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Making Human Movement 'Computable' with Video Analysis Technology Cultivated in AI x Sports: Aiming to Be World No. 1 in Sports Tech!【2025 ICT Startup League Member Interview: Playbox Inc.】
In the world of professional sports, the collection and analysis of match footage are increasingly vital for tactics and player selection. This is especially true in team sports like soccer, where advanced video processing and AI technology are required to analyze the complex movements of the ball and players.
However, this type of data analysis has largely been limited to professional use. Playbox Inc. aims to change that by "providing these AI-driven video processing technologies and analysis know-how to amateurs at a low cost."
CEO Atom Scott has loved soccer since childhood and came to Japan at age 10. After entering the University of Tsukuba, he was in charge of data analysis for the soccer club. Currently enrolled in a doctoral program at Nagoya University, he has open-sourced algorithms and large-scale datasets for his research theme of team sports analysis. At the same time, he has transformed an advanced video analysis platform, previously only for professional use, into a low-cost, easily accessible service for everyone.
We asked him why he was able to make video data analysis—once facing high hurdles in terms of funding and personnel—accessible to the amateur level, and about his future business development plans.
Atom Scott, CEO of Playbox Inc.A Passion for Soccer and Scientific Inquiry: The Origins of the Venture
What was the origin of your startup in the sports tech field, and what formative experiences led you to launch the business?
Scott: I was born in London, UK, and grew up in an environment where soccer was always present, so I loved the sport. My starting point was really an independent research project in my first year of high school, following an international curriculum. The theme was training methods and play analysis for improving at soccer. I spent about a year writing a 100-page book, but it was just a summary of literature with no scientific basis, and it received a low grade.
So, the next year, I learned programming from my physics teacher and developed my own analysis software. I tried a scientific approach, using a high-speed camera to compare and analyze my kicking form with that of the Portuguese hero, Cristiano Ronaldo.
This program measured the velocity of each joint during a soccer kick. It was an incredibly time-consuming and laborious task, requiring me to manually plot every joint point for about 100 frames of video and convert those movements into Excel data. However, from this experience, I learned that programming could streamline and automate tedious tasks, and I discovered the fascination of "analyzing sports movements with a scientific approach." Leveraging this research, I passed the self-recommendation entrance exam for the University of Tsukuba to study sports x IT and joined the soccer club.
I heard that Kaoru Mitoma, who plays for the Japanese national soccer team, was in the same cohort as you at the University of Tsukuba's soccer club.
Scott: Yes, at the time, it was a powerhouse team that Mitoma also played for, and I was both a player and the analysis manager. The coach was very cooperative about using data. We could have concrete conversations about the analysis results, like, "This number wasn't good," or "It would be great to have this kind of analysis." That made me realize the necessity of data that is effective at that high level.
Did that become the inspiration for your startup?
Scott: Actually, even before data analysis, the very act of "filming" match data was a huge burden on the ground, both in terms of manpower and camera equipment. This "automation of data collection" became my research theme. In graduate school, I pursued methods to automatically acquire and analyze data using AI. I realized that if I could commercialize this research, I could make life more convenient for people, and that led me to start the company.
You established the company in November 2024. Did you face any difficulties?
Scott: After three years of research, refining product ideas, and gathering a team, we were ready for commercialization.
So you had the technology, the idea, and the people. What was the final push to start the company?
Scott: It was securing a partnership with a specific company—namely, the collaboration with MIXI, Inc. to build a sports AI video analysis platform. I didn't start the company just "because I wanted to build one." I did it because the "clear purpose and timing for this business" aligned.
So you seized the right opportunity. What about funding?
Scott: For starting the business, I received funding from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Mitou Program and the ICT Startup League (FY2023), which provided continuous support not only technically but also on the business side. Since the team was already formed, incorporation was smooth; it was mainly about creating an official organization to house us.
The Playbox Inc. team membersTwo Pillars: A Low-Cost AI Product for Amateurs and a Premium AI Solution
Please tell us about the current pillars of your business.
Scott: The core of our business is the "technology to make human movement computable from video and sensors," which we developed in-house. We are expanding based on two pillars that utilize this.
What is the first pillar?
Scott: "AI Sports Products for Amateurs." We are developing low-cost products that use AI technology to solve problems, allowing anyone with just a smartphone to analyze their play, automatically generate match highlights, and then edit and share them.
What does that entail?
Scott: Our target is a wide range of amateurs, from elementary school students to working adults who play on weekends and semi-professionals. The common challenges amateur soccer teams have faced are the hassles of "filming," "editing," and "sharing" matches, which are prerequisites for data analysis. In addition, they need experts who can interpret the analysis results.
So your audience is amateurs who lack the personnel for filming and editing, as well as the know-how and staff to utilize analysis results. How did you solve that problem?
Scott: We are planning to provide low-cost, easy-to-use filming products that require minimal personnel. For example, just by attaching a fisheye lens to a smartphone, you can capture about 90% of the pitch. You don't need expensive camera equipment or a large crew for filming. If they just upload the video as is, we can provide a consistent analysis result using our proprietary video processing and AI technology.
To that end, we first had 40 amateur teams use the product on a trial basis, and they provide frequent feedback whenever there is an issue. We are receiving feedback from these 40 teams, and the product is now undergoing significant improvements.
Why are you focusing specifically on the low-cost amateur market?
Scott: Globally, the sports tech field is a red ocean, with many well-funded companies entering the professional market. However, with the evolution of AI and an era where everyone has a smartphone or action camera, an opportunity has emerged to create products that are "cheaper, more widespread, and easier to use." We determined that the amateur field still has few competitors, leaving significant room for us to enter.
What is the second pillar?
Scott: "AI Solutions Specialized for Sports." This is a service we offer to corporations at a premium price point, providing customized software solutions for optimizing human movement, visualization for entertainment and broadcasting, and analysis.
What kind of companies commission this work?
Scott: We've naturally seen an increase in inquiries from a wide variety of companies, including sports equipment manufacturers, broadcasting stations, and mega-ventures, saying they "definitely want to use" our AI technology. This is proof that our technology is recognized for its value in various applications—such as making broadcasts more entertaining, developing sports equipment (like shoes and rackets), and improving performance. This has been a major breakthrough for us.
Could you give a specific example?
Scott: In terms of entertainment and media collaboration, besides the aforementioned partnership with MIXI, there's the basketball viewing experience at the new "Toyota Arena Tokyo" that Toyota built in Odaiba. It's a system where AI provides live play-by-play commentary (AI audio description) tailored to the game's flow, so that visually impaired individuals can also enjoy watching sports. Not only can you listen to the AI commentary, but you can also talk to the AI.
Talk to the AI?
Scott: For example, when the crowd in the arena cheers, you might wonder why they're so excited or what was so great about the play. We've included an interactive feature where the user can ask the AI, "What was so amazing about that play?" just like they would ask a basketball-savvy friend sitting next to them.
What about applying AI technology to the development of sports equipment?
Scott: It's "movement evaluation"—capturing and quantifying the characteristics of a person's movement when they are wearing shoes, rackets, or apparel. That data is then used in product development. This is also part of our "technology to make human movement computable from video and sensors."
Successfully achieved a significant improvement in accuracy over existing methods in Game State Recognition (GSR), which identifies the role (field player, goalkeeper, referee, etc.) and position of each person from soccer match footageMastering Our Greatest Strength as a Company: The "Depth of AI Technology"
Video analysis technology can be applied to many different fields.
Scott: Our goal is "to become the world's number one company in sports tech." Since my time analyzing soccer data, I've really valued our hypothesis of "making human movement computable."
It's a technology that takes data from video and converts it into a form that AI can understand and computers can analyze, and it has many applications. You need data to create entertainment, and you need data to improve performance. We have been developing this technology all along. I think we were able to make a breakthrough this year because companies finally noticed it and we reached a point where we can create things using that technology.
Why are you still enrolled in graduate school after this breakthrough? Are your business and research separate?
Scott: My research theme in graduate school is in a similar field, "automation of data collection," but I want my research results to be used by many people, so I make it all open source. As Peter Thiel (investor and co-founder of PayPal, OpenAI, etc.) says, good business ideas often come from cutting-edge technology. From that perspective, I want to always be in touch with cutting-edge technology, be able to understand it, and always be learning.
So you let everyone use your research results widely, and you monetize through AI solutions?
Scott: Precisely because it's a technologically difficult field, we can offer it as a premium service. There is almost no competition in Japan that can create solutions specialized for sports, customized for corporate clients like broadcasters and entertainment companies. Our strength is that we have many engineers who have specialized in AI sports technology for about 10 years, all the way through their doctoral programs.
What are your plans for the future?
Scott: The most important thing is that we, as a company, want to truly master the technology of "making human movement computable from video." If we can give AI eyes and a brain, and properly connect those two functions, we can create technology that can be used in even more places. We want to master that completely, provide good, cheap products to a wide range of people in the amateur field, while also improving our technology so it's effective at the highest level.
Then, we'll put that powered-up technology back into our amateur products. If we can create a virtuous cycle where we use the massive data accumulated there to level up again, I seriously believe we can become the world's number one sports tech company in five years.
Are there any other fields where you think this technology could be used?
Scott: Tracking people in offices and the crime prevention field are possibilities, but I'm also thinking about sports betting in the future. Since I'm from the UK, sports betting is very familiar to me. If it's legalized in Japan, it's possible with our current technology to develop a recommendation system using real-time data and AI. As a measure to make sports even more exciting, I definitely want to position ourselves as a data-handling company in that space.
By the way, this is your second time being selected for the ICT Startup League, following FY2023. Is anything different compared to last time?
Scott: Our original strength is technology, so we have a tendency to try and solve everything with technology. Reflecting on that, this time we want to ask for guidance in other areas. We want to find ways to efficiently solve challenges with minimal effort, whether it's forming partnerships, thinking about how to sell, or handling finance. I joined hoping for that kind of support.
Did you receive the support you were hoping for?
Scott: We've received incredible support. An experienced advisor even came all the way to our office in Tsukuba to give us advice on solving our challenges. There have also been multiple seminars and networking events, allowing us to learn a lot about areas other than technology. I feel we have more opportunities for input and output, so I hope to make full use of all of them to grow the company.
Continuing the daily challenge of aiming to become the world's number one company in sports tech.Editor's Postscript
He is taking on the challenge of solving the data analysis problems faced by the amateur sports world—a field that seems difficult to monetize—by applying the technology he learned in graduate school and giving his research results back to society. This is only possible because of the profits from the AI solutions he provides to corporations.
It's refreshing to see Mr. Scott's forward-looking energy and his desire to never stop progressing: to give the high-end AI solutions and advanced technologies developed there back to the amateur market and use them for further technological improvement. We caught a glimpse of not only his ambition for his technology and business, but also his commitment to tackling the common societal challenge of how to automate and save labor in the face of a declining population. He also has a strong desire to leverage the unique strengths of software to provide exciting sports experiences in any environment, which itself meets the needs of a diversifying society.
It will be exciting to see how far this university-launched startup, certified by both the University of Tsukuba and Nagoya University, can expand its business beyond the framework of sports tech, all centered on its core technology of "making human movement computable."
『Playbox Inc.』SNS Video
@startupleaguejp In the future, "making human movement computable." A video interview with Atom Scott of Playbox Inc.! #AITechnology #SportsTech ♬ original sound - Startup League Info Bureau [Official]
■ICT Startup League
This support program was launched in FY2023, originating from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Program to Support R&D for Startup Creation."
The ICT Startup League supports startups through four pillars.
①R&D Funding / Hands-on Support
Up to 20 million yen in R&D funding is provided in the form of subsidies. Additionally, through hands-on support, the selection committee members involved in choosing League members continue to work closely with them post-selection to promote growth. For companies that committee members deemed "must-select," a dedicated "cheering"-style support system is in place, where the evaluators themselves provide ongoing advice on business plans and offer growth opportunities.
②Discovery & Development
We provide opportunities for learning and networking to promote the business growth of League members.
We also work to discover individuals who aim to start businesses in the future, aiming to expand the base.
③Competition & Co-creation
It serves as a place for positive competition, much like a sports league, with a system where startups learn together, engage in friendly competition, and win the funding (up to 20 million yen) they truly need. We also provide a platform for co-creation, where League members can collaborate and expand their businesses through various opportunities, such as sessions with selection committee members.
④Promotion
We collaborate with media to publicize the initiatives of League members! By making their business known to many people, we aim to expand opportunities for new matching and chances.
■Related Websites
Playbox Inc.
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Playbox Inc. (LEAGUE MEMBER)
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ICT Startup League
