Swiss startup 49ing, which analyses ice hockey games using artificial intelligence (AI), is extending its video platform to floorball. According to Startupticker.ch, which published the news on 21 October 2026, the Erlenbach (ZH) company already has several paying customers in Switzerland in this sport. It claims more than 500 customers in hockey and is considering a Series A funding round to finance its sales and marketing.
How does 49ing's AI break down a hockey game?
The platform starts from the game video as it is broadcast. According to 49ing's website, a computer vision engine combines this video feed with the team line-ups. From this it derives player positions and game events, then calculates advanced statistics.
The result is an indexed video database called Data Cockpit. Every play can be located in it: a user can search for a sequence by event type or in natural language. The company describes a "multimodal" AI, meaning one able to process both images and data, trained on a large corpus of hockey games.
A second tool, the Player Cockpit, is aimed at players. It brings together career statistics and video clips of every shift on the ice, every shot and every goal. Players can share a public profile or grant private access to their coaches.
What the platform offers a club
For a professional club, the benefit is having an analysis ready shortly after the game. 49ing presents itself as the official data provider of the National League, Switzerland's top league, and as video and data partner of the Swiss League. Leagues can add modules dedicated to officiating and player safety.
For amateur sport, the company says its software is used "at all levels", from national teams to junior programmes. Scouts are also among its customers. The sources consulted, however, give no figures for an amateur club and no subscription prices.
Abroad, Startupticker cites several North American college conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), including Hockey East, Atlantic Hockey and ECAC. According to the company, most teams in the Liiga, Finland's top professional league, also use its platform. Its North American customer base reportedly ranges from elite amateur teams up to the National Hockey League (NHL).
From ice hockey to floorball
Floorball is the first neighbouring sport in which 49ing is selling its technology. The company announces several paying customers in Switzerland ahead of the start of next season, without giving their number or names.
This move builds on trials carried out in other disciplines. "We have run pilot projects in several sports related to hockey, including field hockey, lacrosse and floorball," explains Andreas Hänni, CEO of 49ing and an experienced hockey player, quoted by Startupticker.
What is established and what 49ing claims
Most of the available figures come from the company itself. None of the sources consulted verifies them independently.
| Figure or fact | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|
| More than 500 customers | Leagues, teams, scouts and federations | 49ing statement |
| More than 100% growth per year | Growth since the international expansion launched in 2025, with no specified metric | 49ing statement |
| Revenue of a few million | Order of magnitude, with no exact amount | 49ing statement |
| 2 million francs raised | Funds raised from friends and family and private investors since its founding in 2016 | 49ing statement |
| 7 full-time equivalents | Headcount in Switzerland, supplemented by freelancers | 49ing statement |
| USD 2.61 billion in 2030 | Global market for AI applied to sport, growing by 16.7% per year | MarketsandMarkets report, cited by Startupticker |
Two growth figures coexist without explanation. Revenue is said to be growing at double-digit rates year on year, while the company also announces more than 100% annual growth since 2025. The sources do not say which metric this second figure measures.
On its website, 49ing presents itself as the official data provider of the National League. The partnership with the Swiss League is reported by Startupticker. The company says it has so far grown mainly through word of mouth, without any institutional investor.
The limits of AI video analysis
- Video first. The system works from the game's video feed. The sources do not specify how a club whose games are not filmed can access the data.
- Accuracy not published. None of the sources gives an error rate for player tracking or any external evaluation of the statistics produced.
- The virtual coach remains a prospect. 49ing's website describes an AI-based "coach", built on language models and voice-controlled avatars, that would answer players' questions. It presents it as a future project, not as an available service.
What we do not know yet
- The amount targeted by the Series A, its timetable and the investors approached: the company only says it is in discussions.
- The exact number of customers in floorball and the date of the next season targeted.
- The price of the platform for an amateur club.
49ing says it is looking for engineers and entrepreneurial profiles interested in AI applied to sport.
