From Self-Driving Cars to Revolutionizing Pickleball: How a Tesla Engineer is Transforming Racket Sports
PhD and Former Tesla Engineer Swupnil Sahai Left His Job Creating Technology for Autonomous Vehicles to Pursue His Passion for Tennis, Pickleball and Data
As the popularity of pickleball rapidly grows across the country, the traditional tennis paradigm struggles to keep up. Focused on repetitive drills, inconsistent feedback from human coaches, and lackluster post-match analysis, lifelong tennis fanatic and former Tesla autonomous vehicle engineer Swupnil Sahai knew there had to be a better way.
After years developing self-driving software at Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company, Sahai had both the skills and desire to create something new - a mobile application capable of effortlessly tracking every shot hit during a tennis or pickleball match.
Bringing SpaceX-level innovation down to the rec courts and public parks where amateurs play, his new startup SwingVision provides unparalleled video highlights, stats and analysis to help casual players substantially improve their game.
Initially bootstraping the company with just $250,000 in early funding, Sahai overcame skepticism from investors and venture capitalists to eventually raise millions from leading sports technology venture funds and develop partnership with high profile brand ambassadors like tennis legend James Blake.
While the core tennis product took off quickly, Sahai’s prescient move in November 2023 to launch SwingVision for pickleball has demonstrated even faster user adoption and growth. With core features like automated highlights, AI-powered strategy recommendations and advanced match statistics, SwingVision is already realizing Sahai’s goal to become the undisputed leader in recreational racket sports analysis.
1. From Columbia PhD to Tesla Data Scientist, 1:43,
Sahai has always loved sports. As a kid, he grew up playing basketball and tennis. His training in statistical analysis began during his studies at Columbia University where he obtained a PhD in Statistics. Bitten by the innovation bug during an internship at Tesla, Sahai ended up ditching his initial goal of becoming a professor to accept a full-time role working on tracking systems for Tesla’s autonomous driving software.
It was there that Sahai became intimately familiar with applying machine learning and computer vision techniques to make sense of data streams coming from video cameras and other sensors. This expertise would later become foundational for SwingVision, though a consumer mobile app leveraging smartphone video was still years away from conception at that point.
2. Tracking Stats, 3:12,
Like many passionate sports enthusiasts, Sahai was addicted to analyzing his performance in tennis matches after-the-fact, but was frustrated by the lack of available tools.
“After playing tennis, I wanted concrete data about how my shots, serves speed, footwork - but there just wasn't really any readily available solution to get that feedback especially for amateur players," said Sahai.
The existing solution used at professional tournaments like Wimbledon, called Hawkeye, requires an entire bunker under the stadium with racks of servers and specially-installed high speed tracking cameras.
Sahai realized that recent advances in mobile processors and device cameras might make it possible to get 80% of Hawkeye’s functionality at a tiny fraction of the cost.
3. Why a New Solution, 4:37
When Sahai first tried pitching investors on the idea of a mobile tennis improvement app, he received substantial pushback.
"I definitely had some skepticism early on that this might just appeal to a very small niche of data geeks," said Sahai.
Venture capitalists also questioned the market size potential. But Sahai was steadfast, feeling compelled to create SwingVision even if the total addressable population turned out smaller than other opportunities.
4. Is There a Market? 5:49
Frustrated by his inability to raise a proper seed round, Sahai first tapped friends and family, raising a modest $250,000 to build an initial prototype app focused specifically on tennis.
Release of the minimally viable product (MVP) version of SwingVision on the iOS App Store marked a turning point in validation of Sahai's idea."Once we had actual users testing the app, we started getting more and more feedback about what features mattered most," said Sahai.
It turned out that the stats and analytics took a back-seat to simple match highlights and the ability to easily find mistakes and misses.
5. What is the Concept of SwingVision? 7:26
As Sahai has learned, most amateur players struggle to efficiently improve because so much time during a match goes to picking up balls, fixing equipment, chatting with opponents and taking breaks rather than actually playing points.
Even for a competitive 1.5 hour match, the number could be as low as 20 minutes of time-on-court actually hitting the ball. The capability to automatically filter out down-time between points and games proved to be a real game changer.
"We found that the killer feature was the ability to watch a 2 hour match condensed down into just 20 or 30 minutes showing only the points where players were actually hitting," said Sahai. "This allowed our users to efficiently find weaknesses in their game by letting them quickly see each ground stroke, volley and serve attempt over and over."
6. Why Do People Want to Know Where the Ball Lands? 9:17
According to Sahai, once the point-only condensed match view was available, SwingVision’s user retention and customer lifetime value improved significantly.
Positive feedback from early customers combined with demonstrated product-market fit enabled Sahai to raise a proper funding.
7. How Did Pickleball Find You? 10:15
Swupnil became interested in Pickleball after observing the growing popularity of the sport through both anecdotal feedback and data analysis. The data indicated a substantial increase in people trying Pickleball compared to tennis in 2022.
Conversations with avid players further reinforced the idea that Pickleball was not just a passing trend but a significant and enduring phenomenon. The sport's widespread appeal was evident in the increasing investment by facilities in installing new Pickleball courts across the country.
Additionally, the similarity to tennis made it a natural choice for Sahai to explore as a second sport, leveraging existing knowledge and expertise. The combination of positive feedback, data trends, and the sport's similarity to tennis gave Sahai the confidence to pursue Pickleball as a viable market.
8. Comments, 11:31
Swupnil explains that they had been running ads on Instagram, which had been their most successful paid channel so far, specifically for tennis. However, all the comments they received were inquiries about when the product would be available for pickleball. This high demand for pickleball became evident, prompting them to consider catering to it
9. Tennis Purists, 11:53
Sahai credits his PhD research background in statistical analysis for appropriately sizing the opportunity and his Tesla autonomous vehicle experience for building world-class tracking software capable of handling complex, occlusion-heavy doubles matches.
Ongoing limitations in Android camera hardware and software prevent SwingVision's release on that platform. But Sahai insists iOS exclusivity remains temporary until phones spec properly for his resource-intensive app. In the meantime, Apple itself awarded SwingVision a coveted Design Award for technical innovation last year.
10. Feedback From the Pickleball Community, 12:46
The feedback from the Pickleball community indicates a desire for more detailed data and statistics related to their game, particularly focusing on aspects such as dinking, third shots, and court positioning strategies.
Swupnil acknowledges this demand and mentions that their current data presentation is a light version, emphasizing accuracy on different shots and serves. While they are tracking comprehensive data, the feedback suggests that players want specific insights into dink accuracy, the landing location of third shots, and the speed of those shots.
Swupnil highlights their capability to track the entire ball trajectory and landing locations, making it easy to add these specific statistics in the future. Despite the initial simplicity of their product, the plan is to incorporate more detailed and sport-specific stats based on the feedback received from the Pickleball community throughout the year.
11. Doubles 14:20
Swupnil discusses the challenges of tracking the ball in doubles Pickleball due to occlusions and the ambiguity of racket-ball contact, especially for players on the near side. The integration of audio, a novel approach for SwingVision, is mentioned as a solution to improve timing calculations for speed and other metrics.
12. November Launch (Highlights, Scoring) 15:44
Sahai talks about SwingVision's November launch for Pickleball, highlighting the positive feedback received from users who found the app superior to other market options. The popularity of highlights is acknowledged, and Sahai reveals plans to add scoring features in early 2024.
13. Starting A Business 17:15
Sahai delves into his entrepreneurial journey, sharing the initial challenges faced during fundraising for SwingVision. He discusses the decision to start with angel funding, the influence of Tennis Australia's sports Tech accelerator program, and the eventual venture capital backing that facilitated the growth of the business.
Sahai credits his family for pushing him to take the leap into full-time entrepreneurship.
Already working nights and weekends to keep SwingVision development moving while holding down his job at Tesla, Sahai was burning the candles at both ends.
14. Risk Averse - Tennis vs Pickleball 20:45
Sahai acknowledges the risks involved in starting SwingVision, especially as he transitioned from a stable position at Tesla. Despite being risk-averse by nature, Sahai's family encouraged him to pursue the entrepreneurial path, highlighting the support and risk-taking mindset that led to Swing Vision's success.
"My family saw that and encouraged me take the risk while I was still young," said Sahai. "I am naturally pretty risk-averse so I was trying to hedge my bets."
Sahai decided to leave the stability of his lucrative Tesla engineering role once SwingVision received angel investment.
15. How Do You Split Your Time? What is Your Day Like? 24:27
Swupnil describes his daily schedule, which involves a mix of teaching, managing SwingVision, and engaging in physical activities like playing tennis and pickleball. He starts his day by teaching a data science class at UC Berkeley, where he enjoys a growing recognition among students for SwingVision. Following the lecture, he heads to the Berkeley SwingVision office, where he participates in meetings, code reviews, and various CEO responsibilities.
Sahai also highlights the exciting aspect of playing tennis after work, testing the app, and reporting any issues to the engineering team. Additionally, he mentions night lectures due to the large class size. Despite his busy schedule, Sahai emphasizes that he still finds time for sports, making his days both productive and enjoyable.
16. Pickleball Features, Growth, Coaching Feedback 26:50
Sahai notes that the pickleball subscriber base is still small compared to tennis but growing rapidly. The focus is on achieving feature parity, with recent additions including line challenges and upcoming developments in automated scoring. Further plans involve adding pickleball-specific stats and a coaching feature.
The coaching feature, driven by AI, aims to provide personalized feedback on match strategies, with plans to eventually connect users with human coaches for more detailed analysis through video submissions.
17. Rating Systems 30:02
Sahai discusses the potential for SwingVision to develop a sophisticated player rating system based on the detailed data the app collects. While not a current priority, Sahai acknowledges the interest in creating a robust player-matching mechanism in the long term, considering the wealth of granular data SwingVision possesses.
18. Business Model 31:50
The app operates on a subscription model where users can initially download it for free and record a few hours per month as a trial. However, active users are expected to subscribe, granting them access to up to 30 hours of monthly recording and lifetime cloud storage without any data limits. The subscription includes additional features such as line calling and automated scoring. Notably, there are no ads within the app, emphasizing its primarily subscription-based approach.
19. Cloud Storage for Life 32:36
The decision to provide lifetime cloud storage is discussed, emphasizing the ideal customer experience. Sahai explains that offering cloud storage for life makes the product more sticky, enhancing user retention. The cost of storing old videos is deemed manageable, and Sahai hints at future plans for personalized highlights and year-in-review features.
20. Improvement Over Time 34:11
Sahai discusses the vision of SwingVision as a tool for tracking improvement over time. The platform aims to provide users with a comprehensive overview of their progress, allowing them to revisit matches from several years ago and witness personal growth and skill development.
21. iPhone (60 fps, 2hrs recording without overheating, Run RA) 34:30
In order to deliver the same level of computer vision and video performance across long, data-heavy racket sport match recordings, SwingVision requires three capabilities currently unavailable on any Android device:
- 60 frames per second (FPS) camera capture
- Multi-hour high FPS recording
- Real-time AI/ML processing of high FPS video
22. Apple Award 36:12
Sahai shares the excitement of Swing Vision winning the Apple Design Award in the Innovation category. The award recognizes SwingVision's groundbreaking use of the iPhone's capabilities and its contribution to pushing the limits of technology. Sahai emphasizes the app's intensity and the honor of being among other notable winners.
Per Apple, recipients of the Design Award "raise the bar of excellence for platforms and set new standards and best practices for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV apps and interactions."
23. Apple Watch 37:35
The integration of SwingVision with the Apple Watch enhances the user experience. It facilitates convenient camera setup, allows users to initiate and end recordings, challenges line calls, and soon will feature real-time scorekeeping for pickleball.
24. Players Don't Have to be a Data Scientist to Know How They are Playing 38:53
SwingVision allows users to easily review their matches, identify areas for improvement, and enhance their skills by combining video footage with data for quick self-diagnosis.
25. Youth Use Tech 41:20
Addressing the growing trend in youth engagement with technology, Sahai discusses the potential for SwingVision to play a significant role in the increasing popularity of pickleball among younger generations. The app's user-friendly features and tech-savvy approach cater to a diverse age range, fostering growth in the sport. Parents tell him they even use SwingVision recordings to bond with kids by rewatching old matches together from their living room television.
It's not just the players themselves analyzing data - several coaches have begun requesting access to students' tapes.
26. Marketing 42:22
SwingVision's marketing strategies are discussed, encompassing partnerships, social media content sharing, and the utilization of user-generated content. Sahai highlights the effectiveness of showcasing impressive rallies on social media platforms and mentions the word-of-mouth promotion as a significant driver of Swing Vision's success.
27. Where are Players Viewing SwingVision Videos? 43:56
The discussion shifts to user behavior, with Sahai noting that most users view SwingVision videos on their phones. However, he points out the flexibility of accessing videos on multiple devices, including computers and TVs, providing users with various options to enjoy and analyze their matches.
28. Outro 44:48
The conversation concludes with a call to action, encouraging viewers to download SwingVision, try the app, and provide feedback. Sahai expresses gratitude for the support and looks forward to the continued growth of SwingVision, especially in the realm of pickleball.
Summary:
Swupnil Sahai is transforming racket sports analytics and technology. As a PhD in statistics and former Tesla engineer specializing in self-driving car systems, Sahai has an impressive academic and professional pedigree. He has combined his love of tennis and pickleball with his data science and computer vision expertise to create the revolutionary mobile app SwingVision.
Initially focused on tennis, SwingVision uses a smartphone's camera to record and analyze matches, automatically tracking every shot to provide advanced statistics and highlights. Despite early skepticism from investors about market potential, Sahai bootstrapped the initial product with $250K funding from friends and family.
Once launched, the app's ability to condense two-hour matches into 30 minutes by removing downtime quickly proved to be the "killer feature" that drove strong retention and word-of-mouth growth. Additional venture funding allowed Sahai to expand staff and capabilities.
In November 2023, amidst swelling grassroots adoption of pickleball as the fastest growing sport in America, Sahai launched SwingVision for that market to similarly explosive enthusiasm. With coaching insights, line-calling assistance, and pro-style stats on the roadmap alongside the core automated highlights, Sahai aims to dominate recreational racket sports video analysis.
He credits his PhD research background in statistical analysis for appropriately sizing the opportunity and his Tesla autonomous vehicle experience for building world-class tracking software capable of handling complex, occlusion-heavy doubles matches.
Ongoing limitations in Android camera hardware and machine learning support prevent SwingVision's release on that mobile platform, sparking complaints. But Sahai insists iOS exclusivity remains temporary until phones spec properly for his resource-intensive app. In the meantime, Apple itself awarded SwingVision a coveted Design Award for technical innovation last year.
Fan feedback motivates Sahai just as much as core metrics and market share. By leveling the playing field and providing concrete shot analysis, he enables athletes to pursue greatness like renowned painters and musicians through quantified improvement cycles. If SwingVision helps casual fans feel like pros, Sahai will consider his entrepreneurial moonshot successful.
With bluechip funding and partnerships secured, it seems Sahai's pickleball and tennis performance tracker has clearly differentiated from the competition. SwingVision's upward trajectory mirrors the soaring popularity of pickleball itself. Sahai's unconventional yet consistent commitment to demystifying sports analytics appears ready to pay off in a very big way.
Time Code List
- 1:43 How did you get here?
- 3:12 Tracking Stats
- 4:37 Why a new solution
- 5:49 Is there a market
- 7:26 What is the concept of SwingVision
- 9:17 Why do people want to know where the ball lands?
- 10:15 How did pickleball find you?
- 11:31 Comments
- 11:53 Tennis Purists
- 12:46 Feedback from the pickleball community
- 14:20 Doubles
- 15:44 November Launch (Highlights, Scoring)
- 17:15 Starting A Business
- 20:45 Risk Averse - Tennis vs Pickleball
- 24:27 How do you split your time? What is your day like?
- 26:50 Pickleball Features, Growth, Coaching Feedback
- 30:02 Rating Systems
- 31:50 Business Model
- 32:36 Cloud Storage for Life
- 34:11 Improvement over time
- 34:30 iPhone (60 fps, 2hrs recording without overheating, Run RA)
- 36:12 Apple Award
- 37:35 Apple Watch
- 38:53 Players don't have to be a data scientist to know how they are playing
- 41:20 Youth Use Tech
- 42:22 Marketing
- 43:56 Where are players viewing SwingVision videos
- 44:48 Outro
- AI Has Entered the Kitchen: SwingVision Brings its Award-Winning AI Stats and Line Calling to Pickleball (Dec. 2023 Press Release)
- AI tennis app SwingVision raises US$6m to expand into pickleball and padel (Oct. 2023)
- The Journey of Swing Vision and its Expansion into Pickleball (Nov, 2023 Video: Interview #2)
- A.I. Scoring, Stats, & Line Calling for Tennis - Swing Vision (Sept. 2022 Video: Interview #1)
- Building an AI Business, with SwingVision CEO Swupnil Sahai (Sept. 2023 Podcast, AI Article)
- The Ace of A.I || Swupnil Sahai (June 2023 Speaker Series: India at Berkeley)
- Swupnil Sahai and his co‑founder serve an ace with AI‑powered SwingVision (May 2022)
- AI‑powered SwingVision (May 2022 WebWire)
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