FEW SPORTS-TECHNOLOGY startups boast a legendary baseball manager as an advisor, but Kitman Labs is one.
Billy Beane, who pioneered the use of deep statistical analysis in the sport during the 1990s, joined the Ireland-founded, now San Francisco-based company last year.
Since then Beane has been giving the company, which has been developing technology to prevent sport-related injuries, advice about how to crack more US markets, according to Kitman Labs co-founder Stephen Smith.
He told Fora that having a household name on board was a great selling point for the company.
“Anybody in the US understands who he is and anyone in Europe knows that Brad Pitt played him in Moneyball – that’s generally strong enough for most people,” he said.
“He’s really been helping us to understand what data a baseball general manager, for example, is looking for and how this will help them affect the bottom line of their business.
“It won’t be shocking, but he’s also been incredibly helpful from a statistical point of view. We talked about some of the problems we had with the analysis and data side of things, and he shared with us what he saw when they were going through the Moneyball era.”
Proactive healthcare
Kitman Labs was founded by Smith in 2012 while he was still Leinster Rugby strength and conditioning, and rehabilitation coach.
The company collects data from elite and professional athletes and uses it to monitor subtle degenerative changes prior to injury in order to identify the key factors that signify when an injury will occur.
Kitman Labs boasts an impressive list of clients, including the South African rugby team, numerous English Premier League teams, and many NBA and NFL franchises in the US.
Although the company is predominantly focused on the sports market, Smith said he has big ambitions for the work they are doing to aid proactive healthcare in the future.
“What we just want to do is improve the quality of peoples’ lives. That’s what we do for sportspeople, so why can’t we do that for everyone.
“It’s not something that will happen in the next six to 12 months, but we are starting to understand how the information we collect in this space affect the general population everyday.
“The digital health movement has created these huge data sets in the general population space. People are using wearables that are tracking their activity levels, tracking their sleep, they’re entering in what they’re eating everyday to apps.
“The only problem is that this information is siloed and it is never communicated with anything else. What we started to do was pull that information together.”
Momentum
In mid-2014, Kitman Labs closed a Series A funding round worth $4 million (€3.5 million in today’s money) and since then the whole business has really taken off, Smith said.
The company’s most-recent filings, to the end of 2014, showed it had accumulated losses of about €670,000 but cash in the bank worth close to €2.6 million.
“Before we took the first round of funding we were working with three teams across two leagues, we’re now working with more than 40 across 15 leagues in four continents,” Smith said.
“One internal milestone we now want is to work with more than 100 teams, not just for an ego boost, but more so for our data set, because the larger the data set we have, the more we can help our clients.”
Smith said that he expects the momentum behind the company to get even stronger over the next few years.
“At the start, people were buying into the idea of where we were going as a business, but now we have some immense findings and now we are able to really deliver on what we talked about at the start.
“I think that things are just about to hit a point where they move extremely fast for us based on the momentum we are starting to see with team, the features we have started to build, and the amazing findings we have discovered given the fact our data set is so big now.”
Written by Killian Woods and posted on Fora.
Their 367th home draw of the season.
@WJH: it’s doesn’t matter a fook. A final is a final is a final yes?
@WJH: that might be funny if it was original. But alas……………..
@WJH: and yet we could finish the season with two trophies! Unbelievable Jeff!
What a joke. I’m not even going to celebrate this victory. How can they dod a bullet against a side 12th in La Liga??
Jose, your tatics confirmed one thing for me. You are the biggest AssClown that has ever lived in this game. End of story!
@Conor Cahill: Vigo were in tie for 10 mins that’s about it
@Conor Cahill: it wasn’t a victory, lad. We drew. Doesn’t matter though we’re in the final, and that team in 12th beat Barce this year
@John Flynn: who’s we, are you part of the team in some way?
@John Flynn: Celta Vigo had lost five previous games in all competitions, scoring just once….They are shite, nonsense bringing Barca into it!
@Lord Clanricarde: they beat Real Madrid too. They also put all their eggs in the Europa League basket and gave up on the league.
@Paddy: yeah I was out there playing tonight. Did you not see me?
@John Flynn: missed that some how, in that case carry on celebrating
@John Flynn: and Madrid away
@Irishoversea: eh did u watch the game mate? Vigo bossed the 2nd half snd only for that donkey of a citeh reject would have sailed try!!!
@leonard byrne: yes watched all the game and Vigo were only in it with 10 mins to go.. when it was 2-0 to United Vigo weren’t in the game at all United had 2 goal lead
Job done , I can see Utd winning it now!
@Adrian Costigan: Go home, Adrian, you’re drunk! -_-
@Adrian Costigan: they won’t beat Ajax…and they’ll finish 5th or 6th in the Premiership…well more than likely 6th as that’s their position they have owned that place since October LAST YEAR….what a team to be proud of….NOT…
@dannyboy: same guy who said Celta Vigo would beat them. Good man.
@casual.tri.guy: I wish I could use my throwing my eyes up to heaven emoji for half the rubbish spouted here. I gave up commenting on the 42 for a week. Think I’ll make it permanent. How many game do you play in the Europa league to get to the final? And they’re shite?! Please. Not a classic performance no but they deserve to be there
Play like that again and its ajax cup
@Stiofán Ó Cearnaigh: to be fair Ajax made hard work of Lyon after having a 3 goal lead
@Irishoversea: 4 goal lead
A few pairs of messy pants being wore by United fans all around the world now. Man that Guidetti is brutal.
@The Pig: yea, I’m one of em. Unlucky Celta. They were excellent. That forward is absolutely shite.
@Nollaig Elliot: you can only beat what’s in front of you and United done it over 2 legs. Ajax in final i wouldn’t be worried. Champions league Ball next year again. Not his biggest fan but José has a c.v you can’t knock. The Pig.
@The Pig: I’ll take the win all day and look forward to the final but Jose played a dangerous game sitting back at home in a semi final. Blind had a nightmare. Bailly a huge loss.
@The Pig: Guidetti is brutal but can’t put too much blame on him for that last chance. The other lad should have taken the shot and it was one pass too many and he was caught off guard. That said he missed 3 or 4 other chances too.
@Nollaig Elliot: good job he was a citeh reject lol r we b out lol
Guidetti getting the stick when your man had a clear shot and chose to drill it across the box at pace and behind the striker. Another shocker at home. Where to start with new players. So many average holes in the team. Have no idea what lingard offers. He did less than nothing
@Ray Taff: Lingaard is solely there for marketing purposes, keeps the aul Instagram and Twitter feed ticking over with handshakes and dance videos from the dressing room!
@Lord Clanricarde: I was at the Swansea game 2 weeks ago and Lingard was actively refusing the ball. Hand out, don’t give me that pass kinda job. Horrible to watch and he’s robbing his 100k a week. Fergie would have farmed him out to Yeovil and he would never have been seen again and that’s the facts.
Blind and Darmian looked like pub team players any decent team would have took advantage of that. Can’t complain to much when getting to a final but United are awful to watch completely disjointed tonight. Bailly out for the final is a massive loss.
@Eric Djemba-Djemba: blind was so poor I don’t think he would have played the final or even again this season but now with bailly out he probably will
@Eric Djemba-Djemba: agree that left side was weak. Someone bring this lingard joke to an end. He not physically strong to play at this level.
Herera doing pogba work again !
@Declan Doyle: not just his strength, he isn’t interested in creating anything, he just goes for the pass back to anyone that passes to him
@Declan Doyle: Agreed Declan, Pogba was poor yet again tonight. I’m still waiting for him to dominate midfield in a game for a guy of his height and strength. Instead he just tries to be flash and gets dispossessed so friggin often. As a United fan I’m happy they’re in a final but they are painful to watch.
Poor Guidetti must of had concussion otherwise he would easily scored and knocked United out..
@Irishoversea: it’s serves him right for going down and rolling around like a tramp on the ground. Also his focus was all wrong it should have been all about Celta Vigo and not stupidly bring City into it, every chance he had to score I guarantee he was trying to score for city.
Well done UTD, well done Jose.
UTD back in a European Final.
John Guidetti disgracefully got a fellow professional Bailly sent off through simulation, a fellow pro who will now miss the opportunity to play in a European Final then missed an absolute sitter at the death.
Hahahahahahaha!
Hope you have nightmares for a month over that. May it haunt you forever you cheat.
Karma’s a beech.
@Jack Cassady: surely red can be overturned on appeal.
@Denis McGrath:
Looked to me as if Tony V had more of an impact on the player.
Definitely appeal the card. Shocking that Bailly should miss a final over that piece of nonsense.
@Denis McGrath: I would hope so Denis.
United have to appeal.
That dive was a disgrace. Miss couldn’t have happened to a bigger pr##k. Delighted for him.
@Declan Doyle: can’t raise your hands even if you do go down like a 5 dollar tramp. Stupid. He’ll be a big loss
@Jack Cassady: a bit like vidic did to drogba in Moscow 2008 . Rolled around like a little girl when drogba touched his face . I hope Bertrand traore tears you lot a new one !
Jose should have enough for Ajax in the final. They will come at UTD who will sit back and hit on the break.
Or just sit back and then sit back some more, take it to extra time and sit back some more and hope De Gea does the business in the peno shoot out…. Jose will be driving the double decker for the Final
@Dan: The last 10mins Ajax v Lyon was some nailbiting stuff. Heard fireworks going off in Amsterdam just after the final whistle. They’re a very eager side, anything’s possible in that final. Hoping for an Amsterdam party.
@Dan: ya like weve done all season mate nooott!!!!
@leonard byrne: why affect the accent when you can discuss it normally like everyone else ??
Ajax will beat them
@Aidan Holden: easy money waiting for ya so in the bookies aidan, being a man of your convictions and all
3/1 some price
@Declan Doyle: he’s all talk. Won’t back them.
Sitting watching the last 15 mins and u could see the goal coming! Did Mourhino not ffs!
@Denis McGrath: agree Denis. They desperately ran out of legs at the end
@Declan Doyle: Just like so many games at OT this season. I can’t help but blame d manager. Martial and Mata either wud a been an outlet n took Lingard off
@Denis McGrath: Doesn’t mean he could do anything about it
@Denis McGrath: no cos hes a fffn tool!! Stevie wonder could see that with hellen kellers eyes ffs!!! Maureen is clueless hence chelseas season this year!!!
Has the realisation just set in with United fans about Jose? What else did you expect? That is his style of football, grab an early goal and sit back and spoil the games as much as possible. He is a defensive manager, only gets results when you the team to do it. That United team isn’t the Chelsea team that put him on the map.
@….: Porto put him on the map.
@David: Sorry meant in the Premiership.
@….: He won the champions league, with Porto. Who cares about the premiership?
@David: Because United play in that League
Ajax wouldn’t put the fear of god into you but they will be well prepared. united haven’t done well against teams from the Netherlands either.
Would of taken few years to get it together be giggs should have got the job all along
We have become average football club Old Trafford is not feared Fortress it once was!
Jammy Baskits i was hoping they would lose.