Even if you have only a passing interest in sports, you’re likely aware of how analytics and data have revolutionized the sports industry. With the expansion of analytics departments within sports teams and the increasing integration of data into both on-field and off-field decision-making, one question looms large: How do teams manage the ever-growing volume of data?
Enter Zelus Analytics, a company founded by a former baseball analytics executive, dedicated to assisting teams from a wide range of sports in collecting and effectively utilizing the plethora of data at their disposal.
Today, the company has announced a significant $3.6 million investment. This funding includes contributions from existing investor RedBird Capital, as well as the involvement of Gametime Capital, Teamworthy Ventures, 35V, and Billy Beane, the former executive of the Oakland A’s, famously featured in Michael Lewis’ 2003 book “Moneyball,” which explored the introduction of analytics into baseball.
Zelus collaborates with analytics teams across various sports to help them harness the diverse data sources available to construct models aimed at making superior decisions. This encompasses decisions related to player acquisitions, on-field strategies, and the multifaceted aspects of managing and operating a sports franchise.
Company co-founder and CEO Doug Fearing possesses a wealth of experience in the field of sports analytics, having previously served as a senior advisor in baseball research and development for the Tampa Bay Rays and as the director of research and development for the Los Angeles Dodgers—two MLB organizations renowned for their adept use of analytics.
Fearing explains, “Fundamentally, we assist teams in leveraging their data to achieve more victories,” emphasizing the role of projecting and enhancing player and team performance. This includes leveraging intricate proprietary data sources available to teams to build models that provide context to historical performance, forecast future performance, and guide strategic decisions like player acquisitions, as well as tactical in-game choices, such as player matchups.
What sets Zelus apart from its competitors is its data source agnosticism. The company has established a robust data engineering pipeline that operates consistently across various sports, allowing it to efficiently collect and process data from a broad spectrum of sources on a daily basis.
At present, Zelus generates revenue by working with teams in six major sports, encompassing baseball, basketball, hockey, football, cricket, and soccer. The infusion of investment capital is expected to prompt the exploration of expansion into additional domains, including college sports, esports, and potentially offering their platform directly to consumers, including individual athletes.
Fearing shares, “Our investors see the substantial value in the intellectual property we’ve cultivated within the professional sports domain and would like to see us accelerate our efforts in monetizing that IP in these other sectors. We’ve been rather conservative, with most of our development work concentrated on the professional product. This funding will enable us to explore these new opportunities more extensively.”
