Kinexon

Kinexon solved the indoor tracking problem that GPS could not. Founded in 2012 by two German engineers — Oliver Trinchera and Alexander Hahn — the company developed ultra-wideband (UWB) sensor technology that tracks the position of players and balls with millimeter-level accuracy in indoor environments where GPS signals cannot reach. This precision is critical for sports like basketball and handball, where the difference between a made and missed shot can be measured in centimeters.

The NBA recognized Kinexon's capabilities and partnered with the company to provide ball-tracking data for official league analytics. Their sensors, embedded in the game ball, capture every bounce, pass, shot, and dribble with a precision that optical camera systems struggle to match. This data feeds into the league's growing analytics ecosystem, powering new statistical insights about ball movement patterns, passing networks, and shooting mechanics.

Kinexon's technology gained unexpected prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the NBA created its "bubble" environment in Orlando in 2020, Kinexon sensors were deployed to track proximity between players, staff, and officials for health and safety protocols. The system monitored social distancing compliance and enabled contact tracing, demonstrating that sports tracking technology has applications far beyond performance analytics.

Beyond sports, Kinexon has built a significant business in industrial IoT, using the same UWB technology to track assets, workers, and processes in manufacturing and logistics. But their sports applications remain their most visible showcase, proving that the future of sports analytics depends on having the right tracking technology for each environment — and that GPS is not the only answer.