Could we see a Billion-Dollar Company in Sports with One Employee? XV thinks it's close.
We've seen some pretty wild AI advancements that will rock the world of Sports over the past few months, allowing startups to become incredibly lean and capital efficient.
Now imagine a world where a single individual - empowered by artificial intelligence - builds a billion-dollar company alone within the world of Sports.
In 2026, a few experts are already predicting this scenario to become a reality. The rise of the “Solopreneur Unicorn” marks a seismic shift in how we think about entrepreneurship, technology, and the very nature of work. Last month, at the forefront of this vision, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, made a bold statement at Anthropic’s 2025 developer conference. Amodei predicted that by 2026, we will see the world’s first billion-dollar company run by a single human employee, with artificial intelligence handling the rest. Incredibly impactful companies are emerging - OpenAI itself has 4,000 staff with a $300 billion valuation.
This isn’t just speculation - the XV team believes it's a logical extension of current trends in AI automation, agentic workflows, and the digitization of Sports, Entertainment, Gaming, and Health business operations. This AI-inspired technological leap means that tasks traditionally requiring large teams - engineering, customer support, marketing, even product development - can now be managed by a single founder, with AI acting as the workforce. The result? The barriers to building and scaling a company have collapsed, making it possible for one person to achieve what once took hundreds.
For investors, it also means re-imagining the concept of "traction." Investors will need to think more clearly, strategically, and move faster than ever before as they seek data-driven traction for investments. The solopreneur is a new game-changer.
The AI Revolution in Sports Entrepreneurship
The last decade has seen AI evolve from a niche tool to a transformative force within our world of Sports Innovation. Early AI applications have emerged in 2025, focused on automating repetitive tasks - able to write, code, reason, research, and even manage complex projects autonomously. These AI agents don’t just assist humans; they can execute entire workflows, make decisions, and interact with customers in real time.
For example - for in-house sports marketing and content creation teams - this multimodal AI can generate cinematic videos from photos, voices, videos, and text - preserving identity, allowing subject swaps, voice syncing, prop replacement, and even building story-consistent sequences across multiple scenes. These are just two basic examples from the world of Sports.
Several converging trends make this "Solopreneur" prediction credible - especially in the fast-moving markets of Sports, Entertainment, and Gaming:
- AI maturity: AI is finally mature enough to match or exceed human productivity at a high enough quality. In Sports - where brand integrity is paramount - AI performance has improved to an acceptable level for Sports Bodies and Rights Holders.
- Autonomous AI agents: New models from Google and others now offer AI agents that can operate independently - running experiments, managing operations, and iterating on products with minimal human oversight.
- Scalable cloud infrastructure: The rise of on-demand cloud services means Sports entrepreneurs don’t need to invest in physical infrastructure or large IT teams.
- Low-Code/No-Code tools: Building and deploying software products is easier than ever, allowing non-technical founders to launch sophisticated Sports digital businesses.
- Market acceptance: Sports audiences are increasingly comfortable interacting with AI-powered services, reducing the need for human-centric customer support.
Essentially, anyone with vision and access to AI tools can now build at scale, regardless of background or resources. While traditional roles in Sports and Entertainment organisations may diminish, new opportunities will emerge for those who can leverage, train, and supervise AI. The new Sports Economy has well and truly arrived in 2025.
XV’s Top 5 Predictions - The Next Sports Solopreneur Unicorns?
Within the Sports Innovation landscape, those best positioned to create these companies will be where the core business model isn’t reliant on human interaction. The solo founder’s primary role is vision, strategy, and oversight - everything else can be delegated to AI. The XV research team has had some fun exploring a few conceivable examples such as:
- Sports Coaching and Training Videos
Could AI deliver personalized, adaptive learning experiences at scale for youth and grassroots sports? Imagine a repository of 100 million sports coaching videos across 100+ sports that can be personalised to each unique athlete, adapting training and technique improvements weekly. TenCent's new AI tools could be leveraged for coaching and training video content. - Sports Talent Identification Platform
A scalable platform that compares, benchmarks, and recommends next-generation athletes to sports organisations and teams - and predicts where they are most likely to succeed. Intel showcased early examples of this at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Queensland 2032 already has a basic talent search tool. Expect next-gen versions to be mind-blowing. Why stop at sports? This model of "Talent ID" could even reshape university admissions and educational scholarships. - Content Generation and Curation
Can AI automate the creation, moderation, and distribution of Sports and Entertainment content across platforms - monetising attention and engagement? Imagine the next generation of Magnifii. - Micro-Ownership Platforms
Could AI enable new marketplaces and liquidity for micro-ownership stakes in emerging sports leagues, teams, athletes, or community clubs? Think: the next generation of Stryde or Nordensa. - Back-of-House Automation
Many amateur and grassroots sports operations face the same logistical headaches. Imagine AI tools solving behind-the-scenes problems - onboarding, customer support, live updates - replacing admin-heavy systems. Think the next generation of ScorePlay.
A New Era Begins - The New Sports Economy
In 2026, the world may witness the birth of the first billion-dollar company with a single human employee. The XV team believes there’s a strong likelihood it could come from the world of Sports, Entertainment, or Gaming - given how fast-moving, data-driven, and popular these markets are.
XV believes this isn’t just a milestone for business - it’s a paradigm shift for society. As AI continues to advance, the line between what humans and machines can achieve together will blur, unlocking possibilities we’re only beginning to imagine.
The Solopreneur Unicorn is coming to the world of Sports Technology.
The only question is: who will be bold enough to seize the moment?
