor brands including Wilson and Salomon, announced a secondary offering of 35 million ordinary shares at $37.20 per share.

Recap from our content archive:

🔙 STX Article: New Leagues and Emerging Formats

✅ STX Monthly: Last month’s sports tech dealflow, in case you missed it.

💪🏽 SportsTech AllStars Recap: Indian Sports Business and Tech Report series.