In the days following the deadly May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Kevin Davidson’s thoughts turned to the camera technology used by his sports firm — and how it could protect students like his 8-year-old son.
The CEO of Orlando-based DS Sports Ventures called his partner and company president, Joe Sleiman, and told him the company had to alter its approach to the advanced camera tech it used, Davidson told Orlando Inno. “Our company changed, to some extent, overnight. The main thing [sports technology] is still the main thing. This made the main thing even better.”
This new business approach comes after Longwood-based BaseballCloud, part of DS Sports Ventures’ portfolio, bought Tucson, Arizona-based supercamera firm Aqueti Inc. this summer. BaseballCloud will integrate Aqueti’s technology into its existing Yakkertech tracking system to enhance data quality and image resolution and incorporate video into its baseball and softball analytics.
However, that’s not the only use for Aqueti’s tech. When Davidson and his team at BaseballCloud looked into the security applications, they realized they “had a monster,” Davidson said.
That’s why the business has begun to analyze the school security sector, with hopes to grow a new arm of its business, starting with landing education clients in Orange or Seminole counties, Davison said. “Over the next four to six months, we want to assemble the proper team, resources and strategy to execute in the security market.”
It helps that Aqueti was focused on security applications of its cameras before it was bought by BaseballCloud. The security benefits Aqueti offers its customers include higher camera resolution, lower cost of deployment per resolved pixel than other systems, ability to navigate between cameras through a virtual reality interface and video analysis integrated into the camera head, said David Brady, who launched Aqueti while serving as a professor at Duke University in 2013.
Brady, now a professor at the University of Arizona, joined BaseballCloud as chief technology officer following the acquisition. Sleiman said Brady, who he called a “dadgum genius,” already has built the technology and established a business, but DS Sports Ventures wants to forge relationships in Central Florida for the expansion of school security applications.
That’s why this fall Sleiman will begin conversations with local superintendents, mayors and other public and school officials to gauge the interest in these advanced camera systems for schools ranging from pre-K to college, he told Orlando Inno. “If this goes the way we think, we’re not going to only have cameras there; we’ll be able to tell if someone is going to bring weapons out.”
School security is a multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S. Educational security spending surpassed $3.1 billion last year, and it’s projected to grow 8% annually, according to a report on data from research firm Omdia.
Meanwhile, DS Sports Ventures remains focused on growing the businesses in its sports technology portfolio. It’s specifically intent on providing high-quality tracking, analytics and visualizations for college baseball and softball, Davidson said. “We’re ready to bring premier solutions that used to only be available for Major League Baseball.”
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