The Chicago Blackhawks have invested in a Charlottesville, Virginia-based company that is using artificial intelligence to change the way injuries can be assessed and treated — not just in hockey players but in athletes of all kinds.
Spun out of the University of Virginia by three professors, Springbok Analytics uses AI-powered software to transform MRI static 2D imagery into precise 3D muscle assessments. These new views can be used to analyze an individual's muscle system to support injury prevention, injury recovery and rehabilitation, performance optimization, and the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.
Springbok scans provide a new way to look at and quantify muscle volume, asymmetries and atrophy, as well as soft-tissue injuries and scar tissue, and CEO and co-founder Scott Magargee wants the company to become the new "standard" for injury management, performance and clinical research.
The Blackhawks are joined by other investors that include Transition Equity Partners, which led the oversubscribed $3 million round, along with the FSHD Global Research Foundation and follow-on investments from Titletown Tech, CAV Angels and early investors.
Matt Gray, vice president of strategy and analytics with the Chicago Blackhawks, said that Springbok's technology could "change the game" with insights generated from the musculoskeletal data that will improve personalized injury management, performance optimization, and the treatment of injuries and training strategies in hockey and beyond.
The company, founded in 2013, has partnered with a top team physician for both the NFL's Washington Football Team and Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals and has received support from NBA Launchpad program, which evaluates and pilots emerging technologies.
