Sarasota Paradise owner invests in AI platform to develop soccer team

The main owner of Sarasota Paradise recently invested in an artificial intelligence platform that will play a “pivotal role” in the pre-professional soccer team’s future, company officials say.

Audigr Group, the majority owner of the soccer team, invested in Swedish soccer data company PlaymakerAI through subsidiary Sunshine Sport Investments LLC, according to a statement. 

PlaymakerAI transforms soccer data into insights and was founded in 2016, according to the company's LinkedIn profile. The technology is used by the Swedish Football Association as well as sports betting and media companies in Sweden, the company says on its website. It recently raised about $1 million, including the investment from Sunshine Sport Investments LLC, to fund its international expansion.

Swedish soccer entrepreneur Marcus Walfridson, who owns Audigr Group and launched Sarasota Paradise in 2023, says that in addition to being an active shareholder, his company’s role is to help introduce PlaymakerAI to the U.S. market, particularly targeting professional soccer teams.

“We made a small but substantial contribution since we believe in the data and AI driven analytics,” Walfridson says in an email, noting PlaymakerAI has uses when it comes to player recruitment, coaching, tactical decisions and team evaluations.

“For Paradise, it will be more used when we make our move to the professional league, which is TBD at this point,” Walfridson says.

The Sarasota soccer team plans to start by using PlaymakerAI for scouting potential talent.

“This partnership will play a pivotal role in Sarasota Paradise’s future as the club will eventually use Playmaker’s technology for player recruitment,” Audigr Group says in the statement. “With real-time feedback and comprehensive reporting capabilities, Playmaker is poised to transform the competitive landscape for soccer teams across North America — starting with Sarasota Paradise.”