Veo Editor’s Evolution from Video Tool to Performance Platform

Over the past five years, the Veo Editor has grown from a straightforward library of game recordings and highlight clips to a comprehensive platform for understanding game performance. Today, it offers tools that allow users to examine matches from multiple perspectives, from individual player stats to team-based insights—helping everyone improve, one match at a time.

And yet, this journey began with a simple yet profound need: to help parents capture and revisit key moments from their children’s games. Kawus Nouri, Principal Product Manager and one of Veo’s earliest team members, recalls:

“One of the co-founders missed his son scoring a goal because he was stuck at work. This platform was initially about giving people a way to re-watch and re-live these moments.” Today, that vision has expanded far beyond its original scope, enabling Veo to bring elite-level sports analytics to all levels of play, reshaping how games are experienced, analyzed, and remembered.

“In the early stages, the platform was very closed. That means nobody could get access to videos unless they were a registered user, and that's changed a bit. At the end of the day, we didn't want it to limit access to the videos, only to some of the analysis features afterward. So that means you could do everything essentially the same way as YouTube,” Nouri says.

The user-centered approach: Building with feedback

The success of Veo Editor’s journey from a basic video tool to a powerful sports analysis platform is rooted in the team’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology with a user-first mindset. Alexander Harvey-Falkboo, Senior Product Manager at Veo, underlines that understanding users’ needs is the driving force behind each feature release and technical improvement.

“User feedback has played a heavy role,” he says. “We don’t just do formal user interviews; because our product is so visible, feedback comes in constantly from all corners.”

This feedback—ranging from feature requests to usability critiques—has shaped the development process and steered the platform toward delivering value that genuinely impacts coaches, players, and parents.

This approach is seen in the introduction of features like Speedrun, which allows coaches to quickly skip past inactive moments in a game.

Veo’s technologies are trusted by clubs worldwide, from grassroots teams like Boston Bolts to professional organizations like Inter Miami CF and the academies of LOSC Lille and Burnley F.C. Even trailblazing clubs like Lewes FC, known for championing equality in football, rely on Veo to enhance match analysis and player development. By making advanced tools accessible, Veo empowers teams at every level to improve and succeed.

Balancing technical advancements with usability has been a challenge.

“Like any young company, we focused heavily on new capabilities and expanding what the platform could do, sometimes at the expense of perfecting each feature,” Harvey-Falkboo reflects.

“Now, we’re at a stage where we can go back and make the experience more seamless, filling in gaps and ensuring the platform remains user-friendly,” he adds. 

For Veo, it’s not just about adding new tools but refining the user journey, so that coaches and players can gain insights effortlessly.

Automatic tagging and multi-sport support: A breakthrough in AI integration

As the world of sports technology expands, so do the many opportunities for Veo—perhaps a first in the use of AI integration. In particular, a key milestone for Veo was pioneering AI-powered automatic event tagging, a feature that transformed how coaches and players interact with game footage.

It all started when Veo developed an AI that could follow and recognize the game's action. This innovation allowed the Veo Editor to highlight significant events across entire games—whether goals, penalties, or period breaks. Accompanied by Speedrun, the formula is a library that bookmarks the best bits. Veo takes pride in having been the first in the industry to develop this kind of AI tagging, setting a new standard not only for football but also for rugby and lacrosse.

Reflecting on this achievement, Nouri explains how ambitious the goal—no pun intended—seemed initially:

“In the early days, we just wanted to follow the ball, but we dreamed of much more,” he says. “The ability to tag goals and other events felt like a futuristic concept, but our team made it a reality.” 

For coaches and analysts, automatic tagging has been invaluable—in some circumstances, it could be life-changing.

Now, Veo Editor empowers them to jump straight to crucial game moments, optimizing training and tactical planning across multiple sports. This capability has been particularly transformative for lacrosse, where game footage was historically difficult to analyze at scale. Today, Veo remains the only platform to offer this level of tagging support for the sport, allowing lacrosse teams to use advanced technology previously unavailable at this level. And rightfully so. As technology quickly expands its horizons, this leading vessel opens its door to other sporting events. This includes youth mentoring, women's and young girls-led games, and video evidence of tomorrow's stars.

“At the end of the day, it's about what we do with the video,” Nouri exemplifies. “It's about the tools that we provide afterward because the video itself, I mean, it’s just pixels, right? It's when we do the follow cam that follows the ball and gives people the tools to extract pieces of the video that they're interested in. I think the main thing here is that every kid on a team now has the opportunity to see themselves. So then, instead of the coach shouting into the air, ‘I want you to do this and this’ or, ‘you're not positioned correctly.’ It can be very difficult for an individual to see that. This gives players much more visibility. And, you know, people are visual learners. So by being able to see yourself, that helps a lot.”

Leveraging AI for enhanced coaching and player experience

And as we look to change how users interact with video, the possibilities are almost endless.

“Before, coaches would manually search through footage for significant moments. Now, Veo automatically tags these moments—saving coaches hours they used to spend dragging a video bar back and forth,” says Harvey-Falkboo.

This evolution exemplifies Veo’s vision to democratize sports technology by breaking down the traditional barriers that reserved advanced analytics for elite teams. In particular, the Player Spotlight feature stands out as one of Veo’s most groundbreaking AI-powered tools. It allows players to isolate their movements on the field, which is especially valuable for younger athletes and their families. 

“Player Spotlight is a game-changer,” Harvey-Falkboo notes. “It’s designed not only for coaches but also for parents and players who want to relive their moments and share them, even without technical expertise.”

Nouri recalls an unexpected but memorable moment:

“There was this famous call that we had with Zlatan Ibrahimović, and we figured out it was him because, during that call, our sales guy held up a piece of paper saying, ‘I’m speaking with Zlatan!’ He didn’t care about following the ball in a game—he just wanted to follow his kid.” 

This feedback reflected a wider demand from parents who wanted to track individual players, not just the overall game.

The feature appeals to today’s digital-savvy athletes and families who often share highlights on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Equally, as the younger generation looks to shape their careers towards US colleges and desirable sports teams, Veo provides a means for a precise digital portfolio. By making it possible to identify key moments without combing through entire games, Veo delivers a personalized experience that resonates deeply with users.

Reflecting on Veo’s competitive standing, Harvey-Falkboo explains that Player Spotlight has helped close the gap with industry competitors:

“Other companies had a head start with player detection, but our years of experience with AI around video allowed us to catch up quickly. Now, we can deliver a tool that’s as advanced as anything out there—and we’re just getting started.”

Veo Analytics: Data-driven insights for deeper performance analysis

The natural progression of Veo Editor’s journey came with the launch of Veo Analytics in 2021. This add-on was a transformative step, enabling users not only to view games but also to access powerful performance data that deepened their understanding of both team dynamics and individual contributions.

With Veo Analytics, coaches and players could, for the first time, integrate performance metrics with video footage, providing a more nuanced view of tactics, player roles, and areas needing improvement. Sort of a virtual coach, a player's online handbook, or a hitchhiker's guide to athletic greatness.

Nouri recalls this as “a huge moment for Veo.” Harvey-Falkboo echoes this, noting how the data-driven insights have expanded the platform’s value:

“Veo Analytics brought a whole new level of depth to the platform. Users could, for the first time, combine real-time data with video, helping them make data-backed decisions,” he shares.

Today, Veo Analytics remains a vital asset for users seeking a comprehensive toolkit that blends visual analysis with meaningful metrics, supporting teams and athletes in maximising performance. Whether tracking possession, goals, or passing accuracy, Veo Analytics delivers customized reports that are easy to interpret, turning complex data into actionable insights.

Moving forward: The future of Veo Editor

Looking to the future, Veo Editor is set to continue its trajectory of innovation while remaining centered on user needs.

“We don’t want to overload the platform with complexity, like Photoshop with its hundreds of options,” Harvey-Falkboo reflects. 

Instead, Veo intends to refine existing features, making them robust, efficient, and accessible. “It’s about making what we have better suited to user needs, rather than just adding more,” he emphasizes. In line with Veo’s mission to deliver valuable content, the team is also exploring ways to help users make the most of their video footage—whether through sharing memorable moments, adding insights, or creating recruitment portfolios. With AI advancements, Veo envisions new applications of machine learning and automation, especially as users increasingly expect tailored content. Harvey-Falkboo shares his vision for the future: “In a few years, we hope users will simply get a notification with their best moments, ready for them to view and share immediately.”

In line with the future, and proud of the steps thus far, Nouri adds, “People want to measure themselves, but it doesn't make sense for any 14-year-old to measure themselves up against, you know, the world elite, but they will like to measure themselves up to something reachable for them, or slightly unreachable—for them to get a bit better. So, the Veo Editor evolved quite a bit. Maybe it's even wrong to call it an editor anymore. I mean, it's something else. I think it's more of a coaching platform than an editor.”

This vision aligns with Veo’s broader goal: to deliver a product that not only simplifies coaching but empowers athletes at every level to understand and celebrate their performance. In just a few years, Veo Editor has transformed from a basic video tool into a comprehensive analysis platform, thanks to the dedication of a team driven by user needs and inspired by the power of technology. Through a commitment to both innovation and accessibility, Veo continues to bridge the gap between professional-level sports analytics and grassroots organizations, empowering every player, coach, and team to reach their full potential. Reflecting on the platform’s journey, Harvey-Falkboo concludes:

“The sporting community didn’t know what was possible until we showed them—now, they’re excited to see how far we can take it.”

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