WSC Sports raises $100m for AI video platform
February 16, 2022
WSC Sports, a global player in AI-driven sports highlights, has closed a $100 million (€87.8m) Series D round, led by ION Crossover Partners (ICP). Existing investors, including Intel Capital, O.G. Tech and Detroit Venture Partners (Dan Gilbert), also participated in the round.
The company plans to use the new funding to support its growth plans for 2022 and beyond, continuing its expansion into new geographies, sports, and platforms such as OTT, sports betting and more. In addition, the company is set to recruit more than 150 new employees this year, both in Israel and at its regional offices in New York, Sydney and London.
WSC Sports surpassed more than 200 global customers in 2021, and more than 3.4 million highlights were created using the company’s AI-based platform, which equates to over nine years’ worth of video content.
“We’re delighted to secure this significant round of funding and couldn’t have asked for better new partners than ICP to join our professional team of investors” said Daniel Shichman, CEO and Co-founder, WSC Sports. “ICP will contribute from their vast experience working with growth stage technology companies as we continue our global expansion. Sports media rights owners are embracing new ways to connect with their fans and generate new revenue streams. With new consumption habits moving at a rapid pace, short-form video has become a key component in user acquisition, retention, and monetisation and our new products that were launched during 2021 for broadcasters, OTT providers and sports betting operators demonstrate the scale and variety of use-cases our platform supports”.
“We have been following WSC’s progress over the last two years and found the team’s vision and execution highly impressive. Content is king, and we view sports content as one of the crown jewels of the digital age. WSC’s undeniable technology leadership is unlocking value for different stakeholders in the value chain. We look forward to taking part in the next chapter of WSC’s growth and innovation” added Gilad Shany, ICP’s Managing Partner, who will be joining WSC Sports’ BoD.