ShotTracker Co-Founder and CEO Davyeon Ross recently sat down with Forbes and Jabari Young for an episode of The Enterprise Zone, and the conversation captures the epitome of what makes ShotTracker who we are.
Davyeon covers a lot of ground, from the earliest days of pitching investors out of a warehouse with no court, to how ShotTracker has grown from a single sensor-based product into a full ecosystem spanning real-time video, computer vision and AI.
He also gets candid about what it takes to raise venture capital as a first-time hardware founder, including the story behind landing Magic Johnson as an investor: a moment that, fittingly, happened in a building that didn’t even have a basketball court yet.
Episode Chapters
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 02:53 – Personal Investment Philosophy and Portfolio Strategy
- 08:11 – Evolution of the ShotTracker Product Ecosystem
- 18:12 – Navigating AI Integration
- 20:00 – Executive Leadership and Corporate Culture
- 26:07 – Childhood and Entrepreneurial Beginnings
- 33:55 – Pitching Magic Johnson and Raising Venture Capital
From One Product to Five
ShotTracker launched with a sensor-based system built to track every shot. That system still powers the company today and it has become the foundation for something much bigger. “We had that one product and now we have five products,” Davyeon told Forbes, describing an evolution that accelerated coming out of the pandemic as the company expanded into real-time video, data and AI.
Helix is where the sensor story continues. Installed in a program’s practice facility, Helix tracks players wearing ShotTracker sensors with any basketball on any hoop, whether one player is getting up shots or 15 to 20 are running a full practice, all in real time. He summed up the goal behind it simply: “less hands-on keyboards, more hands-on players.” Coaches spend their time coaching while the data captures itself. That same data also powers ShotTracker Go, a mobile companion that gives players their own personalized dashboard to track progress, complete assigned workouts and compete with teammates, extending player development beyond the practice gym.
Pulse, the on-the-bench solution, grew out of ShotTracker’s work with the NCAA in 2018 and 2019. The company helped test technology on the bench and was the first to do it at the Hall of Fame Classic alongside ESPN. Today it takes in data feeds, uses computer vision, and synchronizes everything with video within seconds. He described the use case in practical terms: a player comes out of the game after going under screens, the staff filters and favorites those possessions, shows the player the clips, and sends them back in knowing exactly what is expected.
Scout brings generative AI into the workflow. Staff can talk to it directly: ask for every three-pointer a player hits out of a pick-and-roll from the left side, and the video comes back in 45 to 60 seconds.
Hype is where the data reaches fans. As ShotTracker generated more data through sensors and live feeds, the next question became how to help partners use it everywhere, from broadcasts to in-arena experiences to mobile apps. Hype turns that data into plug-and-play products partners can integrate, and it has already contributed to Emmy-winning work with Amazon.
A Culture Built to Push
The interview also went behind the product to the people building it. Davyeon believes a company takes on the DNA of its CEO, and he has worked to set a tone where the best idea wins. He asks his leadership team to push back on him and to raise tough topics, and he works to keep ShotTracker away from a “yes environment.” “Nothing innovative happens in your comfort zone,” he said.
Looking Ahead
For ShotTracker, the Forbes conversation captures a company that has grown well beyond its original product while staying focused on the same mission it started with. And as Davyeon put it, “We’re not done yet.”
Watch Davyeon Ross’s full interview on Forbes’ The Enterprise Zone here, and see how the ShotTracker ecosystem can work for your program by requesting a demo.
