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mid the artificial intelligence revolution sweeping across countless sectors, Camb.ai cofounder Akshat Prakash is convinced he can harness the technology to transform live sports. His startup, which has raised $18.5 million in funding and worked with MLS, Nascar and the Australian Open, can translate a broadcast into more than 150 languages considerably faster and cheaper than a traditional workflow, all while preserving the commentator’s tone and timing.
“The internet was made for English speakers,” the 27-year-old chief technology officer says. “I’m helping redesign it for the world.”
Prakash isn’t the only one bringing the sports industry into the future. As cofounders of Trainwell, Gabe Madonna, 28, and Matt Spettel, who turns 28 this month, have built a fitness app that employs wearable software to provide feedback on users’ pacing and form during workouts. Another startup, OneCourt—founded by Antyush Bollini, 26; Andrew Buckingham, 25; Nick Durand, 28; and Jerred Mace, 25—has developed a “tactile broadcast,” allowing blind sports fans to “watch” games through trackable vibrations on a handheld device.
That kind of innovation has put these young entrepreneurs among the founders, athletes and business executives on the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports list. The group also includes such household names as Coco Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion at age 21; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 27, the NBA’s reigning regular-season and finals MVP; and Paige Bueckers, 24, who claimed the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year Award after a historic college career at UConn.
