AI-enhanced basketball platform funded to the tune of half a million dollars by a prominent college athlete alum
In the world of sports technology, a new player has entered the game. Ballin AI, a sports tech company founded by former Division I athlete Nyla Pollard, has recently closed a successful $500,000 angel round investment.
The investment round saw participation from Slauson & Co., Oregon Sports Angels, ACT House, and FBomb Angels Investment Club. This significant boost, confirmed by Nyla Pollard on LinkedIn, will help fuel Ballin AI's mission to make recruiting faster, smarter, and data-driven for both athletes and coaches.
Ballin AI operates by allowing basketball players to upload videos of their gameplay. These videos are then analyzed by a nationally recognized evaluator who scores the footage across various performance criteria such as defense, shooting, rebounding, scoring, transition, finishing, and ball handling.
Players receive personalized development plans based on this analysis and can opt to join an AI-powered ranking system that enables them to compare their performance with other athletes. This approach aims to democratize player development and recruitment analysis in basketball.
Nyla Pollard, the brainchild behind Ballin AI, never considered entrepreneurship before founding the company. However, her unique perspective as a former athlete and her own experiences during the college recruitment process led her to conceptualize Ballin AI. She believes that athletes have a valuable perspective in the world of sports innovation.
Despite the growing number of sports tech companies, athlete founders in this sector are still relatively rare. Nyla Pollard's journey with Ballin AI is a testament to the potential of former athletes to contribute significantly to the industry.
Recently, Nyla Pollard spoke to current student-athletes at William & Mary about her journey and passion for sports innovation. She shared her experiences and emphasized the importance of empowering athletes with data-driven insights to take ownership of their recruitment process.
In December 2024, Nyla Pollard formally incorporated her company, marking the beginning of Ballin AI's journey to revolutionize the basketball recruitment process. With the backing of its investors and the dedication of its founder, Ballin AI is poised to make a significant impact in the sports tech industry.
- Nyla Pollard, an ex-Division I athlete and founder of Ballin AI, a sports tech company that recently secured $500,000 in funding, aims to revolutionize the basketball recruitment process through innovation in technology and artificial-intelligence.
- Ballin AI operates by allowing basketball players to submit their gameplay videos, which are then analyzed by a recognized evaluator, scored, and utilized to provide personalized development plans for the players.
- The funding received by Ballin AI will be used to fuel the company's mission of making recruiting faster, smarter, and data-driven for both athletes and coaches in the sports world.
- Nyla Pollard's unique journey, including her time as an athlete and her experiences during the college recruitment process, has led her to conceptualize using technology, artificial-intelligence, and video analysis to democratize player development and recruitment analysis in basketball.
