Otto Sport AI, a youth sports management platform, secured $16.5 million seed investment co-led by Mamba Growth Equity and Rally Ventures.
Otto Sports’ technology helps youth sports teams and organizations manage their players, events and operations, with products spanning club management, league and tournament operations, ticketing, and athlete recruitment.
The company’s signature tool, the Otto Pilot, is an AI-powered chat assistant that learns from an organization’s website and internal knowledge base to reduce administrative workload and improve communication.
Following a successful beta period with early adopters, Otto Pilot will be included in the Otto Sport AI product suite and will also be available as a standalone product for youth sports organizations.
The new funding will accelerate development across the Otto Sport AI product suite with additional AI-driven tools, integrations and features rolling out throughout 2026.
“Our mission with Otto Sport AI is to harness the immense power and potential of AI while creating technology experiences that feel human and empathetic, like a great coach cheering you on,” said Luke Zaientz, co-founder and CEO of Otto Sport AI and co-founder and former CEO of Reigning Champs. “We’ve assembled a team of industry veterans, unified by a passion to create vastly better experiences and technologists who know how to build at scale. With our dedicated AI Lab, we’re moving faster than ever —delivering tools that solve real problems at a pace this industry has not seen.”
Otto Sport’s leadership team, which includes former managers at TeamSnap, SportsEngine, NCSA, and FloSports, is supported by a panel of industry advisors spanning volleyball, soccer and lacrosse.
“Being part of the advisory group for Otto Pilot was eye-opening. I spend so much time answering the same parent questions over and over and seeing how quickly and accurately Otto Pilot handles that was honestly amazing,” said Lauren Sommer, business manager of Ocala Power United Volleyball. “It’s going to give me hours of time back during the season and offer a much better experience for parents and athletes juggling a busy schedule.
Image courtesy Otto Sport AI
