Built by industry veterans from SportsEngine, TeamSnap, NCSA, and FloSports alongside an award-winning team of AI experts
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OTTO SPORT AI today announced $16.5 million in seed funding, co-led by Mamba Growth Equity and Rally Ventures, to accelerate development of its next-generation youth sports platform and expand its AI (Athlete Intelligence) Lab, focused on delivering agentic, purpose-built tools for youth clubs, leagues, and tournaments. OTTO SPORT AI delivers an intelligent operating system built to revolutionize the way youth sports teams and organizations manage their players, events, and operations, with products spanning club management, league and tournament operations, ticketing, and athlete recruitment. By combining deep youth sports expertise with modern technology and intelligent automation, OTTO SPORT AI helps organizations remove friction, increase insights, create better connections, and operate more efficiently. Youth sports in the U.S. is thriving, with families investing an estimated $30 to $40 billion annually in organized play. Yet many organizations are still operating with outdated software, manual workflows, and disconnected systems, resulting in unnecessary friction, inefficiencies and a fragmented experience for families, coaches, and athletes. OTTO SPORT AI was built to change that. “Our mission with OTTO SPORT AI is to harness the immense power and potential of AI while creating technology experiences that feel human and empathetic – like a great coach cheering you on,” said Luke Zaientz, Co-Founder and CEO of OTTO SPORT AI and Co-Founder and former CEO of Reigning Champs. “We’ve assembled a team of industry veterans, unified by a passion to create vastly better experiences, and technologists who know how to build at scale. With our dedicated AI Lab, we’re moving faster than ever—delivering tools that solve real problems at a pace this industry has not seen.” At the core of OTTO SPORT AI’s momentum is a growing leadership and product team with decades of experience across youth sports, technology, athlete development, and large-scale events, having held leadership roles at TeamSnap, SportsEngine, NCSA, FloSports, and other category-defining companies. They are supported by a panel of industry advisors spanning volleyball, soccer and lacrosse, and a dedicated team of AI technology experts. That momentum is already taking shape through OTTO PILOT, an AI-powered chat assistant that learns from an organization’s website and internal knowledge base to reduce administrative workload and improve communication. Following a successful beta period with early adopters, OTTO PILOT will be included in the OTTO SPORT AI product suite, and available as a stand alone product for any youth sports organization. “Being part of the advisory group for OTTO PILOT was eye-opening. I spend so much time answering the same parent questions over and over, and seeing how quickly and accurately OTTO PILOT handles that was honestly amazing,” said Lauren Sommer, Business Manager of Ocala Power United Volleyball. “It’s going to give me hours of time back during the season, and offer a much better experience for parents and athletes juggling a busy schedule.” The new funding will accelerate development across the OTTO SPORT AI product suite with additional AI-driven tools, integrations, and features rolling out throughout 2026 as the company builds technology to support youth sports at every level. About OTTO SPORT AIOTTO SPORT AI delivers an intelligent operating system built to revolutionize the way youth sports teams and organizations manage their players, events, and operations, on and off the field or court. Built by industry-leaders in youth sports, OTTO SPORT AI reimagines what a modern platform should be. Featuring intuitive and AI-driven tools that remove friction, increase insights, and create better connections, so athletes, families, coaches, and administrators can grow, compete, and thrive. SOURCE Otto Sport AI
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