Recut and MATCHi have been chosen to take part in the inaugural AO StartUps program.
The launch of AO StartUps is the latest step in Tennis Australia’s innovation program, which helps early-stage companies pilot their cutting-edge technology at the Australian Open and other areas of Australian tennis.
Recut brings Generative AI in video to the AO
Recut is a generative AI-based text-to-video technology where users can create infinite permutations of their own video content customised to individual viewers, engaging and delighting audiences like never before.
“We see enormous opportunity for generative AI in video particularly to personalise the fan experience, so we are excited to be working with Recut to pioneer in this space,” Tennis Australia Head of Innovation Dr Machar Reid said.
“A lot has been written recently about generative AI particularly with ChatGPT with text and DALL.E in visual imagery. However, we are excited to see where we can take this with video in working with Recut.
“This is genuinely cutting-edge technology, and we are certain in the years ahead generative AI in video will become commonplace in sport to more deeply engage fans.”
Tennis Australia will pilot Recut during the AO to create hyper-personalised videos behind the scenes with CEO Craig Tiley to the thousands of staff that make up the AO team.
“Generative AI is revolutionising the world of sports entertainment. With our technology, we're able to deliver unique and immersive individualised fan experiences that were previously impossible,” said Co-Founder of Recut Samuel Wang.
“We're incredibly excited to be partnering with with Tennis Australia through AO Startups to be part of one of the world's premier sporting events, and to explore the limitless possibilities that generative AI brings to entertainment.”
MATCHi - The world's fastest growing booking system for racquet sports including Padel
The leading tech platform for the global racquet sports community, MATCHi enables players to easily book courts, activities and keep track of their leagues on the go.
“We see huge potential in the platform that MATCHi has built over the past 10 years and want to captalise on its user-friendly functionality to help drive participation across Australia,” Tennis Australia Head of Innovation Dr Machar Reid said.
The MATCHi application will be piloted by players and venues across Australia throughout 2023 and play a critical role in helping support the growth of complementary formats and racquet sports such as Padel Tennis.
“This pilot is an exciting opportunity to continue to grow our strong participation numbers as we deliver more ways for people to play more often,” Tennis Australia Chief Tennis Officer Tom Larner said.
“Padel is enjoyed across more than 90 countries and by more than 20 million players* and while the sport’s introduction to Australia is only relatively new, there’s already significant uptake in its popularity.”
MATCHi CEO Daniel Ekman kicked off the company’s journey in 2012 and has overseen its growth from early beginnings in Sweden to becoming a global platform.
"Joining forces with Tennis and Padel Australia is an important milestone on our path towards being the obvious platform for the global racquet sports community,” Ekman said.
“We are stoked to have this opportunity to help drive racquet sports engagement in one of the top markets in the world.”
The full cohort of AO StartUps will be announced across AO 2023.
Visit aostartups.ausopen.com to learn more.
About Recut
Recut creates unlimited video content at scale. Recut is a generative AI-based text-to-video editor, focusing on high fidelity, expressive videos that can be used for sales, marketing, advertising and fan experiences. With Recut, users can create infinite permutations of their own content that is customized to each individual viewer, engaging and delighting audiences like never before.
About MATCHi
MATCHi is a complete booking system for racket sports venues worldwide. With over 10 years of experience, the business has built a perfect blend between user-friendly technology and powerful functionality. Its origins began in Sweden and now operates in 30 countries with over 2600 active venues.
About AO Startups
AO StartUps is the latest step in Tennis Australia’s innovation program which helps startup companies pilot their cutting-edge technology at the AO and other areas of Tennis Australia’s business. Companies participating in AO StartUps will be provided the opportunity to prove their business models in real time and directly access proprietary intel and exposure at one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment events. It’s been designed to extract maximum value for the startup, streamline corporate processes that can often stifle innovating at speed, and provide an opportunity for future investment via Tennis Australia’s venture capital fund, Wildcard Ventures.
The creation of AO StartUps follows the launch of Tennis Australia’s Venture Capital fund (Wildcard Ventures) and its multi-year partnership with global accelerator powerhouse, Techstars.