{"id":696447,"date":"2026-01-14T23:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T23:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/696447\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T23:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T23:53:11","slug":"sportstech-startup-diamond-kinetics-raises-12m-from-elysian-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/696447\/","title":{"rendered":"Sportstech startup Diamond Kinetics raises $12M from Elysian Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Money Moves<\/a> is a recurring series where we chart the raises, grants, contracts, mergers and other funding news of tech companies across our regions. Have a tip? Email us at pittsburgh@technical.ly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh-built tech scored major funding wins over the past month.<\/p>\n

From electric vehicles to sportstech to new healthcare devices, local startups landed fresh capital to bring their products to more potential customers. But while some saw success leaning into local funders, others had to tap connections in Silicon Valley hubs to close the deal.<\/p>\n

Read on for the latest funding rounds and other money moves shaping Pittsburgh\u2019s startup scene.<\/p>\n

Diamond Kinetics raises $12M for youth sports\u00a0<\/p>\n

Local startup Diamond Kinetics has raised $12 million in growth financing to expand its sportstech platform for youth baseball and softball, according to cofounder and CEO CJ Handron.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The round, led by Elysian Park Ventures \u2014 a global investment platform created by the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers \u2014 will be used to expand Diamond Kinetics\u2019 AI-powered live-streaming platform sidelineHD, which it acquired in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis investment enables us to scale sidelineHD,\u201d Handron said, \u201cstrengthen our development capabilities, deepen our content services and expand on our responsibility as MLB\u2019s Trusted Youth Development Platform<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The North Shore-based company was founded in 2014 when the concept of \u201csportstech\u201d was still in its infancy. Since then, it\u2019s raised over $30 million<\/a> and developed the DK Bat Sensor, which tracks a player\u2019s swing data to provide performance stats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYouth sports are at an inflection point,\u201d Handron told Technical.ly, \u201cand technology can play a meaningful role in improving access, development and engagement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Local foundation invests $350k in spine injury tech<\/p>\n

The Richard King Mellon Foundation is betting on a local medical device startup for its promising head and neck immobilization device.<\/p>\n

In December, the foundation approved a $350,000 Social-Impact Investment<\/a> in HeadStrait Labs<\/a>, according to senior communications officer at RK Mellon, Tim Reeves. The funds are part of the org\u2019s effort to invest in for-profit companies with a mission that aligns with RK Mellon\u2019s philanthropy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo honor the mission of the foundation, we intend to put funds towards mutually beneficial projects, including pilot studies with a focus on rural health settings,\u201d HeadStrait Labs cofounder Mary Squire told Technical.ly.<\/p>\n

The investment is part of the startup\u2019s ongoing financing round, Squire said, and RK Mellon is one of two committed investors so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TwoCofounders Alyssa Theroux (left) and Mary Squire (right) with HeadStrait Labs\u2019 neck brace prototype (Alice Crow\/Technical.ly) <\/p>\n

A 2025 RealLIST Startup<\/a>, HeadStrait Labs developed the EVAC-1, a head and neck immobilization device that uses sensors to record data about a patient\u2019s injuries. The startup raised $100,000 in 2024 from Innovation Works\u2019 accelerator program.<\/p>\n

Additional funding from the raise will be used to prepare for large-scale manufacturing and grow the team, according to Squire. The company recently hired an electromechanical engineer to focus on data transmission and analytics, and plans to hire at least two team members later this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Squire and cofounder Alyssa Theroux met at Carnegie Mellon University<\/a>, so their first hires have also been from the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a priority for us to hire locally,\u201d Theroux said, \u201cand we enjoy working closely with graduates and student interns from our alma mater.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

EV startup secures $1.3M in early-stage funding<\/p>\n

Startup Super Powers Mobility (SPM) announced last week it had closed a $1.3 million pre-seed round <\/a>to accelerate the commercialization of its electric off-road vehicle tech.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AJonathan Powers at Discovery Day 2025 (Alice Crow\/Technical.ly)<\/p>\n

The company, which exited stealth last summer<\/a>, is working to bring electric off-roading vehicles like ATVs into the mainstream, and the fresh funding will be used to get that tech into the hands of both civilian and military customers, founder and CEO Jon Powers told Technical.ly.<\/p>\n

The round was led by Boost VC, with defense investor Harpoon, Quorum Capital Partners, Goken America, the AlphaLab accelerator program and nine other angel investors participating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Powers tapped on his San Francisco connections for the raise because \u201cunfortunately, Pittsburgh\u2019s pre-seed investors were too conservative,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More money moves:\u00a0<\/p>\n