Riedel Communications today reaffirmed its commitment to providing connected solutions for the digital transformation of the sports industry by partnering with Hanover-based IoT sports start-up iotis. iotis just introduced a smart soccer ball that generates live data through integrated sensor technology and becomes a digital coach when paired with the iotis training app. As a partner, Riedel will support iotis with special hardware development and various service offerings, including logistics.
Founded with angel investor and former national soccer player Fabian Ernst, iotis aims to digitalize ball sports sustainably and adapt them to the needs of younger generations. The company relies on sensor technology and complex algorithms as the basis for its training platform. The new smart soccer ball allows users to connect the device with a training app to view real-time data to improve performance, while enabling them to share results with friends. Tracking solutions for other sports — such as table tennis — will also be introduced.
“We are very pleased to have a strong partner like Riedel onboard. With the new strategic and financial opportunities this collaboration provides us, we can more efficiently drive our vision for smart sports balls forward,” said Lennard Hachmeister, CEO and Co-Founder, iotis. “Riedel’s keen sense for innovation will help us deliver trend-setting technology for the sports market, while helping us to expand into additional sectors as well.”
“By expanding our strategic partnerships, we can offer our customers an even broader portfolio of customized high-end solutions,” said Lutz Rathmann, CEO, Managed Technology, Riedel Communications. “In doing so, we have a clear and holistic vision of how to create sporting events and productions that are more exciting and technologically sophisticated, while at the same time less complex to stage. Tracking and sensor technologies are already an essential part of our 360-degree approach, and through our partnership with iotis, we now have another digital component for our service portfolio. It adds up to an even more attractive future for sports.”
In addition to this partnership, Riedel founder and entrepreneur Thomas Riedel has also teamed up with iotis as a private investor.
“I firmly believe that digitalisation in sports is still in its infancy,” said Riedel. “We’ve already seen a variety of technological applications in elite sports, but suitable solutions are often lacking, especially for mass sports. This is where iotis offers a strong approach. In addition to my excitement over Riedel Communications — with its years of expertise in high-end sports — becoming an iotis technology partner, I couldn’t be more pleased to be personally onboard as an investor in this project.”
