高尔夫球星布莱森·德尚博领衔收购西雅图初创企业Sportsbox AI

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高尔夫球星布莱森·德尚博领衔收购西雅图初创企业Sportsbox AI

内容来源:https://www.geekwire.com/2026/golf-star-bryson-dechambeau-leads-acquisition-of-seattle-area-startup-sportsbox-ai/

内容总结:

科技赋能高尔夫:德尚博领投收购AI挥杆分析公司,推出智能教练新功能

北京时间4月9日,高尔夫领域传来一则跨界融合科技与体育的投资新闻。两届美国公开赛冠军、以热衷技术革新著称的球星布莱森·德尚博,正式领导一个投资集团完成了对体育科技公司Sportsbox AI的收购。该公司总部位于华盛顿州贝尔维尤,核心产品是通过智能手机视频,利用人工智能(AI)和3D动作捕捉技术分析高尔夫挥杆动作。

此次收购不仅意味着德尚博从该技术的使用者、投资者转变为公司主导者,也标志着其商用化进程迈出关键一步。公司同步发布了新一代产品“SAMI”(Sportsbox AI运动智能),这是一个基于谷歌云Gemini模型开发的AI教练助手。它能将应用程序捕获的复杂3D生物力学数据,转化为个性化的对话式训练建议,旨在将产品从被动的测量工具升级为主动的智能训练伙伴。

德尚博在收购声明中阐述了其愿景:“这关乎让高尔夫运动变得更易接触,特别是优质教练资源。我们正在构建的,是能为任何拥有智能手机的人带来真正教练指导的东西,而不仅仅是精英球员。这让我非常兴奋。”据悉,作为合作的一部分,德尚博将在本周开赛的美国大师赛及其后的比赛中,携带印有谷歌云标志的高尔夫球包出战,这据信是该品牌首次出现在职业高尔夫球手的球包上。

交易与公司背景
德尚博向媒体透露,此次交易金额达到八位数(千万美元级别)。公开资料显示,Sportsbox AI成立于2020年,脱胎于由早期语音识别公司Voicebox Technologies创始人兄弟设立的AI Thinktank孵化器。公司首席执行官李志惠(Jeehae Lee)曾是一名LPGA巡回赛球员,并曾在Topgolf负责战略与业务开发;首席技术官塞缪尔·梅纳克(Samuel Menaker)曾任Voicebox工程副总裁。

该公司通过手机摄像头即可创建挥杆的3D模型并测量数百个数据点,替代了昂贵的专业动作捕捉工作室。其商业模式主要面向教练订阅和消费者层级,个人用户月费为15.99美元或年费110美元。收购完成后,原有管理团队将继续留任,公司约30名员工也将保留,总部仍设在贝尔维尤。

从用户到所有者
德尚博与Sportsbox的结缘始于实战应用。在2024年美国公开赛前,他利用该技术发现并修正了击球略微偏右的问题,随后在夺冠后的新闻发布会上公开称赞,并很快以投资者身份加入。如今,他进一步主导收购,显示出其对这项技术前景的深度认可。

对于即将推出的SAMI智能教练功能,德尚博强调其辅助定位:“摄像头和手机能告诉你的信息有限,它们无法让你‘感受’到自己的动作。”他表示,该技术并非旨在取代真人教练,而是作为强大补充。目前SAMI已进入测试阶段,相关AI功能将于本季度逐步向iOS用户推送。

此次收购案中的卖方包括Elysian Park Ventures、美国职业高尔夫协会、职业球员魏圣美、知名教练大卫·利百特等19个投资方与个人,他们在此次交易中实现了完全退出。随着德尚博的深度入局及其竞技影响力的加持,高尔夫运动的“AI+数字化”教学普及进程或将按下加速键。

中文翻译:

布莱森·德尚博先是借助Sportsbox AI赢下大满贯,随后投资了这家位于华盛顿州贝尔维尤的初创公司。如今,他正挥杆直击整个企业。

这位两届美国公开赛冠军、高尔夫界最痴迷科技的球员之一,正带领投资团队收购Sportsbox AI。这家初创公司运用人工智能与3D动作捕捉技术,通过智能手机视频分析高尔夫挥杆动作。

周二上午的公告同时揭晓了SAMI——一款即将推出的智能AI教练助手。该产品由谷歌云提供技术支持,旨在将应用程序中的挥杆数据转化为个性化的对话式训练建议。作为合作内容,德尚博将在美国大师赛及未来赛事的高尔夫球包上展示谷歌云标识。据报道,这将是谷歌云品牌首次出现在职业高尔夫选手的球包上。

"这关乎让高尔夫变得更亲民,尤其是高端教练资源,"德尚博在收购声明中表示,"我们正在打造能让每位智能手机用户获得真实教练指导的产品,而非仅服务精英球员。正是这个愿景让我充满激情。"

财务细节方面,正备战本周美国大师赛的德尚博向彭博社透露,此次交易价值八位数(具体金额未披露)。据GeekWire此前报道,Sportsbox已融资超900万美元。PitchBook数据显示,该公司在2023年3月的种子轮融资中估值达4100万美元。

收购新闻稿将买方描述为由德尚博领投的投资团体,未披露其他成员信息。发言人确认联合创始人李智惠(Jeehae Lee)与塞缪尔·梅纳克(Samuel Menaker)将继续执掌公司。约30名员工将全员留任,Sportsbox仍以贝尔维尤为总部(多数员工远程办公)。

PitchBook列出19位在此交易中完全退出的投资者,包括伊甸园公园风投、美国职业高尔夫协会、职业高尔夫选手魏圣美、高尔夫教练大卫·利百特、兰迪·扎克伯格及Twitch联合创始人林熠俊。

企业渊源方面,Sportsbox于2020年从AI Thinktank孵化而出。这家贝尔维尤孵化器由早期语音识别公司Voicebox Technologies的幕后推手——迈克·肯尼维克与里奇·肯尼维克兄弟创立。首席执行官李智惠曾是LPGA巡回赛球员,此前在Topgolf主管战略与业务发展;首席技术官梅纳克曾任Voicebox工程副总裁。

该应用程序通过智能手机摄像头构建挥杆3D模型,测量数百个数据点——这些数据原本需要昂贵的动作捕捉工作室才能获取。Sportsbox通过教练订阅服务及面向高尔夫爱好者的消费级产品实现盈利(月费15.99美元/年费110美元)。

德尚博与公司的结缘可追溯至2024年松林美国公开赛前一周。当时他运用Sportsbox识别并修正了击球略微右偏的问题,在夺冠新闻发布会上公开致谢后不久便成为公司投资人。

SAMI(Sportsbox AI Motion Intelligence缩写)是技术演进的新阶段。基于谷歌Gemini模型构建的对话式AI教练,能解读应用程序的3D生物力学数据并提供个性化建议。新闻稿称其将推动Sportsbox从被动测量工具转型为主动式AI智能体。

目前SAMI处于测试阶段,公司宣布将在第二季度逐步推出智能AI功能。本周起,iOS系统的3D Player与3D Player Plus层级订阅用户可率先体验AI生成的高光动作分析。

德尚博向彭博社透露,他已在大师赛前使用该技术,并计划在赛事期间及赛后持续运用。但他强调这并非要取代教练:"摄像头和手机能传达的信息有限,无法让你切身感受自己的动作。"

英文来源:

First Bryson DeChambeau used Sportsbox AI to win a major. Then he invested in the Bellevue, Wash.-based startup. Now he’s taking a swing at the entire company.
DeChambeau, the two-time U.S. Open champion and one of golf’s most tech-obsessed players, is leading a group of investors that has acquired Sportsbox AI, the startup that uses AI and 3D motion capture to analyze golf swings from smartphone video.
With the announcement Tuesday morning, the company also announced SAMI, an upcoming agentic AI coaching assistant powered by Google Cloud that’s designed to translate the app’s swing data into personalized, conversational coaching advice.
As part of the partnership, DeChambeau will also carry the Google Cloud logo on his golf bag at the Masters and future tournaments — reportedly the first time the Google Cloud brand has appeared on a professional golfer’s bag.
“This is about making golf more accessible, especially premium coaching,” DeChambeau said in the acquisition announcement, saying they’re “building something that brings real coaching to anyone with a smartphone, not just elite players. That’s what gets me fired up.”
Financial details: DeChambeau, who is preparing to compete in the Masters later this week, told Bloomberg the transaction is worth eight figures, without being more specific.
Sportsbox had raised more than $9 million, GeekWire previously reported. It was last valued at $41 million in a March 2023 seed round, according to PitchBook.
The press release announcing the acquisition describes the buyers as a group of investors led by DeChambeau but does not name the other members.
Co-founders Jeehae Lee and Samuel Menaker will continue to run Sportsbox, a spokesperson confirmed. The company’s roughly 30 employees will stay on, and Sportsbox will remain headquartered in Bellevue, though many employees work remotely.
PitchBook lists 19 sellers who fully exited in the deal, including Elysian Park Ventures, the PGA of America, pro golfer Michelle Wie West, golf instructor David Leadbetter, Randi Zuckerberg, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin.
Backstory: Sportsbox launched in 2020 as a spinoff of AI Thinktank, a Bellevue-based incubator founded by Mike and Rich Kennewick, the brothers behind Voicebox Technologies, an early speech recognition company.
Lee, the CEO, is a former LPGA Tour player who previously led strategy and business development at Topgolf. Menaker, the CTO, was VP of engineering at Voicebox.
The app uses a smartphone camera to create a 3D model of a golfer’s swing and measure hundreds of data points that would otherwise require an expensive motion-capture studio.
Sportsbox generates revenue through coaching subscriptions and a consumer tier for golfers at $15.99 per month or $110 per year.
DeChambeau’s connection: In the week leading up to the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, DeChambeau used Sportsbox to identify and fix a slight miss to the right in his shots. He gave the company a shout-out at his winner’s press conference and soon after joined as an investor.
SAMI — short for Sportsbox AI Motion Intelligence — is the next step.
Built on Google’s Gemini models, it’s designed to act as a conversational AI coach, interpreting the app’s 3D biomechanical data and delivering personalized advice. The press release describes it as moving Sportsbox from a passive measurement tool to a proactive AI agent.
SAMI is currently in beta, and the company said it will begin rolling out agentic AI features throughout the second quarter, starting this week with AI-generated highlights available to subscribers of its 3D Player and 3D Player Plus tiers on iOS.
DeChambeau told Bloomberg he’s been using the technology ahead of the Masters and plans to keep using it during and after the tournament. But he said it isn’t meant to replace coaches.
“The camera and the phone are only going to tell you so much,” he told Bloomberg. “They can’t make you feel what you’re doing.”

Geekwire

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