Belfast SME Kairos invests in R&D to develop innovative sports technology

Belfast based sports technology company, Kairos has invested over £1million in R&D to further develop its successful software platform and mobile app.

Kairos’ current app helps elite sports clubs and athletes manage busy schedules including training, meetings and physio sessions. The new project will increase the software’s functionality and gather data on athlete performance and health, allowing the creation of individually tailored training programmes.

The company was established in 2018 by former Irish and Ulster rugby professional Andrew Trimble and Gareth Quinn, founder of Digital DNA, and has had considerable success so far.

Andrew Trimble, CEO and co-founder of Kairos, said: “Coming from an elite sporting background, I understand how important it is to focus on an individual player’s abilities, which can improve overall team performance. I have also had insight into the unique complexities of managing internal schedules and communication across team staff and players. When we started out, we used Invest Northern Ireland’s support to develop the initial stage of our software, which is already being used by top professional teams across the UK and Ireland and more recently the US. These include the Scottish National football team, Stoke City, MK Dons, Ulster Rugby and Worcester Warriors to name but a few.

“We want to continue this growth and are investing over £1million in R&D to develop our product further. Our new project will expand the initial scheduling and communications platform with increased innovative functionality across areas of wellness, analytics and performance, to help athletes and key staff achieve maximised results on match day.”

Kairos COO and co-founder, Gareth Quinn, added: “Through innovation we have developed a cloud-based platform which will help athletes to focus on their own bespoke performance plans, while seamlessly providing valuable insights to coaches and medical staff. We hope to break into new markets and have our sights set on major sports teams across the globe. Invest NI’s team in the US is helping us and we’re already making promising connections with elite US sports teams.”

Since 2018, Invest NI has offered Kairos £128,344 of support towards the technical development of its scheduling and communications platform, mentoring, job creation, trade assistance, and branding and design support. The company has also benefited from Techstart NI funding, part of Invest NI’s www.investni.com/support-for-business/funding-through-loans-and-equity Access to Finance portfolio.

This latest offer provides £197,150 of R&D support towards the platform and app development.

Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI’s Director of Innovation, Research and Development, said: “We have been working with Kairos since it started and have helped it to create five jobs, develop its brand and business model, as well as invest in R&D. It has been great to see Kairos grow so quickly in just a few years. The company’s rapid success demonstrates how investment in R&D has the potential to develop new technologies to open opportunities in new markets and drive a company’s growth.

“This new investment will allow Kairos to keep up with the demand for more detailed analysis and tailored performance information. Such developments will assist global business growth. We have also continued to offer Kairos our advice during COVID-19, helping to adapt its sales strategy so that it can remain globally competitive .”

In recognition of the company’s commitment to innovation it has been awarded a Gold Level Innovator Certificate from Innovate NI.

Invest NI is committed to driving innovation in Northern Ireland; it is a proud partner of Innovate NI, a Department for the Economy programme, helping local businesses innovate successfully. For further information visit www.innovateni.com” www.innovateni.com

TechStartNI and Invest NI’s R&D support are part financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the EU Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014–2020.

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