The Deal
Superstat, a Melbourne-based sports tech startup, closed a $3.5 million pre-seed round led by Blackbird. The round included backing from Blinq founder Jarrod Webb and Mindset Health founders Alex and Chris Naoumidis.
Founded in May 2025 by Cordelia King, Sam Hung, and Kai Bloomfield (former AFL data analyst), the company went through Startmate's 2026 summer cohort before closing this round.
What They Do
Superstat uses AI to turn raw sports footage into structured data: player stats, event timelines, performance patterns. The product targets community clubs, junior programs, and semi-pro teams. Think elite-level analysis without the elite-level budget.
Current focus: basketball. Expanding into NFL, volleyball, soccer, and baseball. The company reports 5,000 active users.
The Austin Move
Superstat is relocating from Melbourne to Austin. The stated reasons: existing US customer base, proximity to University of Texas technical talent, and access to the US sports market.
They are hiring two roles: a founding computer vision engineer and a GTM partnerships lead. No comp details published.
Context Worth Noting
This is being called a pre-seed round at $3.5 million. In most ANZ markets, that number would classify as Series A. The labelling reflects either US market positioning or investor preference, but it is a notable data point for ANZ founders tracking round sizing.
The company launched 14 months ago and is already relocating to the US market. That timeline from founding to offshore move is compressed compared to historical ANZ startup patterns, which typically see 2-3 years of local growth before US expansion.
For sales professionals: early-stage sports tech is a small hiring market, but companies in this space typically need partnerships and sales development roles as they scale into enterprise or institutional buyers (universities, sports programs, clubs). Comp structures in sports tech often include equity-heavy packages given stage and funding levels.