Innovation grant funding
New jobs created
Acceleration in US market entry
ProDataStack has created the world’s first sports data platform designed exclusively for athletes and their agents. And thanks to local innovation funding, the Manchester start-up has been able to fast-track the development of its unique AI-powered tool.
We hear countless stories from business owners about what inspired their journey, but until ProDataStack founder Fiona Green got in touch with us, none of them had started with a Champions League-winning footballer.
“In April 2021 I read that Kevin De Bruyne had used data to secure a 30% pay rise with Manchester City,” explains Fiona. “It got me thinking: how many other athletes were doing the same? Most weren’t, I figured, because they and their agents didn’t have access to the right data.”
This was the spark that led to the launch of the new company a year later. Today, thanks to support from GM Business Growth Hub’s Innovation Service, it’s using AI and machine learning to reshape how athletes understand and negotiate their value, with big plans to expand across global sports markets.
Leveling the playing field with data
The message on ProDataStack’s website to its target audience of professional footballers, cricketers, tennis players, NFL stars, e-sports competitors and their representatives is stark: “When it comes to the sharp edge of contract negotiation, too many athletes and agents are going into a swordfight armed with nothing more than a plastic fork.”
Their innovative platform serves to fill the gap, giving users the right tools to fight their corner, says Fiona: “It brings together six powerful datasets and analyses everything in an easy-to-understand dashboard that helps athletes and agents understand their financial potential and negotiate optimal contract values.”
The reaction has been exceptional, validating the market need and solution approach1. High profile clients include Team Scotland, which represents the athletes competing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and the agents of Manchester United Women’s star Jayde Riviere and De Bruyne’s former teammate Rúben Dias.
Scaling up with innovation support
The company was shortlisted in 2024 for the Start-up of the Year category at the Sports Technology Awards, the world’s leading celebration of tech-led innovation in sport. Later that year, Fiona, looking now to scale, came across GM Business Growth Hub on LinkedIn, dropped us a line, and was introduced to one of our Commercialisation Specialists, Jeremy Goodwin.
Her idea was to incorporate a machine learning-powered scoring system into the platform that would quantify an athlete's true market worth across multiple metrics: “Every athlete is a brand, and we wanted to be able to provide clients with a specific measurement that indicated their overall brand value.”
This represented a novel approach in sports analytics, with existing platforms typically focusing either solely on performance or social media, but not both together. To accelerate development, the business was awarded a £12,000 innovation grant which funded a four-month R&D project that brought in the external expertise needed to develop the machine learning model.
The result was the successful launch in June 2025 – 12 months ahead of the original schedule – of the PDS Index, which scores individual athletes using four key data points:
- On-field performance: Athletic statistics and achievements
- Google searches: Volume and online interest
- Digital reach and engagement: Social media followers and activity
- Salary data: Financial compensation metrics
These are combined through machine learning algorithms to derive a comprehensive athlete brand index.
New commercial opportunities
Having been given the financial breathing space by the grant to quickly develop and refine its technology, ProDataStack has gathered real momentum. It onboarded a new Sales Executive (100% FTE), Lead Developer (50% FTE), Programmer (40% FTE), Account Manager (100% FTE) and Junior Data Analyst (100% FTE) in less than 12 months, with further recruitment expected throughout 2026 and beyond.
With a pilot client already signed up, the company has broken into the US market a full year ahead of schedule, while other new commercial and brand visibility opportunities have opened up. Major sports media outlets including TalkSport, Sky Sports and The Athletic exploring ways to feature the Index in their coverage. A World Cup 2026 campaign alongside football media and culture brand Rising Ballers to showcase the top 50 footballers is attracting interest from sponsors.
The company’s growing profile has also led to a new book deal for Fiona with international publisher Routledge2, a dedicated presentation track at SEAT 2026 – the leading sports, entertainment and technology conference in the United States – and a keynote speaking opportunity at the 2026 US Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia3.
“I can hands-down say that had we not been allocated our Commercialism Specialist we would not have been as successful,” says Fiona. “Jeremy’s background knowledge, coupled with his understanding of the way grant funds work, was invaluable in unlocking the funding that has enabled us to fast-track our ambitions.
“Previously, we’d heard about local businesses securing grant funding but had never been successful in accessing it. The Innovation team helped us through what, to an outsider, seems a very complex process – through one that’s necessary by nature – and we couldn’t be happier with both the process and the outcome.”
A winning formula for future growth
Buoyed by the success of its initial innovation project, ProDataStack is now being supported with developing an advanced benchmarking tool to further strengthen athlete contract negotiations.
“Being part of GM Business Growth Hub’s programme has been incredible so far,” Fiona adds. “While the outcome to date has been direct support for our business growth, the learning I’ve had along the way has also been invaluable. I’ve had to reframe the way I think about our business impact to consider our local economy and workforce; and while I was always aware of this, it was from a commercial viewpoint, not a community one.
“I really hope other start-ups read this and are motivated to start talking to GM Business Growth Hub.”
Contact our team today on 0161 359 3050 or at bgh@growthco.uk to find out how specialist innovation support can help your business, whichever sector you’re in.
Notes:
1 Before building ProDataStack, the team conducted extensive proof of concept testing supported by agents representing high-profile athletes including Bijan Robinson (NFL), Emma Raducanu (tennis), Jack Grealish (football), Melih Mahmutoğlu (basketball), Harry Brook (cricket), Pato O’Ward (IndyCar racing) Simone Biles (gymnastics) and Tom Curry (rugby union).
2 Winning with Data: The Athlete as a Brand will be the third in her established Winning with Data series and is being fast-tracked for release ahead of the 2026.
3 ProDataStack CEO Fiona Green will address 1,500 target customers at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in January 2026 on the topic ‘of the use of data in the development of footballers in the United States.
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