Shot Stats is a sports technology company creating groundbreaking hardware and software platforms that will revolutionize the way we learn, play and share the game of tennis.

Statistics and data have always been a crucial component of sports — both the way they’re played and the way they’re watched. But in the year 2014, with all of the incredible technological advances that have come into being in the last few years, the power and potential of data has entered a whole new dimension.

At Shot Stats, our vision is for tennis to lead the charge into this new era of powerful, data-driven athletic insight and analysis. And the revolution begins with our flagship product: Challenger.

With Challenger, Shot Stats has taken a crucial yet unassuming tennis accessory—the vibration dampener—and transformed it into something else entirely: a one-of-a-kind data tracking device with the potential to transform the game of tennis once and for all.

Using cutting-edge sensor technology—accelerometers, gyroscopes, Bluetooth—Challenger can capture crucial data about your tennis technique and send that data to both the on-board screen and your smartphone or computer for you to view, study and use to improve your game.

Using Challenger couldn't be easier:

Attach
Challenger fits onto any racket, just like a normal dampener.

Play
Play your game the way you always do. Challenger provides standard vibration dampening, and is ergonomically designed not to interfere with your swing, while weighing less than 3 dampeners.

Check
Hit a great shot? Check out the stats instantly through Challenger’s on-board screen — no smartphone, tablet or laptop required. For even quicker feedback, use the audible cue feature.

Review
Once you're off the court, head to the Challenger app on your phone or computer for a more in-depth data analysis experience. View all your data, or just a particular session or match, and sync your data with video to gain even more insight about your game.

Share
Share you data and video with other players and coaches through the Shot Stats social community.

The Challenger device fits onto your racket like a normal dampener, but it won't take you long to realize that Challenger is much, much more than that.

Much like GoPro has become the go-to platform for mountable and flexible video capture, Shot Stats has the potential to become the go-to hardware platform for instant, accessible data capture and display. 

Challenger’s angular design and matte black finish give it the appearance of constant stealth mode. But turn Challenger on and the bright display screen appears — your instant window into your game.

Your racket takes a lot of abuse — and so can Challenger, thanks to its high-strength aircraft aluminum body. The integrated latch lets you remove Challenger from your racket in seconds, while ensuring that it remains secure during play and does not detach on its own. Challenger is also carefully ergonomically designed not to interfere with your swing balance, so your game feels as natural as possible.

Unlike other data trackers from companies like Babolat, Zepp, and Sony, Challenger is not dependent on any specific racket brand, so you can pair it with the rackets you already use. And the strategic placement of the device means that the data Challenger gathers is more accurate and more nuanced than any other device on the market today.

The secret to the Challenger system is in the stats: instant, accurate, aggregated data that creates a comprehensive picture of your game, how you play and how you can improve.

As we've already mentioned, Challenger harnesses cutting-edge sensor technology to capture accurate, real-time data about your technique and send that data to both the device screen and to a phone or computer via Bluetooth.

The real magic of Challenger lies not in the data itself, but what we are able to do with that data. Our one-of-a-kind algorithms—the brains of the entire Challenger system—take the data the device gathers about your game and transform a bunch of numbers into real, meaningful, powerful insight that you can use to tweak your technique and take your game to the next level.

Unlike so many activity trackers these days, which force you to stay tethered to your smartphone at all times, Challenger works as a stand-alone device, thanks to the onboard viewing screen, giving you instant access to your data, and the freedom to leave your smartphone off the court.

That being said, the Challenger web and mobile app is where Challenger's data really starts to come to life.

Through the app, Challenger has the ability to provide insight into your performance, not just in the moment, but over time, so you can track your progress effortlessly, or zero in on a specific match or practice session for more detailed analysis.

The Challenger app also has the ability to overlay your stats directly on top of slow-motion video—gathered in real time using the in-app camera—so you can look at your game in a totally new way.

Last, but far from least, the Challenger app is equipped with a powerful social component that allows users to: 

• Share and compare their video, images and stats with other players and coaches
• Give and receive feedback, tips and expert coaching 
• Discover new players
• Stay motivated to continually improve their game 

The result: Shot Stats has the potential to build the single largest and most engaged online community of tennis players and coaches the world has ever seen. 

The media is already buzzing about Shot Stats and the potential of Challenger to transform the way people play tennis once and for all:

Earlier this year, the Shot Stats team was honored to be selected to participate in leading hardware accelerator program HAXLR8R.

Through the HAXLR8R program, we were able to spend 5 months living and working in China, where we:

• Connected with key manufacturing resources 
• Gathered information about the manufacturing landscape both in and outside China
• Visited prospective factories and suppliers

Thanks to this experience, Shot Stats has gained invaluable information and insight that will help us to ensure that we produce the absolute best possible hardware products as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. 

The Shot Stats team has been hard at work developing technology that will transform the future of tennis forever, and things have picked up speed dramatically in the space of just a few short months:

In June, we completed a successful Kickstarter campaign, launching past our initial $75,000 goal to ultimately raise more than $100,000 from 685 backers, and pre-sell 635 Shot Stats Challenger units in the process.

We have already completed 3 iterations of the Challenger hardware – a working proof of concept model and 2 prototypes used for test data capture and form factor durability/feasibility testing. We filed a provisional US utility patent last year, and recently completed a non-provisional utility filing as well.

Leaders in the tennis community are already expressing interest in partnering with Shot Stats, including big names like the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Tennis Australia (TA), as well as leading racket manufacturers and big-time NCAA Division I schools. We have also inked a deal with the largest online tennis retailer, Tennis Warehouse.

Shot Stats has seen some incredible success already, and we have plans for even bigger and better things to come. For more information about the future of Shot Stats and how you can get involved, please request access to the Business Plan page of this profile!

Lavie Sak, Co-Founder & CEO
Lavie earned a dual BS in Computer and Electrical Engineering from the University of Sydney and an MA in Design from the University of Sydney. Between his 2 degrees, he worked as a management consultant for Accenture. Lavie is a long-time tennis player and certified tennis teaching pro, and is passionate about using his engineering and design expertise to take the game he loves to the next level.

Sergey Feingold, Co-Founder & CTO
Sergey has more than 8 years of experience in design and manufacturing. He earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, and has been involved in the development and engineering of electron microscopes, underwater vehicles and other sophisticated technologies.

Sina Niakosari, Data Scientist
Sina has a PhD is Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington and a MS in Computer Engineering from McMaster University, and has spent time at the Stanford Research Institute in the Robotics division.

Jake Beham, Financial Advisor
Jake earned his BS with Honors in Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting and Finance. He is also a CFA Level II candidate.

The Shot Stats team is honored and excited to have the input, guidance and support from some of the most prominent names in the tennis and technology communities:

Peter Smith
Peter Smith is a 5-time NCAA Division I Men’s tennis title holder and was named National Coach of the year in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Rod Cross
Rod Cross is an internationally recognized leader in sports mechanics research. He designed the Australian Open court surface, and is the author of The Physics and Technology and Tennis.

Cyril Ebersweiler
Cyril Ebersweiler is the founder of prominent hardware accelerator HAXLR8R and a mentor at 500 Startups and Techstars, and has deep experience in the Chinese manufacturing industry.

Braen Aneiros
Braen Aneiros is a world-class tennis player and coach, currently coaching 3 active top 150 ATP players.