A sports technology startup that began working with the University of South Florida has reaffirmed its commitment to Tampa with a new office.
Czech Republic-based Sense Arena, which began an exclusive relationship with USF’s tennis team at the start of the year, has tapped the city for a U.S. office. The company already has a presence in Boston.
Florida was always the next goal for Sense Arena, according to CEO Bob Tetiva. He pointed toward the state’s tennis academies, including Bradenton-based IMG Academy, as a driving factor.
Tampa was ultimately chosen, partly due to the USF relationship and the city’s central location in the state. There are also flight connections to Europe, where Sense Arena is still based.
“When we talk about Miami, there’s the glamour and the Miami Open, but from a tennis perspective, if you go and look, really [Tampa are the] ones pushing forward with tennis,” said Yannick Yoshizawa, VP of Sense Arena’s tennis division. “We’re in the center of Florida, so it’s easy — you can take a quick drive to Miami if you need, or Orlando or Jacksonville. With Florida, it’s a mecca of tennis.”
The company’s office is in Tampa-based innovation hub Embarc Collective, where it is utilizing two offices for its soon-to-be roughly five employees. Tetiva hopes to have 10 employees by the end of next year.
“The goal is to build, and we’re looking for the positions at Tampa,” said Henrique Ruiz, the company’s newly hired marketing director. He added the jobs would be hybrid. “We think Embarc is a great space to come and collaborative, so we want them to be here to develop it.”
The company was founded in 2017, focusing on bringing virtual headsets to help hockey players better train while avoiding the physicality of practicing on the rink. Sense Arena has partnerships with 11 NCAA Division I hockey schools and 14 total NCAA Division I hockey teams.
It has since expanded to the tennis world, with USF being its first collegiate tennis relationship.
The company believes it will be the first of many relationships and be fast-tracked for growth. It also closed a seed extension for $3 million and is seeking a roughly $6 million Series A round.
“The ultimate goal would be to grow into other sports and establish the approach, the vision and influence of the cognitive side of the training through multiple sports,” Tetiva said. “Because we believe this is the next step in athletics.”
