sKora team members
Doha: Businesses operating in the sports sector have their sights firmly set on FIFA World Cup 2022. One that is specifically looking to reach new heights is sKora, a Qatar-based sportstech start-up that has recently benefited from the Tech Venture Fund (TVF) of Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation (QF RDI).
Soccer Agency Recommender, sKora’s unique product offering, uses its one-of-a-kind artificial intelligence (AI) technology to serve aspiring professional footballers who do not have the means to afford, or access to obtain, expert athletic career advice.
The product recommends to players aiming to pursue a career in football a potential pathway. This reduces the complexity of the processes involved in recruiting them and makes the sport more accessible so that the next big stars of the game can be found quicker and set up to succeed.
sKora’s distinctive AI platform also stands out from the rest of the market, as it was developed in Qatar, as opposed to its competitors, who are largely based in Europe. This gives footballers in the Arab world keen to make it big – perhaps in one of the major European or South American football leagues – a great springboard to launch their careers.
“Technological advancements in football have unlocked unprecedented opportunities for growth in the sports industry,” said Adel Saad, sKora’s CEO. “The introduction of data into professional football has pushed us towards digitalizing the sports agency business through automation and machine learning processes. Using our platform, customized AI-driven pathways are recommended for each player depending on their own skill set, traits and situation, away from biased views and opinions.”
The dedicated work undertaken by the team at sKora has already borne fruit via a recent partnership with Lusail Sports Club, which aims to provide young and aspiring players with an opportunity to demonstrate their talent during a three-day program – the first of its kind in Qatar. The program will present a chance for players to compete in a professionally immersive environment while receiving training from UEFA-certified coaches.
Commenting on the support the team has received through the TVF, Saad said: “As an incubated start-up, QSTP has been a massive support throughout our journey. After receiving the funds from TVF, we were able to recruit many aspiring and talented interns from QF partner universities, who have now become full-time employees at sKora. TVF has been instrumental in propelling our start-up forward, taking us from the angel investment stage to working in the institutional investment space. The funding is ultimately allowing us to accelerate both our product development and marketing operations.”
“With the sports technology industry estimated to be worth $18 bn and expected to have a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18 percent between 2021 and 2026, sKora wants to be a key player in this particular ‘game,’” said Saad. QSTP’s TVF is a strategic venture capital fund designed to support local innovative start-ups and attract international ones looking to scale in the region. The fund offers local, regional, and global tech founders and entrepreneurs opportunities to source seed-stage funding and follow-on capital. It also seeks to lower entry barriers to starting a tech company in the market.
