Ireland’s rise as a sports tech powerhouse

More than 85 Irish sports tech businesses are now active, part of a global industry worth €29.6 billion in 2025, a number projected to double by 2030. The sector is scaling fast, with Irish sports tech firms alone raising €6.8 million in venture capital in the first half of 2025 alone.

Powering elite athletes

Working across performance analytics, wearables, motion tracking and fan engagement, Irish innovation is shaping how athletes compete, recover and connect with audiences worldwide.

Irish firms are powering elite teams with their technology across the globe, including in the Premier League, NFL, NBA, Ryder Cup, and Olympic teams.

Passion for sports fuelling innovation

The rise in this industry is no accident. Ireland combines a deep-rooted sporting culture with one of Europe’s strongest talent pools in tech fields.

“Ireland’s passion for sport is foundational. From Gaelic games to rugby and football, sport is woven into the national identity. This cultural enthusiasm fuels innovation and creates a natural market for sports-related technologies.

Former athletes are even transitioning into tech entrepreneurs, bringing first-hand experience to product development,” says Keith Brock, Senior Client Advisor for Sports Technology at Enterprise Ireland.

Strong academia and industry links

Dublin now ranks first in Europe for per-capita engineering and data science skills, while 20+ sports science degree programmes ensure graduates are industry ready.

There are strong links between academia and industry in this area, and the sports and technology sectors co-created the first International Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Analytics, Tech and Innovation, in the world.

Cementing Ireland’s leadership in sports tech

Government and institutional supports have further cemented Ireland’s leadership, with Enterprise Ireland backing more than 50% of the country’s sports tech VC deals to collaborative partnerships with organisations like the IRFU enabling real-world testing and commercialisation.

“Ireland offers a unique blend of capital efficiency, export-ready innovation and institutional support, making it a prime destination for sports tech investment,” explains Brock.

Leading voices in sports tech

Meet some of the leading voices and ventures behind this growing momentum, who are highlighting how Ireland is setting the pace in the future of sport.

Orreco

Founded in Ireland in 2010, Orreco blends sports science, biomarker analytics and machine learning to help elite athletes train harder, recover quicker and reduce injury risk.

Using applied physiology, biostatistics, cognitive computing and AI, Orreco is arming coaches, medical staff, trainers and athletes with knowledge and actionable insights to maximise availability and sustain peak performance.

Orreco works with athletes in most major sporting leagues in Ireland, the UK and the US, as well as across sports like tennis, golf, and Formula 1.

FitrWoman

FitrWoman is a science-driven platform developed by Orreco, designed to empower support female athletes by helping them understand how their menstrual cycle impacts training, recovery, nutrition and overall performance.

Grounded in a deep understanding of female physiology, FitrWoman’s mission is to bridge the gap in scientific understanding of the unique needs of female athletes, and to share this information to drive better sporting performance.

This technology has been used and supported by Olympic medallists, League Champions and World Champions.

Sports Impact Technologies

Founded in 2022 and based in Dublin at NovaUCD, Sports Impact Technologies designs a behind-the-ear wearable sensor to detect head impacts, by measuring head accelerations.

Sending real-time alerts to coaches, trainers and athletes through their app, the device aims to enhance player safety and performance, aiming to eliminate undetected and undiagnosed concussions in athletes.

An early-stage start up, Sports Impact Technologies is currently undertaking beta testing programmes with athletes playing sports from American football to rugby and hockey to GAA.

Danu Sports

Danu Sports builds wearable movement analysis systems that deliver lab-level accuracy in the field.

Their smart socks combine sensors with analytics platforms to monitor metrics like gait, balance, plyometrics and velocity, while athletes are performing.

Empowering coaches and athletes with a smart and accurate tool, Danu aims to improve physical performance, reduce injury occurrence and improve rehabilitation times, all without the restrictions of lab-based testing.

>> Read Ireland's Sports Tech Landscape Report from Enterprise Ireland