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After powering 4,000 events, serving more than 130,000 athletes and recording two million scores globally last year, Sydney-based digital scoring startup Liveheats has raised $1.3 million in a seed funding round that it expects to drive a fivefold surge in revenue by 2028.
The startup, which was founded in 2016 by surfing mates Chris Friend and Fernando Freire to streamline competitions at their local boardriders club, has developed a platform to revolutionise the way action sports are scored, shared and experienced.
Liveheats, which is now backed by former world surfing champion Joel Parkinson, has deployed its platform across more than 60 countries and recently hit the $2 million revenue milestone.
The company says the $1.3 million in seed capital will help capitalise on its current growth momentum which it aims to deliver $10 million in revenue by 2028.
Among the investors who have supported the seed round are Ben Richardson, the co-founder of email marketing platform Campaign Monitor, Robert Bell, the former CEO of digital bank 86 400, and Trevor Folsom, the co-founder of Investible.
Through the Liveheats platform, event organisers can handle everything from live scoring and heat draws to registrations and rankings.
Liveheats replaces outdated paper systems and “clunky spreadsheets” with mobile-first tools that work in any location, allowing judges to enter scores directly on phones or tablets.
Liveheats says that, for athletes, the platform “captures and stores every event, round, heat, score and now photo, providing personalised data and rich insights to help improve performance”.
The Gold Coast-based Parkinson, who launched his own junior pro event, sees the platform as a key tool in his mission to develop young surfing talent.
“Liveheats allows young competitors to track every result, every stat - it’s a game-changer,” he says.
“This platform is an incredibly valuable tool to support today’s up and coming talent, driving performance improvement through data. I wish I had access to this innovative technology when I was competing.”
Liveheats has become a staple technology for major sporting organisations globally in recent years, including USA Surfing, Surfing NZ, The Freeride World Tour, USASA, Skateboard GB, Commission Skateboard France and Surf Life Saving Australia, NZ and Japan.
Local sporting clubs are also getting on board, leading to Liveheats supporting more than 4,000 events globally and serving 131,265 athletes in 2024.
“What started as a tool to streamline surf comps at our local boardriders club has become a platform powering thousands of action sports events globally,” says co-founder Chris Friend.
“This funding round allows us to take the next step and build a seamless, data-rich competition experience for the sports we love.
“From live scores and performance analytics to integrated media, our motivation is to give the next generation of athletes the pro-level experience they deserve, while making it easier for organisers to plan, promote and run better events.”
The seed round was wrapped up at the end of March.
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