Atavus

What Atavus does

Atavus is a Seattle-based sports analytics and coaching company that builds software and services to measure and improve tackling performance for football programs. Its core product is the patented Atavus Tackle System, a shoulder-led tackling methodology (Near Shoulder, Near Foot) developed in 2015 with the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Huskies and Ohio State Buckeyes, and operationalized through the Tacklytics analytics platform that grades every tackle attempt from game film using computer vision and a structured tackle taxonomy (the patented Tackle Wheel).

The company monetizes across three tracks: (1) self-serve online coach certifications at $20-$89 per year, including association-specific portals for Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas and international partners in British Columbia, Ireland and Australia; (2) one-time Team Performance Packages at $1,000 that bundle coach certification with three-game film analysis; and (3) custom-priced, multi-year fractional tackling consulting for FBS college programs and NFL organizations, anchored by flagship partnerships with the University of Florida Gators, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Huskies, Ohio State Buckeyes, Tulane and Marquette University High School.

The platform reports 55,000+ certified coaches across 50 US states and 17+ countries, supported by a database of 100,000+ analyzed tackles. The company is privately held (legal entities Rugby Nation LLC and Atavus Football LLC), founder-led by CEO Kerry Carter (former NFL/CFL running back), operates with 1-10 employees, and has raised approximately $2.86M across three disclosed funding rounds in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Name

Atavus

Legal name

Rugby Nation LLC

Website

https://atavus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atavus is a Seattle-based sports analytics company that provides patented tackling methodology, computer-vision film grading (Tacklytics), and fractional tackling coaching to football programs, from youth leagues through FBS college teams and the NFL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Analytics & Coaching Software

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Portfolio, Performance & Rubric-Based Assessment Platforms (EDAFADAL)

Keywords

• Tackling analytics
• Coach certification
• Football safety
• Sports performance
• Defensive coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Certification Subscriptions: Annual subscription-based certification courses for individual coaches. Certification tier at $35/year provides online tackling certification, 7 drills, 8 videos. Certification+ tier at $89/year adds 36 drills, 42 videos, tackle plans, and coaches community. FMYFA Certification at $20/year.
2. Team Performance Package: One-time program assessment offering 3-game film analysis with actionable insights, tackling reports, and tailored tackling plans. Includes online tackling certification for up to 10 coaches at $1,000.
3. Tackle Consulting Services: Full-season fractional tackling coaching service for FBS and NFL programs. Includes weekly film reviews, custom tackle plans, coaching staff integration. Custom pricing based on program requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Atavus develops and sells a patented shoulder-led tackling methodology (Atavus Tackle System) along with a Tacklytics analytics platform that grades game film tackles. The company sells online coach certification courses (annual subscriptions), full-season fractional tackling consulting services for college and professional programs, and packaged team performance assessments combining certification with film analysis.

Product overview

Atavus offers a unified platform of tackling education and consulting products centered on the Atavus Tackle System. The portfolio consists of online certification courses (Certification and Certification+) for coach development, Tackle Consulting services providing fractional tackling coaching with weekly film analysis and custom tackle plans, and the Tacklytics analytics platform. Products range from individual coach certification ($35/year) to enterprise team packages ($1,000), with association partnerships offering state-specific certification portals for Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, and international markets including British Columbia, Ireland, and Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Atavus Tackle System Patented shoulder-led tackling methodology built on Near Shoulder, Near Foot technique, designed to increase player safety by removing the head from the tackle. Foundation for all Atavus products and services; used by football coaches, programs, and associations across all levels.
• Tackling Certification

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in head contact for teams implementing the Atavus Tackle System
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• University of Florida Gators FootballflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Multi-year strategic partnership making Atavus the Gators' fractional tackling partner. Atavus integrates as a fractional tackling coach providing weekly film analysis, technical insights, and a specialized roadmap for player development and defensive efficiency. The Gators implement the full Atavus methodology heading into spring camp.
• Seattle SeahawkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Atavus Tackle System in 2015. The partnership contributed to creating the shoulder-led tackling methodology that became the foundation of Atavus' patented technique.
• Washington HuskiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Atavus Tackle System in 2015. Contributed to the development of the shoulder-led tackling technique and data-driven approach.
• Ohio State BuckeyescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Atavus Tackle System in 2015. Part of the foundational partnership creating the patented tackling methodology.
• Texas High School Coaches AssociationflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState-wide partnership delivering patented tackling certification to Texas high school coaches. Custom portals, compliance reporting, and tracking. Joe Martin, Executive Director, states the association sought out Atavus for best possible player safety solutions.
• Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFBCA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState coaching association partnership for tackling certification delivery. Offers standard Certification and Certification+ tiers with KFBCA-specific pricing and upgrade options.
• Tulane UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCase study client demonstrating mid-season tackling improvement. Defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato implemented Atavus for weekly film analysis, customized tackle plans, and actionable data insights that transformed their defensive approach.
• Flower Mound Youth Football Academy (FMYFA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth football academy partnership delivering age-appropriate tackling certification. Custom pricing at $20 for Certification and $50 for Certification+ tiers.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChris Petersen, Former Head Coach, is a public advocate for Atavus. Stated 'We are fully committed to this (Atavus). It's the right thing to do... because it's the safe thing to do, it's a better way of tackling.'
• University of Nebraska - Center for Brain, Biology, and BehaviorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Art Maelender, Research Director and Director of Clinical Research, validates the Atavus approach: 'I'm a big believer in Atavus' overall approach to tackling because it specifically takes the head out of contact. The Atavus Tackle Analysis also categorizes and factors in head position in the tackle - no one else is doing that.'
• Big 10-Ivy League TBI Research CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Art Maelender serves as Research Director for this collaboration, providing research credibility to Atavus' safety claims.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hudl: Hudl is the dominant video analysis and coaching platform for football programs at every level. Atavus competes directly in the same buyer (coaching staff) workflow — game film review and technique feedback — though Hudl is broader across sports and lacks tackling-specific methodology and certification.
• Catapult Sports: Catapult provides wearable athlete-tracking and performance-analytics platforms used by professional and collegiate teams, including football. Both companies sell data-driven performance and safety insights into similar buyer personas (head coaches, S&C, performance staff) at the elite level.
• STATSports: STATSports delivers GPS-based athlete monitoring and performance analytics for elite and collegiate football programs. Both companies monetize by providing coaches with objective, data-rich performance and load insights to improve outcomes and reduce injury risk.
• Coach's Eye: Coach's Eye (by TechSmith) is a mobile video analysis tool used by coaches to break down technique frame-by-frame. It overlaps with Atavus' Tacklytics platform at the SMB and individual-coach segment, though it is general-purpose rather than tackling-specific.
• KinaTrax: KinaTrax provides markerless motion-capture biomechanics for sports including baseball and football. It is comparable to Atavus in bringing advanced computer-vision-based technique analysis to elite sports coaching, though KinaTrax focuses on pitching and swing biomechanics rather than tackling.

Broad incumbents

• Zebra Technologies: Zebra's RFID-based player tracking is deployed across the NFL and powers the NFL's Next Gen Stats. It is a broader incumbent in football analytics, operating at league-level scale rather than targeting individual program coaching workflows like Atavus.
• Sportradar: Sportradar is a leading sports data and analytics provider serving leagues, media, and betting operators. While not a direct competitor in coaching, it operates in the same sports-data ecosystem and represents a potential data partner or competitor if it expands into performance analytics.
• Genius Sports: Genius Sports provides data, technology, and broadcast services to sports leagues and betting operators. Like Sportradar, it is an adjacent incumbent in sports data infrastructure rather than a direct tackling-coaching competitor, but competes for sports-analytics talent and partnership mindshare.

Emerging players

• TeamBuildr: TeamBuildr is a strength-and-conditioning and athlete-development platform used by high school and college programs. It overlaps with Atavus at the program-level buyer (strength/performance coaches) but focuses on training programming rather than tackling technique analysis.
• Veo Technologies: Veo provides AI-powered automated sports video capture and analysis used by club and youth teams. It overlaps with Atavus in applying computer vision to coach-level sports video, though Veo is camera-and-cloud based and not tackling-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Atavusrugby
• Facebookfacebook.com/AtavusRugby
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atavus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atavus