Cardinals Manager Launches Sports Training App

Oliver Marmol replaced Mike Shildt as St. Louis Cardinals manager in October, but the two collaborated on the launch of Versus, an edtech company focused on athletic skills training.

Founded by Marmol and his wife Amber, Versus provides training videos featuring professional athletes and conversational AI technology. The service will be available for a subscription fee starting in April.

• The app and platform will initially focus on baseball and softball, with plans to introduce soccer and other sports down the road.
• Athletes contributing to the project include Cardinals legend Albert Pujols, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jessica Mendoza, and Jennie Finch.
• Versus has $8 million in total funding.
• The company is opening a $20 million Series B funding round.

Versus will partner with charity organizations to reach underserved communities.

Youth Sports on the Rise

Versus cited analysts who predicted the global edtech market will reach $318.8 billion in the next five years.

Players Health, a startup focused on youth athlete health and safety, announced a $28 million Series B funding round led by Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors, VC firm Mastry Ventures, and insurer SiriusPoint.

TeamSnap, a youth sports community and events platform, said that it saw a 50% year-over-year increase in events created in 2021, up to 22 million, with daily active users approaching 2 million during some months.