Registrations for the second round of Tennis Australia’s AO StartUps accelerator program are now open.

Seven tech startups were part of the inaugural cohort and developed and tested their ideas in real time at the Australian Open (AO) in January, including Cape Bionics, Equidi, Calyx, MATCHi, Amperfii, Recut and YBVR.

The program helps startups develop their technology at the AO and in other areas of Tennis Australia’s business.

Dr. Machar Reid, Head of Innovation at Tennis Australia, said they are excited to offer the accelerator program to more startups.

“We have been encouraged by the interest from companies around the world wanting to be part of the inaugural AO StartUps portfolio and have seen immediate benefits from the various pilot programs in our company,” he said.

“Our mid-year intake provides an extensive runway for emerging founders to test, develop and run a pilot that demonstrates the power of their technology by helping athletes, fans or the global tennis community.

“It drives our innovation agenda at Tennis Australia while providing great investment opportunities for the future.”

AO StartUps is led by Tennis Australia’s Innovation team and follows the launch of Tennis Australia’s Venture Capital fund, Wildcard Ventures, and multi-year partnership with global accelerator powerhouse Techstars.

The sports and entertainment industries most interesting during the mid-year intake included technologies that enhance athlete performance, AI-powered products and experiences focused on legacy media and business services, and the world of padel tennis.

Start-up technology companies have until June 5, 2023 to apply. Details on aostartups.ausopen.com.