Gerford AI: The Aussie AI startup revolutionising sports performance data

Gerford AI leverages performance analytics to help inform coaches and athletes with critical insights to make informed decisions. The system uses cameras to capture live footage of athletes, with AI algorithms analysing their movements in real-time. Whether tracking a tennis racket, ball speed or a swimmer’s stroke, the technology provides insights for coaches, broadcasters, waging groups and other stakeholders to ultimately give them that extra edge.

A passion for enhancing athletic performance

Founder Iggy Jovanovic was an ASTN Growth Stage Accelerator participant in 2022, and since day one his vision for Gerford AI stemmed from a tremendous passion for sports and his belief in the importance of small, incremental gains in performance.

“When an athlete or coach dedicates their entire life to an outcome such as winning gold medals or breaking world records, there is nothing that satisfies me more than helping them unlock that extra one per cent to achieve their goals,” said Jovanovic.

“I felt that immense joy at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, supporting Jakara Anthony in winning gold in Moguls, and again at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as Team England excelled in Table Tennis with gold, silver, and bronze medals.”

Impact on Paris 2024 Olympics and beyond

The recent success of the USA Swim Team at the Paris 2024 Olympics—where they secured 28 medals, including eight golds— highlights the significant impact of Gerford AI’s solutions. In 2023, Gerford AI became the official AI solution provider for Team USA’s Olympic Swim Team, providing time-efficient athlete performance analysis that directly contributed to their success.

"For Paris 2024, we had the idea to set up a data lab in Australia to ensure data was running 24/7 throughout the Olympics. This meant that when the coaches woke up, they had data from around the clock, which was a key advantage for the USA swim team,” added Jovanovic.

"The success of the USA swim team has shown us just how much potential there is to unlock when innovation and dedication come together in the world of sports. A win in swimming often comes down to milliseconds,” said Jovanovic. “Our AI technology played a key role in helping USA Swimming find those crucial extra milliseconds at Paris 2024.”

“The Tokyo Olympics for table tennis marked our first appearance at the Olympics, but it was a relatively low-key experience as we couldn’t be on ground due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Paris Olympics was a whole new ball game as we were right where the action happens, and it was an incredible opportunity to be part of that success.”

Learning when to pivot – from tennis to mogul skiing

In 2020, Iggy Jovanovic developed Gerford AI’s first computer vision and AI product specifically for tennis. “It took us about three weeks to build the initial prototype,” Jovanovic recalls. “We had a camera positioned at the back of the court that could identify right hand, left hand, forehand, backhand, and count the shots. But to create a market-ready product that could be used in tournaments, it took about nine months.”

During that time, the competition rapidly increased. “When we started, there were around seven competitors. By the time we finished, there were over 100 companies doing something similar,” said Jovanovic. This competition led him to rethink his strategy. “Going into the Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) Pre-Accelerator Program in 2021, I knew we had to explore other sports.”

“What I took from the ASTN Pre-Accelerator Program is the importance of precision, speed and understanding where the money is, and I still carry those traits today. We started off in tennis, but we couldn’t get cut through. With help from ASTN we were forced to think, where is there blue ocean and where can we make money?”

“By rethinking our strategy and learning to be laser focused, we were able to shift into a new lane, which is why we decided to focus on tier two and three Olympic sports like table tennis and mogul skiing,” added Jovanovic.

By directly reaching out to sports federations, Jovanovic identified opportunities in these smaller, underserved sports. His persistence with cold-calling and pitching his AI solutions paid off when federations in table tennis and mogul skiing adopted Gerford AI’s technology in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

COVID-19: A challenging time that led to new opportunities

Jovanovic initially relied on visual data from fixed cameras for sports analysis, but the onset of COVID-19 and its accompanying travel restrictions posed a significant challenge to this model. The turning point came when Gerford AI innovated a solution that allowed remote analysis of games using broadcast feeds and streams. This breakthrough was unprecedented at the time and opened new opportunities for the company.

“We are the first company in the world to eliminate the need for cameras, relying solely on a broadcast stream. This means that we no longer need to be physically present at the venue. As long as we have vision and it is streamed to us, we are able to capture the insights,” said Jovanovic.

With strict limitations on on-site personnel, Gerford AI’s new ability to analyse athlete performance via stream became an essential tool at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. This product adaptation not only proved invaluable during the Games but also laid the foundation for the company’s rapid growth in the years that followed.

Success doesn’t come without the hustle

There’s no denying that being a startup comes with its challenges, Jovanovic’s advice is that as a startup you can’t be afraid to hustle. “My tip to other start-ups is to get used to the word no. I love the word no. Give me 100 names to cold call because I love it, but I understand that’s not for everyone.”

Jovanovic also speaks passionately about not losing sight of the importance of revenue. “Find your market and focus on where your revenue is coming from. Remember nothing happens until something is sold. Of course, you’ve got to build a great product but don’t forget revenue. Don’t be ashamed to sell and tackle it head on,” he said.

Looking to the future

Gerford AI has an ambitious vision for the future, and is only just scratching the surface for what’s possible. With lots of innovative projects in the pipeline, Jovanovic and the team will continue to transform the future of sports performance data.

“We recently finished R&D on horse racing and discovered that technology isn’t that deeply used in the sport, so we see a lot of opportunity there. At the same time, we are also committed to prioritising sustainability with data centres, as we recognise that they can be incredibly damaging to the climate as they require a lot of water and push out a lot of heat. This is another passion for us, and we’re focused on finding innovative solutions to minimise these effects,” added Jovanovic.

Building on their success with USA Swimming, Gerford AI is ready to take on new challenges, expand into new sports and markets, and push the boundaries of sports AI technology to revolutionise athletic performance data.

For more information on Gerford AI visit gerford.com

Listen to Iggy Jovanovic’s interview on Sports Cutting Edge