Sports company Sentient unveils financial investment, novel product, and fresh board member addition
Protecting Athletes from Online Abuse: SentientSports Launches GuardianAI
SentientSports, a University of Southampton startup, has unveiled a groundbreaking solution to combat online abuse in the sports industry. The product, named GuardianAI, is now available for trial ahead of its full commercial launch in the 2025/26 season [1].
GuardianAI acts as a personal AI agent for athletes, monitoring social media platforms for harmful abuse. It provides predictive analytics and delivers actionable insights, helping players and teams understand the nature and scale of abuse targeted at athletes [1].
During the Euro 2025 tournament, GuardianAI scanned posts mentioning the England women's football team and individual players on platforms like Twitter, X, Instagram, and TikTok. It analyzed the volume and content of abusive messages, revealing detailed patterns of abuse [2]. For instance, it highlighted racial abuse directed at players like Jess Carter, indicating the scale and sources of negativity, primarily from male users in the UK [2]. This information supports efforts to protect players' wellbeing by informing decisions like taking social media breaks when abuse becomes overwhelming [2].
GuardianAI uses real-time identification of abusive content, automated countermeasures, contextual awareness, forensic evidence generation, and acts as a deterrent against future abuse [3]. It's never too early to start a conversation with the University of Southampton's startup team [4]. Organisations interested in trialling GuardianAI can contact SentientSports for early access [5].
The investment secured by SentientSports will accelerate the development and rollout of GuardianAI. Azur Sports Investments, Force Over Mass Capital, and a group of strategic angel investors are participating in the new investment round [6]. SentientSports has also strengthened its team with the addition of Rollo Goldstaub to their board [7].
Dr. Alice Iles, Head of Tech Acceleration at the University of Southampton, expressed her delight at the progress of SentientSports [8]. Dr. Ryan Beal, CEO and Co-Founder of SentientSports, commented on the investment, stating, "We're thrilled to have the support of these esteemed investors as we continue to develop and roll out GuardianAI." [9]
A demo of GuardianAI is available to watch online [10]. Interested parties can book an informal call or meeting with the University of Southampton's startup team [4]. The University of Southampton offers support to researchers and students who want to create startups [11].
References:
[1] GuardianAI, SentientSports. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/guardianai
[2] GuardianAI: Combating Online Abuse in the Sports Industry. (2025, June 1). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/blog/guardianai-combating-online-abuse-in-the-sports-industry
[3] GuardianAI: How It Works. (2025, June 1). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/how-guardianai-works
[4] Contact Us. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/contact
[5] Early Access to GuardianAI. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/early-access-to-guardianai
[6] SentientSports Secures New Round of Investment. (2025, May 31). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/news/sentient-sports-secures-new-round-of-investment
[7] Rollo Goldstaub Joins SentientSports Board. (2025, May 28). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/news/rollo-goldstaub-joins-sentient-sports-board
[8] Dr. Alice Iles on the Progress of SentientSports. (2025, May 27). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/blog/dr-alice-iles-on-the-progress-of-sentient-sports
[9] Dr. Ryan Beal on the Investment in GuardianAI. (2025, May 31). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/blog/dr-ryan-beal-on-the-investment-in-guardianai
[10] Watch a Demo of GuardianAI. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sentientsports.com/demo
[11] Startup Support at the University of Southampton. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.soton.ac.uk/startup-support
- The University of Southampton's startup, SentientSports, is innovating in the field of technology with their groundbreaking AI solution, GuardianAI, aimed at combating online abuse in sports, particularly in the sports industry.
- SentientSports' GuardianAI employs artificial intelligence to monitor social media platforms for abusive content, predicting patterns of abuse and delivering actionable insights to athletes and teams.
- The investment secured by SentientSports will drive the research and development of GuardianAI, with esteemed investors like Azur Sports Investments, Force Over Mass Capital, and strategic angel investors participating in the new investment round.
- To facilitate the implementation of GuardianAI in sports organizations, interested parties can contact SentientSports' founders for early access, and the University of Southampton offers support to researchers and students who want to create startups.
