Genius Sports is adding new talent to its leadership team.
The sports data and technology company has announced the appointment of Mark Kropf as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Kropf is joining Genius Sports after a four-year stint at Google where he served as Technical Director in the tech giant’s CTO Office.
The University of Akron grad has joined Genius Sports to lead the company’s efforts in bolstering GeniusIQ, a sports data and AI platform that uses machine learning to deliver game analysis and immersive experiences. Kropf will use his experience in developing Google’s generative AI capabilities to improve Genius Sports’ emerging AI platform.
He also will leverage his experiences at Pivotal as the software company’s Global CTO.
“I am thrilled to welcome Mark Kropf as our Group CTO. His outstanding track record of technology leadership at both Google and Pivotal, combined with his deep experience in AI-focused innovation, will play a critical role in our future,” said Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke. “Our cutting-edge GeniusIQ platform is already driving the AI revolution in the global sports ecosystem and Mark’s expertise will play a key role in amplifying and accelerating that transformation.”
In addition to being a CTO, Kropf is an investor in startups led by underrepresented groups.
Genius Sports drives growth
Earlier this year, the London-based company secured a partnership with social media platform X to launch Trend Genius. The product uses real-time conversations to help advertisers identify where to allocate ad spending. The technology uses X’s Ads and Trend APIs to help generate ad revenue on a platform that has over 550 million monthly users.
In Q2 2024, Genius Sports generated $95 million in group revenue exceeding a previous guidance by $1 million. It reported a group net loss of $22 million during the quarter and an adjusted EBITDA of $21 million. Genius Sports expects full-year revenue in 2024 to reach $510 million. The company also estimates an adjusted EBITDA of $85 million.
