Arkero, a Seattle, WA-based provider of an AI platform to support the operations of complex organizations in sport, has raised $6 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Roger Ehrenberg at Game Changers Ventures.
The round also saw participation from Alexis Ohanian (776), David Tisch (BoxGroup), Garuda Ventures, Founders’ Co-op, and strategic investors, including Adrian Hanauer of the Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign.
It also shared that it has started partnerships with professional sports teams in MLS, NWSL, and the English Football League.
The founding team worked together for almost 10 years at Remitly, which later went public in an $8 billion IPO on Nasdaq.
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The company plans to use the funds to grow its business and pursue new projects.
Arkero is a new platform that uses Artificial Intelligence to manage the daily operations of sports organizations. It brings together data, workflows, and decisions into one system, so teams can plan, act, and adjust in real time without needing more staff or making things more complicated.
The platform is first being used to bring AI into matchday planning and season-ticket renewals, helping teams work more smoothly, reduce manual tasks and stay organized across different tools.
Arkero puts all data, workflows, and decisions into one system, so teams can plan, act, and adjust in real-time without hiring more people or adding extra complexity. Built by people who have run sports clubs, it understands the challenges of small teams, busy events, tight deadlines and high stakes. This helps teams save time, work more clearly, and feel confident, letting them focus on growing the business instead of fixing messy processes.
“I run a football club. I’ve been in the meetings, dealt with the chaos and seen how costly it is to manage everything on Excel and email,” said Shivaas Gulati, CEO of Arkero. “The chance to improve things exists because the system is broken from the inside.”
After leaving Remitly, the company he co-founded in 2022, Gulati joined the ownership group of Southend United FC, a 119-year-old English club in the National League. Using his experience at Southend United and his work advising teams like the Seattle Sounders, he has brought Remitly’s operational skills and best practices to the global sports industry, which is worth over $500 billion a year.
“Both on and off the field, our focus is always on finding ways to improve and using technology and the right partners to stay ahead,” said Sounders FC majority owner Adrian Hanauer. “Investing in Arkero fits this approach, helping us not just with where we are today, but where we want to go in the future.”
“We deliberately focused on how AI could make our teams more effective,” said Hugh Weber, President and Chief Business Officer of Sounders FC. “Working with Shivaas and the Arkero team let us integrate AI directly into our operations, rather than just adding another tool, making it a lasting part of our culture.”
“We invest in companies that understand where sports and business are going, both now and in the future,” said Roger Ehrenberg of Game Changers Ventures. “While many are still figuring out how AI can help, Arkero is already delivering real results. They’ve made a real impact with partners like the Sounders and the Reign and we’re excited to support them as they grow.”
About Arkero
Arkero, led by Gulati and Vamsi Narla, is building an AI system for professional sports teams. Think of it as an AI executive partner that works with the tools teams already use rather than replacing them. It sits on top of existing systems to automate everything from planning, and matchday operations to post game insights. By connecting with tools like data warehouses, Slack, email, ticketing and CRM, Arkero adds intelligent automation and memory. This helps teams boost revenue, run marketing more efficiently, and create more personalized fan engagement.
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