Kitman Labs, Silicon Valley’s sports science technology company, has named Billy Beane as one of the company’s advisory board members.
Beane, who is executive vice president of baseball operations of the Oakland Athletics, joins current Kitman Labs advisor John Malloy, co-founder of Blue Run Ventures.
Kitman Labs currently has partnership agreements with Irish Rugby Union, Bath Rugby, NFL’s Miami Dolphins, the Barclay’s Premier League’s Norwich City and Everton and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
“Billy bring years of experience in leveraging statistical analysis in sports,” said Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs. “His counsel as an advisory board member will be invaluable to Kitman Labs as we continue expanding our software service in the US and highlight how technology and science can help teams prevent sports injuries.”
“As head of the Oakland Athletics’ front office since 1997, Billy Beane is one of the most transformative leaders in sports history. His pioneering use of advanced statistics, which has kept the A’s competitive despite significant financial disadvantages, has inspired a generation of sports and business leaders and was the subject of the 2002 book and 2011 film Moneyball. He also sits on the board of Netsuite, co-authored an article on possible remedies to the U.S. health care crisis, and serves as an advisor for the Dutch soccer club AZ Alkmaar.
“It’s vitally important to predict injuries, minimize them and limit player downtime,” Beane said. “Staying healthy is the number one predictor of success, and teams that use science and technology to do so will have a significant competitive edge. I’m extremely encouraged by the work Kitman Labs is doing to help solve this problem.”