Zenniz, a Finnish sports technology company that specializes in “smart tennis court systems,” has formalized its expansion into the U.S. with the opening of an office just outside Atlanta. It will be unveiled at a launch event next week. The move comes on the heels of what Zenniz Managing Dir. Santtu Leskinen characterized as significant traction in the market, with Zenniz systems now installed at 140 courts across 30 facilities in the U.S. -- representing a little under a third of its nearly 500 court installations worldwide.
“We’re seeing more and more partnerships grow here, and more and more facilities acquire our tech,” Leskinen told SBJ. “In order for us to create a smooth process of getting our system and running smoothly with it for multiple years, we need presence here in the U.S. -- not only to maintain those relationships but also to keep growing that pool.”
Zenniz’s flagship system, the Zenniz Gen2, provides electronic line-calling, on-court analytics and video streaming services for tennis players, but its target buyers are racket sports clubs. The hardware required includes four off-the-shelf cameras and 30 custom-built sound sensors positioned around the court for ball tracking, as well as a “central unit” with screens to access tech features. Leskinen said single-court installations cost about $13,500 up front (though that can vary if multiple installations are packaged together), plus a $70 monthly fee for data storage and maintenance. Clubs are then encouraged to monetize the systems by upselling court rentals/club memberships or sharing revenue with Zenniz when they drive sign-ups to the premium tier of Zenniz’s consumer app (which prices at $14.90 per month).
“That’s been the nut we are wanting to crack with the clubs. We want to collaborate with clubs and facilities on finding the best ways to monetize new technology,” Leskinen said. “There’s a plethora of different options you can go into, but probably the most popular ones are the revenue share model from the [mobile] application, as well as the uptick in court prices.”
The scale of Zenniz’s U.S. deployments already exceeds any other single market in which the company is active, but Leskinen said a $6M funding round closed earlier this year will be used to facilitate even further growth, including through additional installations, product development and hiring. Zenniz last month launched a solely camera-based “Zenniz Lite” system (with installation priced at roughly $2,000 plus a $30 per month fee) that offers video tools and will eventually add a line-calling feature (that is less precise than the Gen2’s camera and sensor-based feature).
Zenniz’s ELC system is also one of two technologies with silver-level certification from World Tennis (formerly the International Tennis Federation) -- one tier below the professional-grade gold level -- along with PlayReplay. It was recently approved for use as a challenge-based review system at the college level by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Zenniz’s U.S. headquarters is located in The Queen Building in Sandy Springs, Georgia, about 15 miles north of Atlanta. Leskinen and Zenniz’s installation project lead currently work out of that office, while two additional U.S.-based sales representatives work remotely. The company employs around 30 full-time staff, total. Leskinen said any additional U.S. hires will be based in Atlanta.
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