972 - Enabling Better Basketball Analytics Using Computer Vision w/ Bo Shaffer (Playswise)

In today’s episode of Forward Thinking Founders, Mat sits down with Bo Shaffer, founder and CEO of Playswise, a startup using computer vision and AI to unlock deep basketball analytics straight from broadcast footage. Bo played basketball at Duke, and she saw firsthand how much of the sport still relies on slow, manual film review. Playswise is her attempt to change that — bringing NBA-level insights to any team, coach, or player by automating detection, tracking, and advanced breakdowns using modern AI models.

In the conversation, we get into Bo’s path from college basketball to tech, how AI can transform scouting and player development, why legacy tools like Hudl and Synergy are ripe for disruption, and what the future of automated sports analytics could look like. We also talk about AI agents, staying on top of rapid AI progress, and what it means to build an AI-native company in an industry that hasn’t kept up.

If you’re interested in sports, AI, or the intersection of the two, you’ll enjoy this one.

Timestamps:

00:01 – Intro + Welcoming Bo Shaffer

00:30 – What Playswise is and why it matters

01:19 – Bo’s background at Duke + how she got into AI

02:42 – Discovering tech and realizing the basketball world is still manual

03:55 – How the internet (Twitter, open source) helps her build

05:13 – Staying focused while AI evolves so fast

07:06 – How she trains the models and improves accuracy

08:19 – What training looks like behind the scenes

09:41 – Coaches’ reactions + existing tools in the space

10:57 – Thoughts on AI agents and future tech

12:24 – Are agents real or still early hype?

14:02 – College years, Zoom era, and seeing AI rise

16:17 – Her big goals for Playswise over the next few years

17:35 – Why legacy systems like Hudl/Synergy are outdated

18:21 – The accuracy problem in today’s sports tools

19:08 – Where to find Bo + Playswise online