Playfinity
Developing quality products to inspire more activity, play and joy in sports and leisure.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor investor | €0.0 | round |
* | NOK12.5m | Seed | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
| EUR | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| % growth | 11 % | 1662 % | 150 % | 41 % | 11 % | 5 % | (85 %) |
| EBITDA | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| % EBITDA margin | (180 %) | 13 % | (3 %) | 28 % | 10 % | 9 % | - |
| Profit | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| % profit margin | (75 %) | (55 %) | (57 %) | (28 %) | (48 %) | (53 %) | (983 %) |
| EV | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| EV / revenue | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x |
| EV / EBITDA | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x | 00.0x |
| R&D budget | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
Source: Company filings or news article
Playfinity is a Norwegian active gaming company established in 2016 with a mission to address the decline in physical activity among children. The company was founded by a group of fathers in their 40s—Jarle Nordby-Bøe, Eivind Solberg, Stian Vælitalo, and Paal Smith-Meyer—who combined their expertise to bring the concept to life. Nordby-Bøe, the current CEO, has a background in IoT and Bluetooth from his time at Texas Instruments. Smith-Meyer brought experience from LEGO, where he worked on integrating play and technology. Vælitalo's expertise is in software, while Solberg is an industrial designer.
The company operates in the emerging real-world gaming segment by blending physical sports with the engaging qualities of digital games. Its core business involves creating sensor-embedded sports equipment that connects to a mobile app, turning physical practice into an interactive game. The proprietary playOS platform underpins this model, enabling the development of experiences for various sports. The business model centers on the one-time sale of its smart sports products, such as the Gaming Baseball or the SmartBall, with no additional subscription fees or in-app purchases for the accompanying app. This strategy targets the 98% of kids who play sports for fun rather than competition.
Playfinity's product line includes the Gaming Baseball, Jump League for trampolines, and a general-purpose SmartBall. These products use sensor technology to track actions like throws, catches, and jumps, translating the data into game mechanics within the mobile app. The experience is enhanced with real-time audio feedback, sound effects, and commentary, creating an augmented sound environment for players. The Gaming Baseball, for instance, is a regulation-size and weight ball that tracks metrics like throw speed and catch frequency, offering various games and drills. A key milestone was the 2021 launch of the Gaming Baseball in the U.S., which became a #1 holiday seller on Amazon Launchpad. Playfinity has raised seed funding from tech and sports entrepreneurs and investors like StartupLab and Nordic Innovation House.
Keywords: active gaming, gamified sports, smart sports equipment, youth fitness, physical play technology, connected toys, IoT sports, playOS, Gaming Baseball, Jump League, SmartBall, real-world gaming, augmented audio, sports technology, mobile gaming, kids technology, outdoor play, sensor technology, interactive sports, digital health for kids